The Film

THIS BODY, TOO is an autobiographical documentary—filmed over the course of a decade—that tells the story of my relationship with my family, my partner, and my body.

THIS BODY, TOO is the feature documentary that traces my journey as an intersex Dominican-American woman as I confront the weight of cultural expectations, the legacy of medical decisions made on my behalf, and my evolving relationship with my body.

The project was sparked by my need to address the painful, aging breast implants I had put in at twenty-one, and the film unfolds into an exploration of identity, womanhood, and generational silence. Filmed over a decade between NYC and the Dominican Republic, my story weaves archival footage, conversations, and personal reflections that examine how gender, body image, and intimacy are shaped—and reshaped—across time, place, and family.

You’ll meet me and my family through archival footage, home videos, photographs, and scenes I filmed over the course of 14 years. And the film is guided by my voice-over.

In conversations with my mother, sisters, and aunts—many of whom also chose breast augmentation—I begin to understand the cultural narratives around femininity in my family. These interactions are tender, strained, humorous, and painful.

Also woven throughout is my relationship with my partner Doug. As my relationship to my body evolves, so too does our relationship. His presence adds another layer, revealing how intimacy, gender presentation, and personal transformation ripple into the lives of those close to us.

THIS BODY, TOO builds a portrait both of an intersex experience and a family negotiating what it means to be a woman.

This campaign is an opportunity for you to contribute to the completion of my film. So please check out the rewards and give what you can.

The Ask

We are currently in post-production and will be picture locking on November 1st. And from there, we really need your help to get us to the finish line.

This film has been made with patience, care, passion, and love from my team. And now but we need your help.

We're at that step where we can’t avoid needing money. We are looking for $16,250 to cover our composer, our colorist, and cover any other costs that will come with trying to getting this film out into the world (such as: a graphic designer, music costs, and travel costs to work with our collaborators).

Meet the Team

I am so grateful to all the participants and supporters of this project. This project has been made with a small group of collaborators. And along the way I have met so many people who have encouraged me to keep going.

Arisleyda Dilone: Director / Protagonist

Arisleyda Dilone is a Dominican-American filmmaker, actor and writer. In 2015, she completed the short film: Mami y Yo y Mi Gallito/Mom and Me and My Little Rooster which has screened nationally at the Brooklyn Arts Museum, New Orleans Film Festival, Brooklyn Museum and Mercer Union to name a few. She was a 2014 UnionDocs fellow and a 2015 Queer Art Program fellow. She has been awarded residencies at Abrons Art Center, MacDowell Colony and Yaddo,Inc. to name a few. She is currently in post-production on This Body, Too/Y Este Cuerpo También , a feature-length documentary about her intersex body and the construction of femininity and womanhood in her Dominican-American family. Arisleyda is a member of Diverse Filmmakers Alliance, Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, and AyOmbe Theater.

Ian Bell: Editor / Producer

Ian Bell is the creator and director of VICE’s Source Material , a first of its kind found footage news anthology series. His feature documentary directorial debut, WTO/99 (True/False ‘25) garnered top honors from New Orleans, Monmouth Lake, Tallahassee, and St. Louis film festivals. Ian won the IDA Award for Best Editing for his work on WTO/99 and was nominated for a Critics Choice Award. Ian is the producer behind Inspector Ike (Factory 25), which won the Jury Prize for best narrative feature at the New Orleans Film Festival. His short documentary 808: How We Respond (Sheffield ‘19) won “Best Documentary Short” at Tallgrass Film Festival. Ian was a supervising producer at VICE News where he contributed to the Emmy-nominated VICE on Showtime , VICE News Tonight , and VICE Special Report to which he contributed the first hour-long episode of the series. As a graduate student, Ian studied restoration ecology and the environmental social sciences at University of Washington’s College of the Environment.

Laura Tatham: Producer

Laura is a creative documentary producer dedicated to telling stories centered on social justice. She most recently produced WTO/99 , the Critics Choice – nominated and IDA Award – winning archival feature (True/False ‘25). In 2024, she produced the Indie Award – winning feature All We Carry (PSIFF ‘24, Full Frame ‘24). In 2022, Laura produced the feature Mama Bears , which premiered in competition at SXSW and had its broadcast debut on Independent Lens in 2023. She was selected for DOC NYC’s “40 Under 40” list in 2022 and is a two-time fellow of the Film Independent Documentary Lab and the WIF/Sundance Institute Financing Intensive.

Jeanne Applegate: Editor

Jeanne Applegate is a freelance editor working across documentary, narrative, and art film. She most recently edited the Sundance 2021 premiere Faya Dayi, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Visions du Réel. Her past work includes the HBO short Clínica de Migrantes , directed by Maxim Pozdorovkin.

Stephen Holmgren: Executive Producer / Legal Representation

Stephen Darren Holmgren is an entertainment attorney and producer who runs the boutique law firm Film Arts Legal. He has produced or provided legal services for filmmakers including Sky Hopinka (małni), Adam and Zack Khalil (INAATE/SE/), Matthew Porterfield (Putty Hill), Marie Losier (The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye), Cory McAbee (Crazy & Thief), and John Gianvito (Far From Afghanistan). Recent producing credits include Empty Metal and Whirlybird .