By Joanna Panayi

Jack & Yaya captures a year in the life of childhood best friends who grew up defying gender norms to transitioning in their twenties. Jack and Yaya grew up together as next-door neighbors in a rural area, supporting each other when they realized they were both transgender.

This film highlights their friendship through present-day and juxtaposed archival videos with Jack, Yaya, and their friends. This footage connects you to the story of Jack and Yaya, leaving viewers fascinated and curious.

Jack & Yaya is an enlightening documentary on the challenges of the resilience of self-identity. This movie does an excellent job of capturing the critical need for community, love, and LGBTQ+ acceptance. This film gives viewers insight into regular people who just want to be their most authentic selves. Stereotypically, society is heavily biased by genderizing. As a collective, it has become accustomed to falling into these assumptions based on what is right and wrong by gender. Jack & Yaya exposes how there is no right or wrong, especially when it comes to self-identity. Every day, LGBTQ+ youth have severe mental health issues, are homeless, and even commit suicide. They are afraid to disappoint their loved ones and, most of all, themselves. Jack & Yaya portray families who have either accepted or grown to accept both as who they are, throughout their journey of becoming transgender. This is a crucial aspect and reality of the happiness of the LGBTQ+ community.

Jack & Yaya premiered at Toronto’s Inside Out LGBT Film Festival 2019 and has since received a positive response. This film highlights their friendship through present-day and juxtaposed archival videos with Jack, Yaya, and their friends. Their footage connects you to the story of Jack and Yaya, leaving viewers fascinated and curious.

 For more information and to follow the film  go here https://jackandyaya.com and https://www.facebook.com/JackandYayaFilm