Image+Nation
Really Happy Someday

Really Happy Someday

J STEVENS | CANADA | 2024 | 99 MIN | ENGLISH FST

J STEVENS | CANADA | 2024 | 99 MIN | ENGLISH FST

FeatureMADE AU CANADAA Question of Gender

Presented by

Telefilm Canada

Synopsis

Torontonian Z, a transmasculine musical theatre performer, has NYC aspirations. The testosterone he’s on has other plans. Facing unpredictable losses and the foreign feeling of his changing body, Z forges connections that reveal how, sometimes, our favourite places are those we have yet to find. Meeting at now-defunct The Beaver, Z (co-writer/producer Breton Lalama) and Danielle (Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah) are smitten. Danielle supports him as he aims for stardom, but falls short: forced to become a barback bartender at Toronto mainstay Squirly’s after a disappointing audition. There, he’s taken under the wing of his cute, charismatic boss, Santi (Xavier Lopez), who knows a lot more about what he’s going through than Z realizes. Although Z can no longer hit Éponine’s notes in Les Misérables, with the help of his vocal coach (Ali Garrison) and a “dream world” goal, he reaches for a more compatible voice. And as we watch Z retrain, we witness actor Breton Lalama do the same in real time, both coming to terms with who they are becoming. Helmed by non-binary filmmaker J Stevens, this is incisive, richly detailed cinema afforded the flow of a life lived authentically.

Filmmaker Bio

J Stevens (they/them) is a Canadian director and cinematographer. While J’s work has spanned many genres, formats, and job descriptions what has remained consistent is the commitment to bringing dynamic, personal, boundary-pushing, and visually captivating LGBTQ+ content to audiences.​ J is the founder and president of Spindle Films Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports transgender, non-binary, two-spirit, and gender-diverse Canadian filmmakers rooted in an annual mentorship program supporting emerging filmmakers.

Producer

Breton Lalama, J. Stevens

Writer

Breton Lalama, J. Stevens

Cinematographer

J. Stevens

Cast

  • Breton Lalama
  • Khadidjah Roberts-Abdullah
  • Xavier Lopez

PARTNERS

Telefilm Canada

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