05/09/2022 - The first feature-length doc by Izaskun Arandia depicts the legendary London trans club The Way Out and will screen in the Zinemira section of the impending festival

In 2016, Izaskun Arandia met Vicky Lee, the owner of The Way Out, a go-to club for London’s trans community. Besides being a place of leisure and fun, it’s a space where many trans people have been able to share their experiences, expressing themselves freely without having to fear that their lives might be in danger. That encounter would drive the filmmaker to tell the story of this very place in My Way Out [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], through testimonies and archive images outlining its three decades of existence.

“The documentary tells the survival stories of five people who are bound together through this club,” states the director, for whom this is the first feature after forging a career full of short films (Quiet, Night Shift) and a web series (Ni Naiz Naizena), as well as working as a producer. “Although it describes a number of very harsh experiences, it’s also a film that’s full of hope, joy and disco music that’ll make us want to get up out of our seats and dance.”

The movie gathers the experiences of trans people who transitioned in the UK at a time when there was not even a language they could use to express themselves, as well as those of other individuals from other cultures where transidentity remains a taboo. For these reasons, Arandia admits that making this film “has made me more aware of my own privilege as a cis person; I hope to convey this learning experience, and I hope that My Way Out gives the trans community more visibility.”

Its premiere will take place at the 70^th edition of the San Sebastián Film Festival (16-24 September), in the Zinemira section, which makes it eligible to vie for the Irizar Award for Basque Film. Its director will present the movie at the gathering, alongside its protagonist, Vicky Lee. Subsequently, the film, produced by Izar Films and AltContent, will land in Spanish movie theatres, distributed by Atera Films.

Check out our exclusive poster and trailer below:

(Translated from Spanish)