The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone
The short film was directed and produced by Australian filmmaker Maya Newell (known for her award-winning films Gayby Baby and In My Blood It Runs) and premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival in New York City earlier this month.
The documentary’s social impact campaign was funded in part by Virgin’s non-profit foundation, Virgin Unite, as part of their mission to support and generate positive change for LGBTIQA+ people worldwide. Since its conception 15 years ago, Virgin Unite has united activists and leaders to work together towards a future of global equality for LGBTIQA+ people.
For this year’s Pride month (June 2022), Virgin is spotlighting The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone, as it demonstrates the impact that empowered young trans and gender diverse young people have on the world.
Georgie is both the star and the creative producer of the film, leading on how she wanted her story to be represented. She explains, “In Dreamlife, I wanted to portray my journey from a kid who felt so isolated and alone, to a young woman who is finally asserting control over her life, her body, her story. I want to show people the importance of a supportive family, and what that can do for a trans person. I want people to see the trans experience as not black-and-white, but nuanced and multi-faceted. It’s lonely and difficult, but also euphoric and beautiful too. There are times we want it to all go away, and times we are so proud to be ourselves we could explode! And most of all, I want other trans people to see that they have a future.”
In Dreamlife, I wanted to portray my journey from a kid who felt so isolated and alone, to a young woman who is finally asserting control over her life, her body, her story.
Spanning 19 years, the documentary features a beautiful trove of home movie footage from every stage of Georgie’s childhood. This footage reveals Georgie’s coherent sense of self and gender identity through time as well as the joy, love and connectedness of her family.
As Georgie approaches puberty, more stressors begin to enter her world. At nine, Georgie begins her transition publicly and encounters bullying. At 10, she is faced with the traumatizing experience of having to obtain approval from the Family Court of Australia to access the puberty blocking medication she so desperately needs (and that her family and her doctors all agree is a necessary medication for her mental health).
At the age of 16 Georgie begins lobbying politicians to change the legislation surrounding transgender healthcare for teenagers in Australia so that future transgender children can avoid this unnecessary hurdle. Ultimately winning her case, the film captures an elated Georgie and her family during the victorious moment. Teary-eyed, Georgie gives a touching speech on what this means for future generations of transgender youth in Australia.
Rebekah Robertson, Founder of Transcend and Georgie’s mother says “We know that trans kids thrive when they are loved and supported. This is certainly true for Georgie. Whilst her story is not able to be representative of all the myriad experiences of trans kids, it is a telling example of the power of family love and support, the power of personal agency and of respect and inclusion.
“Georgie has grown up in the state of Victoria, Australia, where now, after generations of advocacy from many people and organisations, young people can access gender affirming health care – in fact this access and support is world leading. Georgie’s story also shows what it means to have a supportive family for trans and gender diverse youth. We hope the film offers a vision of what is possible everywhere around the world if we back, support and show solidarity for trans, gender diverse and non-binary young people to be themselves,” said Maya.
Virgin Unite is proud to support The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone and is certain that it will inspire more positive change for LGBTIQA+ people worldwide. Get ready for the Netflix release in September 2022.