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Directors statement The protagonists in "The Robbers" represent for me a reversal of a transphobic representation of trans women that has been circulating in the media and pop culture for decades. Individuals and groups, especially from the "right" but also from other political groups, including Terfs (trans exclusionary radical feminists), continue to try to limit the rights of trans people or to prevent progress through, for example, new trans-friendly legislation. These groups use perfidious images that have misrepresented trans people for a very long time. In historical but also current movies like "Psycho" or "The Silence of the Lambs" people are depicted suffering from mental illness and committing murders. They do this in women's clothing. A large number of these depictions, even today e.g. in J. K. Rowling's latest novel, solidify an image of mentally ill men who dress in women's clothes and commit murders. One of the reasons trans women are so often targeted by physical and verbal violence is because of these images. They have entered the collective consciousness, so to speak, of generations of media consumers. Quite unconsciously, they trigger disgust and threatening scenarios at the sight of trans women. "The Robbers" is a meta-analysis of the misrepresentative image of the trans woman as perpetrator and at the same time the reversal of traditional transphobic images. The transphobic narrative of a man pretending to be a woman in order to commit a crime is replaced by the narrative of three women pretending to be men in order to be disguised by it. They are sympathetic in their preparation for the robbery. Again and again they reach their physical and psychological limits in their attempts to imitate male appearance. In the imitation and analysis of stereotypical images of masculinity, these are humorously broken down. Clichés of masculinity and femininity are negotiated and juxtaposed in "The Robbers". As a trans woman, it is an important concern of mine to break down misrepresentative images and replace them with positive ones.
Country: Austria
T-Port Partner: ENCOURAGE Film Talents
Webpage: https://isaschieche.com/
Bio: Isa Schieche lives and works as a visual artist, performer, screenwriter and filmmaker in Raab and Vienna. She creates participatory objects and installations. In her work she addresses folklore and craft, games and dance, intimacy and queerness.
Three trans women meet in a country house to plan a robbery. The trick of...
