We believe this project is important because it creates access to the arts for our local community in two ways.

First, everyone involved in Transplant is trans and early-on in their creative careers, so this is an opportunity for us to create art that’s true to ourselves, in a supportive community of peers at a similar level of experience. This is a truly unique access to the arts that we would normally never get to experience in the Film & TV industry, and it’s an excellent way to start before moving on to bigger projects. Furthermore, since trans people are often misrepresented in movies, TV and the news, we feel the story we want to tell is valuable because it will be authentically ours.

Second, Transplant creates access to the arts for the general public, not just because it’s available to stream online for free, but because we screen our finished work in theaters in Minneapolis, for free, for anyone to attend. We screened the pilot episode on June 11, 2024 to an audience of 300 people at the Parkway Theater, and we plan to screen the next episodes back-to-back in 2026, since they all tie together in one cohesive storyline. This will create a special, red carpet event for our local trans community and its allies to gather, celebrating each other and the art we’ve made.