The polarizing albeit somehow industry favorite “Emilia Pérez” has nabbed 13 Oscar nominations, setting the record for most nominations by an international film. The Spanish-language French musical crime film, written and directed by Jacques Audiard, is also tied with “Gone With the Wind,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “Forrest Gump,” and “Oppenheimer” for the second-most Oscars nominations, ever. /Film’s Jeremy Mathai called the film “a swing and a miss,” and with a 32% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, he’s certainly not alone in thinking the movie was a huge whiff.

Suppose you are someone who loved the film. In that case, I’m not here to tell anyone how to feel about a piece of art. But considering the legitimate criticisms that have been lobbied against the film regarding both its trans representation and its depiction of Mexican culture, it’s wildly disappointing to realize just how many Academy voters are completely out of touch and clearly voting for the guise of performative progress of what “Emilia Pérez” symbolizes, rather than let the communities represented in the film take the lead and determine whether or not this is a portrayal that deserves celebration.

“Emilia Pérez” won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and earned a heap of critical praise, but the overwhelming majority of it was written by cisgender critics. The more trans and queer critics saw the film, the more obvious the problems became. GLAAD even called the film a “profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman,” a sentiment I share. But those who love the film keep hailing it as “progress,” noting that Karla Sofia Gascón’s nomination for Best Actress is a historic first for transgender actors everywhere (despite the fact she implied queer and trans critics who didn’t like her movie were “stupid”). But who gets to dictate what “progress” looks like: the well-meaning cis people desperately trying to prove they’re not transphobic by hyping up a regressive mess, or the actual LGBTQIA+ community who have been speaking out against it since the now-infamous “from penis to vaginaaaaaaa” song clip started making the rounds on social media?

Quite honestly, I don’t want to waste any more words talking about “Emilia Pérez” because no amount of my complaining in an article is going to change the nominations. Instead, I’m going to shout out the incredible roster of trans films that came out in 2024 which deserve your time.

While “I Saw the TV Glow” was not Jane Schoenbrun’s debut feature, they truly arrived with their sophomore feature about two friends named Owen and Maddy whose obsession with a TV show called “The Pink Opaque” opens up a supernatural world reflective of their own, shattering Owen’s perception of reality and identity. It’s been hailed as not only one of the best horror movies of the year but one of the best movies of the year, period. If the Academy was genuinely looking to highlight a trans movie this year, why not the haunting and poetic examination of the “egg crack” experience actually written and directed by a trans person? “I Saw the TV Glow” was such a monumental achievement in transgender cinema that its message of “there’s still time” inspired multiple people to finally accept the truth about themselves and come out as transgender. Can’t say “Emilia Pérez” had quite the same impact.

And although it’s doubtful that Alice Maio Mackay’s “Carnage for Christmas” was going to ever be in the Academy Awards conversation, the Australian transgender filmmaker’s fifth feature film (all completed before she turned 20) is a microbudget holiday horror movie currently boasting an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s about a true-crime podcaster and sleuth transwoman named Lola, who faces the vengeful ghost of an infamous murderer in her hometown during her first holiday visit since running away and transitioning. Mackay’s movies have been fan-favorite darlings on the Shudder streaming app for years, and she’s a promising young talent who keeps getting better and better with every new feature. “Carnage for Christmas” is her best film yet, but that will only be true until she releases her next film.

The record-setting standard for “Emilia Pérez” as an international release has also been praised for the film’s “groundbreaking” subject matter. Yet, not only does a Spanish-language transgender musical already exist (“20 Centimeters” from 2005), but it wasn’t the only non-American trans film released in 2024. Levan Akin’s “Crossing” went criminally underseen, despite winning the Jury Prize at both the Berlin International Film Festival and Guadalajara International Film Festival. The story centers on a retired teacher on the search for her long-lost niece, winding up in Istanbul where she meets a lawyer named Evrim who is fighting for transgender rights. It currently boasts a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its portrayal of transness and life in Istanbul.

2024 also marked the feature directorial debut of activist and drag performer Amrou Al-Kadhi with “Layla,” the story of a struggling non-binary British-Palestinian drag performer who hides their vulnerabilities and desperate desire for love and approval behind the confidence of their drag persona. It’s admittedly a little uneven from a narrative perspective, but the lead performances of Bilal Hasna as Layla and Louis Greatorex as Max are so captivating it really doesn’t matter. “Layla” is also unafraid to dive into inter-community conflict, something most mainstream LGBTQIA+ films avoid out of fear it would provide ammunition to the absolute worst people on the planet.

The independent film circuit is home to the majority of films about or made by creatives from marginalized communities, and it was bursting with killer projects telling trans stories in 2024. Most notably, Vera Drew’s superhero satire “The People’s Joker” played to sold-out theaters across the country as she took her twisted takedown of corporate comedy (and treating IP like sacred cows) on tour, complete with audiences filled with folks wearing clown makeup.

And then there’s the transgressive brilliance of Louise Weard’s “Castration Movie Anthology i. Traps,” a movie that has absolutely zero interest in appealing to stuffy cis audiences or playing the game of respectability politics, and the result is a raw epic sprawling across four and a half hours. The story follows a trans sex worker named Michaela “Traps” Sinclair, who seeks a back alley orchiectomy between seeing clients and hanging out with her friends. The film also features Vera Drew and Alice Maio Mackay in supporting roles, and we love to see trans filmmakers helping other trans filmmakers bring their vision to life!

Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions” might be the only quarantine-era COVID-19 comedy that isn’t embarrassingly cringe: a fascinating chamber piece about people essentially trapped in one location, featuring a character played by John Early who wants nothing to do with other people but is stuck with them due to safety regulations. Hammel’s sense of humor is so sharp and her delivery so perfect that when another character asks her, “But you always knew you were a woman?” she can reply with, “No, nobody feels that way. I wanted to kill myself and this helped, sorta,” and the audience wants to howl-laugh instead of calling someone for a wellness check. 

Also painfully underseen was the feature directorial debut of photographer Luke Gilford, “National Anthem,” the story of a construction worker who joins a community of queer rodeo performers in the American Southwest. Eve Lindley absolutely dazzles as Sky, and the image of her wearing the American flag and shredded Daisy Dukes on horseback with her hair blowing in the wind makes the case for one of the best images of any movie in 2024.

There has never been a lack of trans stories in the documentary space, but 2024 was a banner year for them. Most famously is “Will & Harper,” the road trip documentary about Will Ferrell and comedy writer Harper Steele traveling across the country to provide safety to Harper as she revisits dive spots in red states, while the pair learn what their relationship might look like moving forward. “Will & Harper” is a perfect gateway trans movie for cisgender audiences and a touching look at friendship through the lens of one of the most famous faces in America.

Going international, there was also “Reas,” a documentary hybrid where former Buenos Aires prisoners re-enact their lives and stories through flashy musical numbers. Some of the ex-cons are trans and some are cis, but all of them are showcases of resilience, hope, and the limitless possibilities of imagination even during the most difficult of circumstances.

But for my money, “the trans doc” of the year was Sav Rodgers’ “Chasing Chasing Amy;” part journey of self-discovery, part film history lesson, and part examination of the way movies have the power to fundamentally change us. Kevin Smith’s ’90s rom-com “Chasing Amy” was initially hailed as groundbreaking for its frank portrayal of queerness, but has since come under fire as “poorly aged” and even *gasp* problematic, but that didn’t stop it from being one of the most impactful movies of Rodgers’ childhood. Sav is also the founder and executive director of the Transgender Film Center, with “Chasing Chasing Amy” serving as his debut feature.

This is all to say, Oscar nominations are cool, but they aren’t necessarily a reflection of quality or importance. Please don’t let these other incredible trans films be lost to time in favor of one that has been overwhelmingly rejected by the communities it claims to be representing.