Xiaodi

2021

44min

On the 17th birthday of transgender girl Huang Xiaodi, the whole family gathered to celebrate her birthday. After dinner, her parents asked her to get in the car, so that they could take her to buy a birthday present. However, what awaited her was not a shop, but an institution on Gele Mountain in Chongqing. Xiaodi’s parents believed that sending her there would help convert Xiaodi, and turn her into a ‘normal’ boy. But in the face of violence and humiliation, Xiaodi hardened her resolve, and waited for a chance to escape. This gripping, uncomfortable documentary features interviews with Xiaodi, who recounts first-hand her traumatic experiences, as well as her mother, who discusses her motivations and changing perspective on questions of gender.