A film by Lara Aerts

“Some people don't believe me,
some people don't understand me.”

Wen Long is nine years old. At birth it was not clear whether she was a girl or a boy. Many such children are operated on at a very young age, in order to 'make' them a boy or a girl. Wen Long did not undergo such surgery. Her parents felt their child had to decide herself what sex she wants to be.

Wen Long is very happy that that she can choose. But nevertheless it is not easy. Because, if you are both a boy and a girl, where do you belong? What is your position in a binary male/female world?

Wen Long has a story to tell. Because, even though society has become increasingly accepting of differences, Wen Long notices that many people still have no idea of the existence and occurrence of intersex. She has also noticed that many intersex people, unlike herself, do not dare to talk about it.

This short documentary is not only important for Wen Long and other intersex people. The longing for acceptance because you are different will resonate with many people. Young and old, big and small.

Short film

In 2018 Lara met Wen Long at the Pride Walk in Amsterdam. She was the only child present. It is not often that intersex children come out so young and can speak about it so well. This makes Wen Long a very young fighter for the emancipation of intersex people. Lara wanted to continue that battle with her by making this film.

In September 2020, the film premiered at the Netherlands Film Festival and then screened on Cinekid and in the school program. Kids were eager for information, and luckily Wen Long was there to answer questions.

"Since when have you known that you're intersex?"
- "I've known that all my life."

"Did you still give a talk about intersex people after the teacher didn't allow it?"
- “No, but I did participate in a documentary, now many more children hear about it.”

“If you weren't born in a boy's or a girl's body, what kind of body would you be in?”
- "In my own body."

Girlsboysmix has now been screened at more than 50 festivals. View the full list on the website meisjesjongensmix.nl. The film won the prize for best short documentary at the JEF Youth Festival in Belgium, Shortcutz Amsterdam and was selected for the 'Best European Documentary for Children and Youth in 2021' of the ECFA (European Children's Film Association).

Special screenings and education

Girlsboysmix was created so that the whole world will someday know what being intersex means. So that Wen Long and other people don't have to explain it all the time.

That is why we organize special screenings with follow-up discussions and we try to reach as many students as possible with the film through educational programs. More than 8,000 school classes saw the film through Rutgers' Week of Spring Jitters and the film was included in the teaching programs of education platforms in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Sweden.

In the media

The documentary received a lot of media attention in the Netherlands (including Het Parool, Trouw, Kidsweek, nu.nl Junior), Belgium, Sweden and Australia. Even Reuters picked up Girlsboysmix. All in all, hundreds of thousands of people have been reached through the media. Wen Long herself really wanted to talk about intersex people in the Jeugdjournaal, which she succeeded. An extensive overview of all publications can be found on meisjesjongensmix.nl.

Credits

Girlsboysmix is a co-production by Lara Aerts, Prospektor & Videoland and developed within De Ontmoeting.

director Lara Aerts, Els van Driel
camera Diderik Evers, Ton Peters
editor Femke Klein Obbink
music Darius Timmer
color grading Ramon de Jong
audio post-processing Björn Warning
producers Eefje Blankevoort & Laura Verduijn
design Sara Kolster

Many thanks to Wen Long, Kirstin en Sander van Knippenberg, Amelie Haantjes, Kayleigh Gruys, NNID (Nederlandse organisatie voor seksediversiteit), Cineville, We Are Public, Cinetree, familie Van Gelderen, Steven van Roosmalen, Ruth Hopkins, Intertoys Texel, Texel Vliegerhuis, Nauta Boek, all donors via Cinecrowd.

Girlsboysmix