Born to Be
Official release poster
Directed byTania Cypriano
Produced byMichelle Koo Hayashi
CinematographyJeffrey Johnson
Edited byScott K. Foley
Christopher White
Music byTroy Herion
Production
company
Transformation Productions LLC
Distributed byKino Lorber
Release dates
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Born to Be (also known as Transformation) is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Tania Cypriano.[1] The film follows a doctor who strives to give transgender people full access to health and surgical care.

It premiered at the New York Film Festival on September 28, 2019, and is scheduled to be released online on November 18, 2020.[2]

Premise

Born to Be follows the work of Dr. Jess Ting at the groundbreaking Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery in New York City-where, for the first time ever, all transgender and gender non-conforming people have access to quality transition-related health and surgical care. With extraordinary access, this feature-length documentary takes an intimate look at how one doctor's work impacts the lives of his patients as well as how his journey from renowned plastic surgeon to pioneering gender-affirming surgeon has led to his own transformation.

Production

The film was shot in New York City, New York, United States.

Release

The film is scheduled to be released online by Kino Lorber on November 18, 2020.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 20 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10.[3] Norman Gidney of Film Threat scored the film 7/10 and said "Born To Be humanizes what it is to be trans and makes the struggle something you can feel."[4] Variety's Owen Gleiberman reviewed the film positively, saying that it is "A moving and fascinatingly forward-looking documentary."[5]

Accolades

Year Organizations Category Nominee(s) Result
2020 DocAviv Film Festival Panorama Award Tania Cypriano Nominated
Hong Kong International Film Festival Golden Firebird Award - Documentary Born to Be Nominated
Nashville Film Festival Best Documentary Feature Born to Be Won

References

  1. ^ Scheck, Frank (October 8, 2019). "'Born to Be': Film Review | NYFF 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2019-10-11. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  2. ^ Dry, Jude (October 29, 2020). "'Born to Be' Trailer: Sensitive Documentary About Transgender Surgery Pioneer". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  3. ^ "Born to Be (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 2020-11-13. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  4. ^ Gidney, Norman (September 28, 2020). "Born to Be". Film Threat. Archived from the original on 2020-10-03. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  5. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (October 2, 2019). "'Born to Be' Review: A Trans Documentary That Shows Us the Future". Variety. Archived from the original on 2019-10-03. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

External links

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