Let's make the queerest wildlife documentary ever

A combination of memoir, nature documentary, and drag act, this film will explore the diversity of gender and sexuality in the wildlife around us. Maxwell Matchim (they/them) finds connections between these wonders of the natural world and their own journey accepting their Trans identity. The title is a reference to the green frog, an Ontario amphibian which is able to change its gender as it matures.

When developing this film, I began to think about the ways in which Trans people exist between worlds, much like amphibians. The way in which Trans people change their bodies over time as means of survival. The way in which we call out to one another, traversing barriers to congregate and form community. Despite the constant weight of threats looming over us, we find spaces in which we thrive. The connections between the amphibian world and the Trans world excite me greatly.

Learn about lesbian gull parents and how the temperature of an egg decides the sex of a baby turtle. Discover how an all-female salamander population reproduces. With your help, I can create this film and shed a light on these fantastically Queer members of the animal kingdom.

I want to make sure that our budget will allow us to properly crew this film and pay everybody working on it fairly. I'd like to travel throughout the US and Canada to interview Queer nature lovers and biologists and have them share their stories. Cinematographers, editors, production designers, sound engineers; they all deserve to have their work valued and to be compensated fairly for their labour. Contributing to this project will help ensure that these important stories are told, and that the people telling these stories are able to support themselves. The budget will also go towards the hiring of a drag performer and the commissioning of a costume for them.

Maxwell Matchim (they/them) is an artist and naturalist based in Toronto. They have a BA in Film Production from York University, and are a graduate of Fleming College's Environmental Visual Communications post-grad program. They've directed numerous short films, and co-produced two seasons of an educational children's web series. They're a a part of the Events and Education Committee of the Toronto Feminist Bird Club and serve as co-chair of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee of the Ontario Field Ornithologists. They've completed a communications placement at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, participated in Blanding's turtle nesting surveys, and worked at the Royal Ontario Museum. When they're not looking for birds or wildflowers, they like listening to 60s pop and making fibre art.

Poster by the wonderfully talented Bird Warde.