Seven years ago, Kanye Lapuerta began working on his first feature-length documentary, “Ninxs.” About Carla, a 14-year-old trans girl living in Mexico who lives in a bi community, the project won the IDFA Forum Award for Best Presentation at the 35th Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam on November 15.
Produced by Mexico’s La Sandía Digital Producción Audiovisual and Germany’s Jyoti Film and Dirk Manthey Film, “Ninxs,” the blanket, non-binary version of the word niños (children), is in the early stages of editing.
Lapuerta said he set out to make the docu to show the audience that there is more to transgender people than just being trans.
“This is a modern film and it deals with many themes such as memory, friendship and love,” says Lapuerta. “For me, the important thing is for the audience to be able to identify themselves with Carla through these threads and not because they are trans or not.”
The “Ninxs” from Lapuerta were invited to participate in IDFA’s Project Space workshop and received funding from the Bertha Fund for the festival.
Variety spoke with Lapuerta, who is transgender, about finishing Ninxs, what helped him win the Pitch Forum and how he plans to make the project more accessible to young people.
How did you meet Carla?
She is the daughter of some friends I have known for many years. I’ve known her since she was very, very young.
Did it take a lot of convincing to get her to go in front of the camera?
We started filming seven years ago when she was seven. At first it was like a game. I wasn’t thinking of making a movie, I was just exploring. But as time went on, I figured I was making a movie, so it just kind of happened.
What is the current position of the project?
We are now collecting all the material from the last seven years and starting to find the structure of the film. So, we’re seeing where the gaps in the story are and things we still have to shoot. We are also writing a script and shooting at the same time.
You are a subject in the movie. why?
The film has different narratives. The first is all the observational material that we have from the last seven years. Another is the conversations between me and Carla which give (the document) structure. These moments delve into the core themes of the film.
How did you prepare your presentation for the forum?
English is not our native language, so it was difficult to express ourselves. We rehearsed a lot to make sure that the main points we wanted to share with the audience[were conveyed].
I was among the 22 documentary projects selected for the show. What do you think made your show stand out?
We used a lot of humor which is part of the style of the film. We tried to make the pitch a little bit like stand-up comedy. There are many beautiful projects on the forum, but sometimes documentary projects take scenes too seriously. The way we work in my production company is to find other narrative ways to tell stories of resistance and resilience.
In the description of “Ninxs” it states that the film will be 75 minutes long. Is this an estimate or will it be 75 minutes?
No, we planned two versions. One 75-minute version for festivals, etc. Then copy for TV. We are also working on creating shorter episodes as this content is also for kids and young adults. We realize that 75 minutes may not be easy for this audience, so we are looking at other formats.
You have received a cash prize of 1,500 euros from IDFA for winning the Pitch Forum. Will that money go towards ending the ‘Ninxs’?
It’s not a lot of money, but it’s in Mexico (a good amount). So, on the next photo session we will use these funds.
Is the goal to enter the IDFA 2023 contest?
yes. This will be our dream.
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