Lucie Rachel directed Where We Are Now, one of five short films on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, which form this year's #FiveFilms4Freedom. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Tell us about the film.
My film is an insight into my relationship with my transgender parent since she made the decision to transition. There are a lot of non-heteronormative families out there, and there isn't enough representation of us in the media. So I thought it was important to reach out to other people who are like us.
How did you approach making the film?
With great difficulty. It's a huge story, and we're a normal family, so we have a lot of other things going on with us. It wasn't simple to just show this one element of our lives. We needed to pick out the general message that we wanted to tell, without getting distracted by other things. After all, it is a short film, so there's only so much you can tell.
Was it difficult to approach your parent about the film?
I was a little bit worried before I approached her, because I'd already made one film and a photo book about my parents' relationship and her coming out. When I said that I wanted to make a new film, she was actually more excited than I thought she would be. She's a lot more confident now that she's decided to transition, so I think it was easier for her this time.
We lived in my parents' home for nine days while we shot the film. Being there was pretty intense, as I'm not used to living with my family. Making this documentary made us have a lot of conversations about things we wouldn't normally talk about. It had a positive impact on our relationship, because we were able discuss our feelings more. We're not usually that emotionally connected.
Do you plan to follow up this short film with a feature-length version?
I probably wouldn't make another film, but I am attracted to the idea of another photo book or some other kind of format. With a photo book, I would be able to dip in and out and show different stages without being too invasive. It would be a bit more private and intimate. I want to let her get on with her life and her transition, without putting her in front of the camera again.
So I don't think I'd make a follow-up film. I might be tempted to make a feature-length fiction movie based on everything that's happened so far, as it’s a very complex story. That would be cool, but maybe not just yet.