“Enigma” Premieres at Sundance

Enigma premieres at Sundance on January 23rd. The documentary feature film, directed by Zackary Drucker and produced by Story Syndicate and HBO, portrays the lives of two icons of transgender history.

Two legends contested their identities as women in the court of public opinion: April Ashley, who was immortalized as a trailblazer by embracing her transgender history; and Amanda Lear, who has consciously denied and obfuscated her history for decades. Their divergent paths reveal disparate but intertwined legacies.

I only had a minor role in the making of the film, but was honored to spend some time filming Dolly van Doll for the documentary feature in Barcelona last year.

In 1964, Dolly van Doll was the first Italian to have gender completion surgery. In 1971 she moved to Spain, still under Franco’s dictatorship, and eventually started the Belle Epoque theater. In Enigma, she talks about her acquaintance with Amanda Lear.

A separate short film about Dolly van Doll’s life is currently in production.

Enigma is set to be released on HBO.