"Being trans means being discriminated against, being humiliated, being remote-controlled. Then again it means inventing myself, choosing a new name for myself, being who I am. That’s a privilege."
"In our relationship, it doesn't really change anything for me if it's a male or female body that I'm touching. I'm simply holding the person that I want to be with."
Henri Vogel:
“Being trans means being discriminated against, being humiliated, being remote-controlled. Then again it means inventing myself, choosing a new name for myself, being who I am. That’s a privilege.”
Johannes Vogel:
“In our relationship, it doesn’t really change anything for me if it’s a male or female body that I’m touching. I’m simply holding the person that I want to be with.”
Short Description:
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"Privileg" tells the story of how a gender transition feels. If you know a trans person, you only know one person, not the entire community. What difficulties do they deal with? What do others think about this person? How does their partner feel? Does society accept them? What role does religion play? Are there individuals or official bodies who provide support to trans persons? Are there specific laws to protect them? How does the coming-out process work in reality? These are just a few examples...
Logline:
_________________
Henri unravels the infrastructure of the LGBTQIA+ Community as we take a stroll through his daily life and get a grasp of what it truly means being different while trying to live an honest life in a world ruled by politics and religion
Synopsis:
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While exposing his own problems, Henri gives an insight into further struggles that the LGBTQIA+ community goes through on a daily basis. Human rights in terms of love, identity, professional development and religious beliefs come to light and are questioned. Coming to terms with who you are is one thing, integrating with the wider community is another. Henri opens up his heart and shows us the true meaning of self-discovery, what it took to tell the people who know him best about who he truly is. It remains dangerous to reveal yourself in a world that is set in its ways. While this may come as an alien topic to many people, it is a raw reality that a big part of society lives through – or in many cases doesn’t get the privilege to do.
Director's Note:
_________________
There are already plenty of stories, documentaries and films out there about the private life of a person from the LGBTQIA+ community. However, there are fewer stories and explanations about the situation and difficulties these people face in their daily life, for example how this topic will be – or should be - perceived in politics, religion and society.
With this film, I want to amplify a voice of this community. I stand by the LGBTQIA+ community and will always support people in this community in being heard all over the world.
Short Description:
_________________
“Privileg” tells the story of how a gender transition feels. If you know a trans person, you only know one person, not the entire community. What difficulties do they deal with? What do others think about this person? How does their partner feel? Does society accept them? What role does religion play? Are there individuals or official bodies who provide support to trans persons? Are there specific laws to protect them? How does the coming-out process work in reality? These are just a few examples…
Logline:
_________________
Henri unravels the infrastructure of the LGBTQIA+ Community as we take a stroll through his daily life and get a grasp of what it truly means being different while trying to live an honest life in a world ruled by politics and religion
Synopsis:
_________________
While exposing his own problems, Henri gives an insight into further struggles that the LGBTQIA+ community goes through on a daily basis. Human rights in terms of love, identity, professional development and religious beliefs come to light and are questioned. Coming to terms with who you are is one thing, integrating with the wider community is another. Henri opens up his heart and shows us the true meaning of self-discovery, what it took to tell the people who know him best about who he truly is. It remains dangerous to reveal yourself in a world that is set in its ways. While this may come as an alien topic to many people, it is a raw reality that a big part of society lives through – or in many cases doesn’t get the privilege to do
Director’s Note:
_________________
There are already plenty of stories, documentaries and films out there about the private life of a person from the LGBTQIA+ community. However, there are fewer stories and explanations about the situation and difficulties these people face in their daily life, for example how this topic will be – or should be – perceived in politics, religion and society.
With this film, I want to amplify a voice of this community. I stand by the LGBTQIA+ community and will always support people in this community in being heard all over the world.
Ali Schmahl has been working in the film industry for over a decade, acquiring skill sets in almost every position within a variety of productions.
2015 he started producing and directing short films and distributed them to international film festivals. His films have screened in more than 80 festivals and won more than 30 awards.
In 2018, he committed to his vision of producing promising international feature films which let him to shoot this feature documentary “ in 2019 following the life of a person from the LGBTQIA+ community.
This film premiered in Zoo Palast Berlin in January 2024, is available on Prime Video in the UK and US and will have its German theatrical release on March 20th, 2025.
Gerard is director of Octopoid Ltd and previously ran Projectile Productions. He makes interventions in production, distribution and consultancy in film and music; he is currently working with a number of filmmakers, including Chongyan Liu, Ali Schmahl, Tin Dirdamal, Ernesto Livon-Grosman and Deborah S. Phillips. Films he has worked on have featured in festivals and cinemas worldwide, with awards in 2024 from Beijing and Jihlava. Octopoid is an associate of the film festival strategists Random Headache. Gerard is a member of the Radical Film Network, the Documentary Association of Europe and the Documentary Film Council.
Henri was born in 1983 and resided with his husband and his cat in Berlin. Henri Vogel was raised in Saxony and studied there, graduated in Business Administration and Engineering.
During his studies, he met Johannes. The two of them got married in 2008. Two years later while he was reading theology and literary studies, Henri told Johannes that he had felt like a man and from then on intended living as a man.
From 2015, Henri Vogel had officially lived as a man.
Ever since he came out, Henri Vogel was involved in several campaigns. From 2017, he was both attached to political parties campaigning for LGBTIQIA+ rights and speaking up for trans people.
Henri Vogel died in 2024 due to a tragic accident in South Africa.
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