Directed by: Flavio Alves | 88 min | USA | 2019
The Garden Left Behind traces the relationship between Tina, a young Mexican trans woman, and Eliana, her grandmother, as they navigate Tina’s transition and struggle to build a life for themselves as undocumented immigrants in New York City.
As Tina begins the process of transitioning, Eliana struggles to understand Tina and fears that their life together in America is no longer what they bargained for. Tina finds camaraderie in a small but mighty transgender advocate group, but soon, Tina finds herself having to fight for the life that she’s meant to live—facing violent threats, seemingly insurmountable medical costs, questions about her legal immigration status, and increasing skepticism from the man she loves.
She begins to lose all hope, but has unknowingly become the only hope for a shy young man who has been watching her closely from afar.
FESTIVALS:
SXSW Film Festival - WINNER Audience Choice Award (Visions)
Bentonville Film Festival - WINNER Best of the Fest Award
Boston LGBT Film Festival - WINNER Audience Choice Award Narrative Feature
Florida Film Festival - WINNER Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature
Nashville Film Festival - WINNER Grand Jury Prize
Preceded by the short film: Unbecoming
Directed by: Navid Mashayekhi | 19 min | Canada | 2019
We all try to be something, to become someone. Unbecoming chronicles the life of Logan, as he fights to "unbecome" everything he's been until now, that wasn’t really him in the first place, as we follow his story from early childhood, to a traumatic adolescence, and beyond.