Amid the dramatic performances of Murray Bartlett and Sarah Snook, Australia’s contingent for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards also extends to factual.
My Transparent Life, a documentary written, co-directed, and featuring Melbourne native Serena de Comarmond, or Serena DC as she is best known, will contend the Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special category alongside celebrity portraits Being Mary Tyler Moore, Judy Blume Forever, Pamela, A Love Story, and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
Released in the US in October last year, the film centres on the transitions of TikTok star Jesse Sullivan and celebrity make-up artist Stassi Kihm, following the pair’s journey through hormone treatments and surgical appointments, as they strive for understanding from their family and peers and adjust to life as the opposite sex to which they were born.
It was the culmination of a more than 12-month process for DC, who directed with Miko Allyn and also executive produced through her company Elysium Media.
DC said inspired to tell the story after hearing her friend Briannah Jayde, who features in the film, talk about her struggles as a transgender person.
“She’s a bridal designer who is very well respected in the community but she told me she was constantly getting victimised and abused sexually, physically, and emotionally by strangers because she is transgender,” she said.
“It just made me so mad that someone so undeserving of hate would be ridiculed every day because of the gender they identify as.”
The self-funded film, which was distributed by 1091 Pictures, was made available to stream on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Pluto TV, Samsung, DirectTV, Philo, Sling, The Roku Channel and Vudu, and also had a theatrical premiere at LA’s Landmark Theatre.
DC said there had been a “fantastic” reception to the film, especially among some members of her inner circle.
“I always use my dad as an analogy because while he isn’t homophobic in any way, he doesn’t really believe that a transgender person was born in the wrong body,” she said.
“But after watching the movie, he rang me in tears and was like, ‘Now I understand’ because when you watch the movie, you really realise that nobody would put themselves through so much pain, agony, and scrutiny unless they had to.”
My Transparent Life represents another step forward in the industry for DC, who began her entertainment career with a role in 2017 Seven reality series Instant Hotel, now available on Netflix.
She has since been at the centre of titles such Dream Life, a reality series that documented her exploits in LA, as well as talk show Hollywood Disclosure with Serena DC, now in its second season.
Having made the permanent move to Beverly Hills from Melbourne last year, she is gearing up for further documentary releases through her company, including multiple titles focusing on human contact with extraterrestrial life, as well as an investigative look at the webcam industry titled Pornpreneur.
The single mum-of-two said she was pleased to be able to make documentaries about issues that were important to her, adding the Emmy nomination was a welcome, if not somewhat unexpected, endorsement.
“When checked the nominations and I saw it and I was like, ‘What?’,” she said.
“I went to five or six different sites and it was still there, so I thought maybe there was another film called My Transparent Life, but then I went to the TV Academy page and I saw my name.”
“It’s so great to realise that you’re actually not too bad at doing what you’re doing.”
The 75th Emmys are as yet without a new airdate, following the postponement of the September 18 ceremony as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike.