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Ukraine-Set Drama About a Trans Man Barred From Fleeing War, ‘I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming,’ Wins Tokyo’s Ethical Film Award
German director Isabelle Stever’s “I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming” has won the Tokyo International Film Festival’s Ethical Film Award. The Germany-Ukraine co-production follows a trans man who is prevented from leaving Ukraine as war approaches, and explores how conflict and discrimination affect identity and relationships.
The film begins in Kyiv in late 2021, before Russia’s full-scale invasion: Oleh cannot flee because his documents list a gender that bars him from leaving, so he stays with his partner, Olya, as bombing draws closer. The jury, led by actor Isomura Hayato and including three festival student PR team members, chose it from three nominees, citing its treatment of gender amid the war. Stever said the film’s idea of “queer” also concerns what is not treated as normal; she will receive a certificate and JPY200,000, about $1,270.
In short
- “I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming” wins Tokyo’s Ethical Film Award.
- The film follows a trans man barred from leaving Ukraine.
- Stever will receive JPY200,000, about $1,270.
Explained simply
Ukraine is a country in eastern Europe whose conflict with Russia escalated into a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Before that invasion, Ukraine had rules restricting some men from leaving during periods of martial law, and identity documents could determine how a person was treated under those rules.
The film centres on Oleh, a trans man, and his partner, Olya, in Kyiv as the threat of war grows. It explores how official rules and social attitudes can affect people’s safety, identity and relationships during conflict.
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