The Otherness Archive

“Otherness is a fundamental category of human thought. Thus it is that no group ever sets itself up as the One without at once setting up the Other over against itself.” - Simone De Beauvoir The Otherness Archive was created out of being othered, thus reimagining the term as a form of empowerment and celebration. The term Otherness felt like a word I had known for so long, however it was through discovering Puerto Rican cinema, that I fully understood It as something I had experienced. The Puerto Rican cinema that contained homosexual tendencies is typically considered the other cinema. It felt right to begin a process of championing filmmakers who fell under the umbrella of otherness whether it be in relation to race, gender or sexuality and archiving their work. I understand identities are not fixed in time or space; fighting on behalf of identity politics is not a new concept. What I hope to do is acknowledge the forgotten: the pioneers who influenced cinema and the contemporary filmmakers who are creating new modes of filmmaking today. Those who’s films, representations and themes celebrate and center the multiplicity of experiences that exist beyond those solely of white heterosexual men. The Otherness Archive defies the historic censorship of homosexual, trans and racial themes, and instead highlights them as representations of otherness that deserve equal, if not greater, recognition. Otherness, I argue, acts as a route into complex narratives and subjectivities that make for richer cinema. Our aim for this guest selection of films on the GIF platform is to focus on the trans Experience whether the films be by trans filmmakers or contain trans themes and bring these films to a wider audience. Right now is a pivotal moment for people to witness the Trans community, and hear especially those voices from queer/trans people of color communities . In honor celebration of pride 2020 we honor and highlight our community of trans masc, trans male, trans nonbinary, trans freminine, trans women and gender-queer people through the language of cinema. A group of artists and writers from the trans* community discuss and share films that had an impact on them and the history of their subcultures. - Otherness Archive @Otherness_Archive