Ascendance: The Angels of Change Documentary

As the world awakens to the fullness of the gender spectrum, filmmaker Deb Simone takes us backstage at the 2014 Angels of Change runway show and calendar launch fundraiser, as seasoned mentors prepare a diverse group of trans youth for the event. These young people engage in an intentional process of becoming visible, having a voice, and claiming a future as vital community members while they develop deep bonds of friendship and solidarity.

All great mentors give their charges roots and wings. The Center for Trans Youth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital LA provides solid ground for trans youth from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, with a full range of medical and social services that provide space for them to transition safely and live authentically. And the wings? Angel wings, worn at the finale of the runway show. Vivacious program coordinator Bamby Salcedo, her colleagues at the Center, and Angels of Change graduates take these fierce youth through their paces, coaching them to walk the runway dressed in their personal style, dressed as their future profession, and totally owning their place as Angels on the runway.

Unequivocally inspiring with an upbeat resonance that celebrates its subjects, Ascendance pays tribute to trans pioneers’ hard-won victories in self-acceptance and self-love by spotlighting a lifeline program that smoothes the transition from street to strut. Sit back and watch these young people fly.

— Carol Harada

No trailer...