In the late 80’s, Lisa Leeman spent three years intimately filming devout Christian and animation artist Gabi P’s gender transition. That film, Metamorphosis, won Sundance’s Filmmakers’ Trophy and aired on POV/PBS (1990). Metamorphosis seemed like a happy ending for them both—Gabi was thriving, and the film launched Leeman’s career—and they eventually lost touch. Twenty five years later, when they reconnected, Gabi was at a new crossroads—one Leeman would never have predicted. Agreeing to make a new film together, Leeman has been documenting the last six years as Gabi navigates a series of challenges, and as Leeman confronts thorny questions around the filmmaker/subject relationship, the effects documentaries have on the people filmed, and the blind spots inherent in being a cis-gender filmmaker profiling a gender-non-conforming person.

Director/Producer: Lisa Leeman; Executive Producer: Kim Reed. Editors: Chris McNabb and Yongle Wang; Consulting Editor: Kate Amend. Trans*Formed is supported by Sundance, Catapult Film Fund, USC, and private donors.

Lisa Leeman believes films can change the world, one story at a time. Over thirty years, she’s made longitudinal portraits of people navigating critical turning points, to illuminate contemporary social issues. Leeman’s work has been supported by Sundance, Catapult Film Fund, the Producers Guild, AFI, NEA, & Cal Humanities.