Trans in Action

“ Society needs to understand that trans people are here, we have been here and we will always be here,” – Reyna Ortiz

Reyna Ortiz getting ready for the day.

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY FILM

At this critical juncture of Trump’s re-election, we feel a sense of urgency to document the incredible work of transgender leaders in the Midwest.

We feature two very different protagonists in the film. J Urban (they/them) is a (self-proclaimed) privileged White professional chef who works on the North side of Chicago. Reyna Ortiz (she/her) is a writer and activist with indigenous (Taino & Apache), Latinx, and Black roots, who works on the West side of Chicago. Although they both work at an LGBTQ+ community center, the two organizations look very different. On the North side is the Center on Halsted (COH), the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ+ social services and community center with a 50 year organizational history. COH includes three locations in the city, but the largest and most visited building sits in the Northalsted neighborhood, previously called “Boystown.” Their building is 175,000 square feet, with floor to ceiling glass-walls that welcome you in.

On the West side, TaskForce Prevention & Community Services was formed in 1990, in the heart of the Austin community, a predominantly African American neighborhood. If you drove by TaskForce, it would be easy to miss if you didn’t know about it. There is a blue and pink “TASKFORCE” banner, printed on vinyl that is attached to the vintage one-story building. But once you are inside, every square inch of the building is utilized by social services and health services for the community. A true grassroots organization, it is always lively inside with staff, volunteers, youth, patients, and clients.

These two distinct voices will address issues deeply layered within the trans and wider LGBTQ+ community. We’ll ask questions about power at the intersection of race, gender, and socioeconomic status. We’ll explore collaboration between organizations and how carefully planned programming can be truly transformative.

We’ll look at the transformative power of food. We’ll document Chef Urban leading the Silver Forks Program at a North side LGBTQ+ center, using the culinary arts as a pathway to job readiness and empowerment. We’ll see the street level efforts by TaskForce to end food insecurity in the community Reyna serves, through their food pantry and fresh produce giveaways.

Together, Chef Urban and Reyna will collaborate and create a new program using the theme of food and culinary arts to address immediate needs of their communities throughout 2025. As anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ policies flood news headlines, these two advocates will ground their communities with opportunity, growth, and joy.

Urban at the dining table discussing mail-in ballots.

WHY DO WE NEED YOUR HELP?

At this critical time in our history, independent documentary filmmaking is more at risk than ever. 

Funding cuts throughout this industry means the grants and resources we could turn to are now more scarce than ever.  

We are currently in the development and production phase:

• find and secure funding (private and grants)

• filming interviews, documenting events and stories as they unravel throughout the year

• gathering archival images and footage

• research and log footage of current events and news

• edit and produce teaser for more fundraising

Liz with notes, deep in an edit. 

ABOUT US

Lotus Beast Productions crafts documentary films that promote human connection. From intimate character studies to unique community portraits, joyful expressions of existence and gripping life challenges, our stories inform, amplify, and provoke.

Based in Chicago, Lotus Beast Productions was formed in 2019 by long time collaborators Stephan Mazurek and Liz Sung. With a combined 20-year working experience in film and video production, Lotus Beast was founded with the goal of creating long form documentaries that could give our stories the depth it deserved.

Stephan in DP mode, getting the shot. 

Mazurek's work as a director of photography on full length documentaries include Louder Than A Bomb, Love is a Verb, The Road Up, Million Dollar Pigeons, and Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm. Combined with his experience as a director and theatrical projections designer, Mazurek brings vision and creativity to the company.

Sung is a multifaceted artist working as a producer, director, editor, videographer, writer, and motion graphics designer. Her documentary work also includes short films for museums and not-for-profits such as Center on Halsted, Illinois Holocaust Museum, and the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.

Together, our skillsets ensure that from conception to screen, the stories we craft are authentic, empathetic, and thought-provoking.

Liz capturing competition footage at the 2023 World Dwarf Games for "Laoch: Defy the Odds." 

Lotus Beast Productions currently has two feature documentary films in production:

• Laoch: Defy the Odds (completed in April 2024) is about Thomas McCague, an Irish powerlifter with dwarfism, who embarks on a quest to conquer the sport of powerlifting, proving that strength comes in many forms.

• Muntu  (currently in post-production) is a documentary about Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago–– the 2nd oldest continually running African dance company in America. Filming began in 2022, and is currently in post-production.