ZATOICHІ

ZATOICHI is not what one might expect for the opening film of Seattle's first annual transgender film festival. The focus of the film is not a documentary about achieving restroom rights or a personal narrative showcasing one's transition from one gender to another. Instead, ZATOICHl is a modern day Japanese samurai film, with the usual subtitles and requisite amount of gore. This film continues the epicfolklore tale of Zatoichi, the blind swordsman. Shown at the 2003 Seattle International Film Festival withmainstream release in the same year, ZATOICHI received almost no recognition for its beautiful portrayal of a transgender twin and her cisgendered sister. Although the transgender character does not receive centralized screen time, it is worth the wait to the end to see why this film is so special. With this showing of this film, we strive to bring ZATOICHI into the transgender film cannon. At the very least, with its positive portrayal of transpeople, you'll be glad to know it's out there.