Asume Nothing (New Zealand, 2009)

New Zealand 2009 / 80min. M
Director/Producer Kirsty MacDonald.
Many of us assume that there are only two genders and that being female or male follows from the sex of our biological bodies. Focusing on the art, photography and performances of six “alternative” gender artists of Maori, Samoan-Japanese, and Pakeha descent, the film Assume Nothing poses the questions: “What if “male” and “female” are not the only options? How do other genders express themselves through art?”

Director Kirsty Macdonald’s feature length debut documentary takes the orginal concept behind her short film and turns it into a full length theatrical release. Candid, playful and provocative, Assume Nothing travels from Wellington’s Red Rocks to the Metroplitan Museum of Art in New York to document photographer Rebecca Swan’s vibrant and sensitive exploration of the potent creative world that flourishes between and beyond genders.

Rebecca Swan (BFA), is an Auckland based artist who’s been exhibiting nationally and internationally for the last 18 years. Rebecca’s first book, The Big C, won the GP Best Book Award. Her second book, Assume Nothing, has been launched in ten countries. Her work is in the Wallace Arts Trust Collection and The New Dowse collection. All photographic works in Assume Nothing are represented by Mark Hutchins Gallery, Wellington. http://www.rebeccaswan.com

Kirsty MacDonald previously won the DOCNZ Best Emerging Filmmaker Award. Her short film Black and White (featuring Rebecca Swan and Mani Bruce Mitchell) has screened in over twenty international film festivals, and has won several ‘Best of Festival’ awards. She graduated from the University of Auckland in 2007 with a Masters in Directing Documentary.


From: kmacdonald1963.