To celebrate LGBT Pride Month, Dylan–a short film about a transgender man’s journey, written, directed and edited by Elizabeth Rohrbaugh–has been released online. Based on an interview with her childhood friend Dylan Wynn Garner, the film tells Dylan’s story, (as performed by transgender actor, Becca Blackwell), delving into his exploration of the transgender community, his family’s approval of his identity, and ultimately his physical and emotional transformation.
Rohrbaugh began the process of making this film nearly 10 years ago when she wrote the script as part of a theater writing workshop taught by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, who were best known for creating
The Exonerated. Tasked to interview someone with an interesting story, Rohrbaugh chose newly transitioned Dylan, whom she had known since childhood as Emily. This year, Rohrbaugh completed the film which has gained exposure at the St. Louis Film Festival, Queer Film Festival, Boston LGBT Film Festival, and Melbourne Queer Festival. Dylan is scheduled for screening on July 12 at Outfest in Los Angeles.
Filmed at dawn in the New York City subway system and at Coney Island, this nine-minute short uses powerful dialogue and symbolism to portray the process of self discovery. The result sees
Dylan finding freedom and solace in self-love and acceptance.
Rohrbaugh earned a BFA in Film and Television from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. There she won the Best Documentary Award and the Adam Balsano Award for a Film with Social Significance at NYU’s First Run Film Festival for her short documentary There She Is. She spent 10 years as a director, writer and editor at MTV Networks and is now the creative director of Outer Borough Pictures. She is currently working with the newly rebranded LOGO Network. Her feature-length documentary The Perfect Victim was recently acquired by the WORLD Channel documentary series, America Reframed following a successful festival run.
Dylan was shot by cinematographer Kathryn Westergaard, exec produced by Britt Myers, and produced by Melissa Kelly and Steve Simmons via Outer Borough Pictures. Yousheng Tang was Steadicam operator. Beatrice Sniper handled SFX makeup, with production sound by Olu Poisson, and Ian Stynes and Jay Culliton serving as re-recording mixers. Daniel Hefffernan did titles and GFX. Music included “My Only Friend” performed by the Poison Tree and written by Steve Salett, “Letting Go” performed by Dreams of June and written by Amanda Diviner and Adam Bishop, and “Red Sails In The Sunset” performed by The Platters (courtesy of Mercury Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises).
