Harper Steele To Exec Produce New Trans Masc Youth Documentary, ‘What Will I Become?’
Weaving their personal experiences with the stories of two young trans men who died by suicide, two directors explore the vulnerability and joys of the trans masc community.
Featured images: courtesy of Shore Fire Media
Harper Steele brought us laughter for years as a writer for Saturday Night Live. Then touched our hearts with her Netflix documentary, Will & Harper, which chronicled her deepening friendship with Will Ferrell on a road trip as the two processed her transition to womanhood. Now, the Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer has been announced as Executive Producer of a new feature documentary, What Will I Become?
In this co-production of ITVS and Deep Dive Films in association with Storylens Pictures, directors Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos shine a light on the vulnerability of their transmasculine community, delving into their personal histories while weaving in the stories of two young trans men who died by suicide.
“As someone who’s been steeped in trans culture for more than a decade, this film was an education,” says Harper Steele in a press release. “As trans people come under increasing attack from all directions it is essential to show the harm transphobia enacts on the community but equally important to show is the joy they can never take away. What Will I Become achieves both.”
Indeed, research by the American Academy of Pediatrics has shown that more than 50% of trans boys will have attempted suicide in their lifetime. That study, in 2019, preceded the current and ever-worsening onslaught against trans individuals in today’s political climate, making attention to this crisis all the more urgent.
In announcing plans for the film, Deep Dive Films Producer Drew Dickler has publicly noted that nearly the entire crew is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and/or directly impacted by suicide. “This film does not sensationalize loss or flatten trans lives into tragedy. It insists on community and accountability at a moment when trans youth are being erased and abandoned by systems meant to protect them.”
Related: New Study Links Anti-Trans Laws To Increasing Suicide Attempts
Homecoming king Blake Brockington and soft-spoken Kyler Prescott were poets, musicians, and community advocates. This film sets out to trace the joys and challenges of these two young people, the resultant media attention after their tragic deaths, and the larger aftermath within their communities. The film also aims to uplift resources that affirm trans boys and the LGBTQIA2S+ community so that we might have a better understanding of suicide-prevention practices, which as a starting point is commonly known to include preventing anti-LGBTQ bullying and aggression in schools.
In creating What Will I Become, the makers invite the viewer to consider: Why is the transmasculine community particularly vulnerable to living briefly and dying quietly?
The film is a feature debut for the directors, and is also produced by Geoff Pingree, David Sherwin and Ricki Stern. It will premiere at next month’s Berlinale film festival.
