A day in the life of (2024)

A Day in the Life Of was my first introduction to working with film, developed during a series of workshops led by filmmaker and program alum Johanneke Dijkstra as part of my master’s degree. Johanneke guided us through the process of conceptualising, shooting, and editing a short film—opening up a new and exciting medium for me to explore the themes I had been working with in other forms.

​

For this project, I chose to focus on my partner Gabe, whose relationship with clothing is layered and complex. As someone who is 'straight-presenting', he navigates a different kind of pressure to conform—often feeling tension between his love of feminine clothing and the perceived risks of wearing it in some spaces. In this film, he moves through a series of ordinary domestic tasks, both those stereotypically coded as “male” and “female,” while dressed in expressive, extravagant outfits.

​

By placing Gabe in the private sphere—where there is more freedom to dress without judgment—the film becomes a reflection on the restrictions of public visibility, and a playful but pointed comment on the performance of gender roles. It blurs the line between the mundane and the theatrical, masculinity and femininity, comfort and vulnerability—mirroring the complicated reality of dressing outside of expectation.