World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
How Vera Drew, Louise Weard and More Trans and Nonbinary Filmmakers Are Taking Control of Their Stories Outside the Studio System: ‘We’re Creating a New Industry’
A growing network of trans and nonbinary filmmakers, including Vera Drew ("The People's Joker"), Jane Schoenbrun, Louise Weard, Alice Maio Mackay and Avalon Fast, are building careers largely outside the traditional Hollywood studio system. They have found each other through film festivals and online communities, frequently appearing in one another's projects, and are effectively forming a parallel independent industry that supports queer-focused, often genre-leaning storytelling the mainstream has been slow to embrace.
The article traces this community's growth over the past five years, noting collaborations such as Schoenbrun appearing in "Castration Movie" and Jack Haven's shorts, Weard featuring in "Camp Miasma", and Fast acting in both "Castration Movie" and "The Serpent's Skin". It also cites a GLAAD report, "Where We Are in Film", which found zero trans characters in 2025 releases from the top 10 US distributors, underscoring the industry's continued failure to finance and platform trans directors, particularly trans directors of colour, in big-budget filmmaking.
In short
- Trans and nonbinary filmmakers are building an industry outside Hollywood studios
- Vera Drew, Jane Schoenbrun, Louise Weard and others collaborate and support each other
- GLAAD found zero trans characters in 2025 releases from top 10 US distributors
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The major studios' failure to finance and platform trans and nonbinary creators represents systemic exclusion that cannot be explained by market forces alone. Zero trans characters in 2025 releases from major distributors reveals a pervasive pattern, and studios have both a moral responsibility and economic incentive to actively work against bias in green-lighting and hiring to properly serve marginalised voices and audiences.
The case against
Film studios operate within market constraints and necessarily prioritise investment decisions based on perceived return value. If trans-focused narratives aren't being commissioned at studio scale, the most straightforward explanation is market viability concerns rather than bias, and the thriving independent film sector demonstrates that bypassing studios need not limit artistic achievement, creative control, or audience reach.
Explained simply
Hollywood studios fund, make and distribute many of the films that reach large audiences, while independent filmmakers often rely on smaller budgets and festival screenings. Trans and nonbinary directors have made films outside that system to tell stories shaped by their own experiences, often using horror, fantasy and other genres.
Vera Drew, Jane Schoenbrun, Louise Weard, Alice Maio Mackay and Avalon Fast are among the filmmakers whose work and careers are connected through festivals, online communities and collaborations. Their projects give them ways to make films and support one another when studio opportunities are limited.
A GLAAD report found no trans characters in films released in 2025 by the 10 largest US distributors. That gap helps explain why these filmmakers are building networks beyond major studios, and why their work raises questions about who gets to make films and reach audiences.
Americas Entertainment Film World