REV Miami's Launch Party: Christina DerHagopian's "Me As He"
Bio from Christina DerHagopian (I will be including the cover of her movie as soon as I get it):
Christina DerHagopian is an accomplished filmmaker of Armenian and Sicilian heritage. Her documentary and narrative films attempt to provoke and challenge the viewer to think differently about issues on gender and sexuality while telling stories that are both unconventional and engaging. Christina is a recent graduate of the University of Miami, where she received her Masters of Fine Arts degree in film production. There she completed her thesis film, "Me As He", a documentary examining the world of drag kings – biological women who perform as male impersonators and push the gender envelope.
Christina also had the privilege to study abroad in Prague, Czech Republic at the national film school FAMU. Prior to attending the University of Miami, Christina earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Print and Multimedia Journalism at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. There she cultivated her skills as a writer and interviewer that would later influence her interest in documentary filmmaking. It wasn't until her senior year when a friend asked her to help write and direct a film for Campus Movie Fest – the world's largest student film festival, that Christina found her true calling. Their film, "Variations on a Filmmaker", was a top 15 finalist out of thousands of submissions.
Christina DerHagopian is a sweet little surprise that I found hiding right under my nose. She was always my favorite waitress at South Miami's Sunset Tavern. My best friend Carol and I would go over sometimes just to say hi to her and eat a burger and get a couple of drinks.
One day while we were there I noticed a flyer that Sunset Tavern was going to be screening a movie called "Me as He", done by a local filmmaker. I figured that it would be cool and asked Christina what she knew about it.
"That's my movie," she told me.
"Get the hell out of here!" I said.
I am so pleased to be able to include her in this show. There is a reason why the subtitle to REVMiami is Music, Art, Events, & Counter-Culture. Me As He explores the fairly unknown sub-culture of Cross Dressing Women, also known as Drag Kings.
I am a fanatic when it comes to equality and civil rights (a reason why the Hip-Hop For Human Rights show was so important to cover), and as this country progresses forward, taboos and social restrictions are being pulled down at an increasingly fast rate. Look how far we've come as a nation, electing the first black president. Unfortunately it came along side the lack-of-perspective countrywide refusal of equal rights for Gay Couples to marry (not that anyone should give the right to marry, there just shouldn't be laws made for or against it).
Christina's film explores and gives an incredibly human portrait of a group of women who are compelled to fully express their own innate selves, which happens to be a different gender than what they were born. Even more impressive is that they are actively trying to expose others to their world, taking part in dance and lip-syncing competitions dressed in elaborate and beautiful costumes.
Hopefully Christina's film can add another building block in the understanding of a repressed minority group, so hopefully the nonsense can be let go and equal rights will be granted to all people without the utter retarded discrimination of sexual preference (I hate that term, because it inferres a 'choice', but it will suit the purposes of this post).
Me As He will be playing on the outdoor projector by the other artists and the outside stage. I recommend taking the time to talk to Christina about her projects and the film in general. This is a unique opprotunity to discover a little known sub-culture that soon will get the recognition it deserves.
If You Enjoyed This Post, You May Also Like:
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- Screening of Aiden Dillard's Death Print @ Sweat Records - January 21, 2009
- ¿What's On Miami? 1/10-1/16
- Ric's Reflections of REVMiami.com's Launch Party, Pt. II
NOTE FOR COMMENTS: Do not flame or leave obnoxious comments, THEY WILL NOT BE APPROVED. Constructive criticism should always be welcomed by any artist, but don't be a d-bag, show some class. Thanks. - REVMiami Staff
Nice work. Having somewhat of a background in new media I appreciate the amount of effort, in all respects, that goes into making a student film. I'm excited to hear about a local filmmaker taking on this subject, which conventional social norms would like us to believe is subversive. From the write-up it sounds bold and intriguing. I'm looking forward to it, I hope its a great turnout and people come out and support.