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“Cruel and Unusual unfolds in ways that inspire jaw-dropping
disbelief at the petty insanities of the profiled prisons, leaving
the viewer to wonder who are the criminals and who are the wardens.”
New York Blade
“Groundbreaking! At times graceful, at times unflinching,
Cruel and Unusual is haunting, urgent and intense.” South
by Southwest Film Festival
“Masterful editing packs compelling punches of the brutal
realities of life behind bars.”
Austin Chronicle
“This moving and thoughtful documentary raises awareness about
the abuse, isolation and poor medical care faced by transgender
prisoners.
ACLU National Prison Project
“Cruel and Unusual is a remarkable and essential work. Everyone
needs to hear and see this film’s crucial, disturbing, and
enthralling story.”
LGBT Rights Program, Human Rights Watch
“Eye-opening and caustic in its depiction of the blatant discrimination
transgender people endure, this documentary will leave you with
much to think about.”
Frameline International Film Festival
“Cruel and Unusual is one of the most interesting and fascinating
movies I have seen in a long time.”
- Amos Lassen, EurekaPride.com
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Most states separate prisoners by
genitalia alone, so pre-op, transgender women are placed in men’s
correctional facilities, where they find themselves vulnerable and
preyed upon. CRUEL AND UNUSUAL is a frank, often
unsettling documentary, that portrays the challenges faced by these
women.
Ophelia, beautiful and bold, cuts herself when left alone in solitary
confinement for an entire year. Yolanda, 21, has taken hormones
since age 12; after surviving a childhood of poverty and drugs,
she is raped by fellow inmates. Rough and tough Linda, imprisoned
for stealing pantyhose, performs her own correctional surgery when
the Idaho Correctional Facilities deny her request for drug therapy.
Anna loses not only four years of hormone treatment but also custody
of her only son when she is sent to prison for being in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
The women’s stories are interwoven with commentary by lawyers
and prison custodians who discuss the problems transgender inmates
face; chief among them is the authorities’ complete refusal
to recognize Gender Identity Disorder as a legitimate medical condition.
Disturbing evidence suggests that thirty percent of all transgender
people have been imprisoned —three times the national average.
Eye-opening and caustic in its depiction of the blatant discrimination
transgender people endure, this documentary will leave you with
much to think about.
CRUEL AND UNUSUAL HAS SCREENED AT THESE GREAT FESTIVALS:
South by Southwest (SXSW), Austin LGBT Film Festival, Philadelphia
LGBT, Barcelona Int’l LGBT, Tampa International Gay &
Lesbian, Rochester LGBT, Woodstock, Seattle LGBT Film Festival,
Washington, Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian, Hamburg International
Gay & Lesbian, Pittsburgh Gay & Lesbian, Out Takes Dallas,
Chicago International LGBT, Northampton International, NGLTF Creating
Change Conference, Tucson, Rendezvous with Madness Toronto, Reel
OUT, Melbourne Queer, Australia, London Lesbian and Gay, Netherlands
Transgender, Athens Greece LGBT.
For additional information about CRUEL AND UNUSUAL or to
request a preview copy please visit our website at www.outcast-films.com.
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