This documentary shows a few days in the life of various members of Abdijan, Ivory Coast's gay and transgender community. We get to meet a variety of woubis, yossis, etc. The hero/heroine of the film is a statuesque young man named Barbara who is organising the annual year-end party of the Ivory Coast Tranvestite Association, to be held December 27, 1997.
Direction
Fly-on-the-wall intimacy, never exploitative
Production
The 1997 party footage is pure gold
Costume
Barbara's looks? Devastating. Period.
Director
Philip Brooks
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
'Woubi' and 'yossi' come from local Dioula slang, not imported Western terms — this is homegrown African queer identity.
Brooks and Bocahut spent months building trust before filming; Barbara had final cut on her scenes.
FR
