DESIRE LINES

presented by
Calgary Queer Arts Society

DESIRE LINES (2024)
Alberta Premiere

In this hybrid documentary, history comes alive when an Iranian-American transman time-travels through the LGBT archives on a dizzying quest to unravel his own sexual desires.

DESIRE LINES is a hybrid feature film that blends personal interviews, archival materials, and narrative fiction as a framework for exploring the complicated and often unwritten history of transmasculine sexuality. Testimonials from transgender men both past and present dissect how cultural expectations, political agendas, and gatekeeping practices shape the locus of desire.

The fictional story centers on Ahmad, an Iranian expat who arrived in America at the onset of the AIDS crisis. Now in his 60s, Ahmad comes to the LGBTQ archives of Chicago to explore his latent homosexuality and engage in fantasy to reimagine his life as an out, gay trans man. Ahmad’s research blends fact with fiction, often diving into fantasy sequences that re-imagine the gay bathhouses of the 70s and 80s through a transmasculine lens. He is assisted by Kieran, a twenty-something nonbinary archivist who is immersed in queer culture and trans community. An intergenerational friendship takes hold as Ahmad and Kieran’s bond is strengthened by a shared fascination with Lou Sullivan, a gay transgender AIDS activist.

Press for DESIRE LINES:
“Jules Rosskam Encourages Transgender Men to Be Open About Their Sexuality in ‘Desire Lines’” – Variety

Director: Jules Rosskam

Producers: Jules Rosskam, André Pérez, Amy E. Powell, Brittani Ward

Executive Producers: Eugene Sun Park, Jason Matsumoto, Jennifer Reeder, AJ Escoffery, Jules Rosskam

Key Cast: Theo Germaine, Aden Hakimi, Em Modaff

Editor: Jules Rosskam

Cinematographer: Marie Hinson