Beyond the Binary: Best Practices for a Gender Inclusive Industry

Trans and non-binary professionals are marginalised in film, and while the current sociopolitical context presents new challenges, the industry is exploring ways to be more inclusive. Join this much-needed conversation around allyship and how we can all create better practices. This panel is led by the BFI, Reclaim The Frame and Women & Hollywood.

Speakers:

AMROU AL-KADHI | Writer and Director

CHICA ANDRADE | Filmmaker

KIYOKO MCCRAE | Program Director
Chicken & Egg Films

Moderator:

TRICIA TUTTLE | Festival Director
Berlinale

Welcome and Introduction from:

MELISSA SILVERSTEIN | Founder
Women and Hollywood
MELANIE IREDALE | Director
Reclaim The Frame

About the speakers:

AMROU AL-KADHI | Filmmaker
Amrou Al-Kadhi's first feature film, LAYLA, debuted at Sundance in 2025, and was distributed by Curzon Films in the UK. They co-wrote the finale of S1 of Apple's LITTLE AMERICA, which won a GLAAD award and which The Hollywood Reporter named as one of the 10 best episodes of television in 2020. They have written/directed four short films that have shown on NOWNESS, PBS, REVRY, BBC4 and Peccadillo Pictures, and their first book, LIFE AS A UNICORN, was published with Harper Collins around the world and won a Somerset Maugham award. Their drag alter-ego, GLAMROU, is currently touring DRAG MOTHER around the UK and the US.

CHICA ANDRADE | Filmmaker
I am a film director, screenwriter, and audiovisual project consultant with extensive experience in the industry. Until 2023, I served on the board of the Association of Trans Professionals in Audiovisual and was the Brazilian representative invited to the American Film Showcase , organized by the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. In my career, I have co-directed the docu-reality series "Segura Essa Pose" on GloboPlay and directed the interview series "Retrato Íntimo" for television. I am the author, director, and screenwriter of the feature film "House Of Hilton," currently in development and awarded by the Firelight Media research fund. My first short film, "We Are All Here," received 42 awards, including Best Film at the Queer Lisboa Festival, and opened the Brazilian Cinema Night at Cannes. As a screenwriter, I have won several prestigious labs, and I am a partner in inclusion and diversity projects for companies such as Netflix and Warner. I am always open to new collaborations and opportunities to contribute to diversity and inclusion in the audiovisual sector.

KIYOKO MCCRAE | Program Director
Chicken & Egg Films
Kiyoko McCrae is Program Director at Chicken & Egg Films, where she strategizes and oversees its programs and partnerships. Recently, she executive produced Hold Me Close (Sundance), Tessitura (Big Sky) and The People Could Fly (Blackstar) in partnership with POV Shorts. Previously, she was Director of Documentary Programming and Filmmaker Labs at the New Orleans Film Society. She has served on pitch panels for IDFA, CPH:DOX, Camden, Big Sky, Athena, festival juries for Atlanta, Nashville and has reviewed projects for Sheffield MeetMarket, NEA, ITVS, BAVC Media. She is a 2023 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader and a proud member of A-Doc and BGDM.