Tokos
Date:
January 15, 2023
Tokos
Logline
Tomi and Larissa, while cooking to celebrate Christmas with the family, ponder the idea of revealing they’re trying to have a baby. As they dip insecurities, stir desires, the temperature rises for our hearts to melt. Cmon Santa, give this trans couple a baby!
Synopsis
On Christmas Eve, Tomi, a trans man and Larissa,
a trans woman, prepare dinner to celebrate with Tomi’s family. Excited with the journey of trying to have a baby, they wonder if they should let the family know.
This ponderation startles them to share insecurities they still have regarding the pregnancy. Tomi is concerned if Larissa will still desire him with a huge belly, he personally struggles, it’s unavoidable that being pregnant is still a very feminine design. Larissa wrestles with doubts about her capacity to love, she feels insecure, thinking she might be just like her father: an absent kind of love. Amidst the backdrop of wrapped Christmas presents, Tomi and Larissa, dip us in their peaking desire, layering the cream on a dessert that melts our hearts. These trans becoming parents, gently touch on doubts and uncertainties that resonate with nearly everyone, yet with a distinctiveness that is entirely their own.
Author’s Note
As a transgender writer, I’m interested in sharing narratives that offer new possibilities and a positive representation for trans people. In TOKOS, I explore the reality of a trans couple becoming parents. This will be my second short and from my first, An Avocado Pit, I learned that it is crucial to present these subjects effortlessly.
So, when I portray a trans couple exploring parenthood, I need to present the premise: a man that can carry a child, a woman that can get this man pregnant.
This couple will always face adversities, but their most profound questions are human and resonate with all of us.
The audience will be able to access their reality without transness becoming THE storyline. The most important factor is the chemistry of Tomi and Larissa. I’ll work with Gaya de Medeiros, the actress from An Avocado Pit. I know how much the film expands with her presence and I’m intent on finding a perfect Tomi.
I’m close to having a polished script to work with the actors and a lot of adjustments will flourish from the sessions with them.
Leandro Ferrão as DOP, will join me again on this second venture. Our minds defy one another, and I feel the material amplifies with his ideas. Sara Marques will join again as our editor; I find her inputs very thoughtful and precise with a plus of being overly romantic.
I picked a happy Christmas background to create contrast, using a normative cliché to highlight this couple, exploring the idea of a perfect family that can also be trans.
Company Profile
WONDER MARIA FILMES is a new production company based
in Lisbon, Portugal. Founded by four longtime friends: writer and
director Fernanda Polacow, director João Nuno Pinto and producers Andreia Nunes and Bruno Cabral. All their background and
recognized careers are in this new company full of strength to build
new projects.
We aim to create and produce social and politically relevant projects for a world desperately needing for change. Our last project
is “Big Bang Henda” doc. 22min, directed by Fernanda Polacow
(world premiered in DocLisboa 2023). We are finishing “The Last
Summer” a feature directed by João Nuno Pinto, written by Fernanda Polacow; co-produced with Abolina Film (IT) and Aurora Cine (AR). “Sun in Saturn” is in development phase, and it will be the first feature film directed by Ary Zara, that won the CNC Pitch award at Torino Film Lab 2023.