The Dazey Phase Picks up Trans Doc and Sundance Winner ‘Desire Lines’

New York-based production, sales and distribution company The Dazey Phase has picked up Sundance and Thessaloniki winner “Desire Lines,” Variety has found out exclusively. The company will be shopping it at Cannes’ Marché du Film. 

The hybrid doc, directed by Jules Rosskam, examines trans masculine sexuality and the taboos that surround it. It was produced by Full Spectrum Features and MamSir Productions in association with 521 Films. 

“I’m always interested in experimenting with form,” said Rosskam.

“I am the kind of filmmaker who finds a new form for each film I make because I strongly believe that form and content co-create one another. If I tried to make a film where the content was asking audiences to let go of binary ways of thinking, but the form was operating from within a binary, I don’t think it would be as effective.”

The film has already been awarded the Thessaloniki Silver Alexander Film Forward Award and Sundance NEXT Special Jury Award. 

“I have not been surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response from trans and queer audiences, but I have been by the positive responses from cis straight audiences,” added Rosskam.

“So many (cis straight) people have come up to me after screenings and thanked me for the film. One older woman who was volunteering as an usher at the Cleveland International Film Festival said: ‘I didn’t even know how much I needed this film; thank you for making it.’ I was really stunned by that.”

“I think the challenge with trans films sometimes is that folks who aren’t trans (or who don’t have close relationships with trans people) think it’s not for them or that there’s no way the film will have anything to offer them. With ‘Desire Lines,’ at least, I keep learning that’s simply not true.”

The film combines first-person interviews with trans men attracted to men, a fictional storyline and never-before-seen archival footage.

Danielle Benedict, head of business strategy and operations for The Dazey Phase, said: “With ‘Desire Lines,’ Jules and the team have queered the documentary format in a way that catalyzes audiences (cis and trans alike) to dream of new horizons. This is exactly the kind of imaginative work that excites us , and in a time of so much anti-trans hatred and violence, we’re more determined than ever to help amplify this beauty, hope, and joy.”

Joy was important to Rosskam. Especially right now: “When it’s getting more and more dangerous to be trans in the United States, and elsewhere, it’s crucial that people are appreciative of the ways in which the film focuses more on trans joy without pretending like the violence doesn’t exist.”

“Because trans people are my primary audience, they are acutely aware of the challenges we face every day , and that part of what we need are different possibility models. If we can’t see other trans folks happy and thriving, and connected, we cannot dream it for ourselves,” he added.

The film’s protagonists discuss sex openly – and the audience has been appreciating their honesty. 

“A lot of people in the U.S. grow up in sexually repressive households, the trauma of which can impact people for their entire lives,” Rosskam said. “So, for some, just hearing others talk so openly and without shame about what they want to do with their bodies is a life-changing experience.”

Rosskam’s doc also celebrates “transcestors” who paved the way, like “incredible” Lou Sullivan, “that everyone—not just trans people—should know about.”

“Just like films can help us imagine new possibilities for the future, so can looking into our past. Knowing that people like you existed can be an incredibly validating experience. You are not alone,” said Rosskam.

“We have always been here. And we always will be, regardless of how many bills are passed that attempt to legislate us out of existence. Lou Sullivan fought to be who he was so that me, and others like me, could exist with more ease. The film is also an attempt to pay homage to him; to thank him for everything he did to make my life possible,” he added.

The deal was completed between Danielle Benedict of Dazey Phase and the film’s executive producer Eugene Sun Park of Full Spectrum Features.

The latter commented: “In a staid distribution landscape that offers less and less for independent filmmakers, The Dazey Phase’s approach is refreshingly bold and innovative. Most importantly, they dare to question the status quo—a very fitting partner for a brave, genre-bending film.”