A transfemme experience portrayed through dance and poetry
BY KRYSTA MCKENZIE, IMAGE BY RED BERET PRODUCTIONS
When We Arrive As Flowers (WWAAF) is a beautiful short film that represents how the talented dancer and poet, Diovanna Óbàfunmílayo, perceived her own transition journey. The film provides a metaphor of her transfemme identity as seed, existing long before she was born. The story of how the seed grows and blooms as a part of her is accompanied by an incredible musical score, and her dancing is shown alongside animated illustrations.
Each aspect of WWAAF — the art, the music, the poetry and the dance, come together to perfectly express what it feels like to finally show yourself the person you have always been.
For me, this is what celebrating Pride month is all about! It is so important to look at yourself and reflect on what it took to get you where you are today. Once you embrace the inevitability of your existence, you will shine — this is the message I felt permeating from WWAAF.
The director Susan O’Brien stated: “When We Arrive As Flowers is a collaborative project with dancer and poet, Diovanna Óbàfunmílayo, that was inspired from a conversation we had about how Diovanna viewed her transition story as a metaphorical portrait of a seed’s growth in a garden. We both were drawn to this imagery to represent coming into yourself as blossoming into a flower surrounded by a community of other welcoming flowers. We wanted to create a film that felt artful, joyful, and celebratory of the journey of her transfemme identity.”
I can very confidently say that “artful, joyful, and celebratory” is exactly what this short film achieves. SO if you’re in need for some trans joy this pride month, view When We Arrive As Flowers on Vimeo with the password: flowers.
For further film screening/event/press inquiries, contact WWAAF producer Margaret Montavon: margaret@pipe-dream.co.
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