Self-proclaimed future award winning documentary filmmaker Amy Pennington presents their landmark documentary series TOPS. On the question that defines trans masc experience in the UK today...
“What TOP did you wanna wear after TOP surgery?”
In this profound and intimate film, Amy meets four unique individuals: a powerlifter and gay-games Olympian hopeful, a housing-officer-slash-actor, an Essex filmmaker, and an equality diversity and inclusion-specialist-and-occasional-model. Amy's curiosity illuminates their experiences, through extraordinary unlimited access into their lives, homes, and bags of dicks. Insightful and invasive, TOPS allows audiences to fully understand the question on everyone's lips.
TOPS is a genre-busting documentary (with fictionalised elements) inspired by the chaotic, brash, self-deprecating and clueless style of 1990s/2000s British TV. Presented by an ever-so-slightly desperate and lonely version of the artist Amy Pennington, who is willing to steal footwear and camp out in the gardens of interviewees for ultimate unencumbered access and the potential of their first-ever trans friend. TOPS wants to give space to the experience of top surgery, and those that have it, without being another sad or gory story. Your nipples might fall off - but you can still have a lol.
This artwork is co-commissioned by Homotopia, Studio Voltaire and Islington Mill with funding from Arts Council England.
28 November 6.30PM
FACT Liverpool
30 November 7PM
Islington Mill, Salford
7 December
Studio Voltaire, London
Director, Writer, Editor, Executive Producer
Amy Pennington
Co-Director, DOP and A Cam Operator
Jos Bitelli
Interviewees
Maz Murray, Yaz Senghor, Elliot Davis, Oskar Marchock
Editors
Amy Pennington, Jos Bitelli, Jessica Crooks, Noemi Varga
Producers
The Uncultured — Ash Bowmott + Laura Sweeney
Music
Rubie
B Cam Operator
Tilly Garland (Episode Maz)
B Cam Operator
Samara Addai (Episodes Yaz, Elliot, Oskar)
Camera assistant
Rowan Needham (Episode Yaz)
Sound
Toby Burroughs (Episode Maz)
Sound
Felix Waverley-Hudson (Episodes Yaz, Elliot, Oskar)
Costumes
Jordan Taylor +Threadmaidens
Graphics
Alex Lundström
Production assistant
Roshana Rubin Mayhew
Equipment + support
Grey Moth
Access Consultant
Abi Palmer