An eight-year-old who played a transgender “girl” in the Spanish-Basque movie 20,000 Species of Bees took home the top acting prize at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival on Saturday.
Eight-year-old Sofía Otero won the festival’s Silver Bear prize for lead performance for the movie 20,000 Species of Bees in which Otero plays a young boy named Aitor who believes he is a girl and wants to go by the name “Lucia.” The movie follows the extended family on a trip to visit their beekeeping grandmother, who develops a special bond with the gender-confused tot.
In one of the movie’s central dilemmas, the transgender “girl” must decide what outfit to where for an upcoming baptism, according to reviews.
It remains unclear if Otero is transgender or is a biological girl. The film’s director reportedly said it was important to cast a girl to play the role and not a boy. Otero is reportedly the youngest actor to receive this award at the Berlinale. “I want to dedicate my life to acting,” she told reporters after the surprise victory.
Like a growing number of entertainment awards, the Berlin Film Festival has done away with the best actor and actress categories and has opted to go genderless.
In another nod to gender non-conformity, the festival jury — headed by Hollywood star Kristen Stewart — awarded its supporting acting award to male-to-female transgender star Thea Ehre for the German movie Till the End of the Night.
In the film, Ehre plays a transgender “woman” who becomes involved in an undercover drug bust.
As Breitbart News reported, transgender themes also played a dominant role in the most recent Venice Film Festival, which featured two movies in the official competition that have transgender protagonists — including a 12-year-old girl who believes she is a boy.
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