Many of us assume that there are only two genders and that being female or male follows from the sex of our biological bodies. Inspired by the photographs of acclaimed New Zealand photographer Rebecca Swan, feature documentary film ASSUME NOTHING focuses on the art, photography and performances of five "alternative" gender artists of Māori, Sāmoan-Japanese, and Pākehā-European descent, posing the questions: "What if "male" and "female" are not the only options? How do other genders express themselves through art?"

Intimate present-day interviews and actuality are interspersed with lush Super-8, 2-D and 3-D animations and beautifully staged performances - blurring the conventions of documentary, animation, drama and gender in the process. Meticulously crafted, playful and provocative, ASSUME NOTHING travels from Wellington’s Red Rocks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to explore the potent creative world that flourishes between and beyond genders.

Director’s Statement

I first came across Rebecca Swan’s extraordinary book “Assume Nothing” in 2005 while a Masters film student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. As a filmmaker who has focussed on issues of gender, sexuality and media representation for some time, I was immediately drawn to contact Rebecca, and to propose that we collaborate on a film, turning her stunning portraits from the book into “living” portraits in a feature-length documentary. The first film resulting from this rich and fruitful collaboration was the short documentary BLACK AND WHITE (2006), featuring Rebecca and one participant from her book – intersex activist Mani Bruce Mitchell.

     In the years since BLACK AND WHITE was completed it has screened at over forty international film festivals and I had the privilege to work with Rebecca, Mani, Ema Lyon, Jack Byrne and Shigeyuki Kihara to expand that short film into the feature-length documentary ASSUME NOTHING (2009). The film is grounded in the spirit of Rebecca’s book, and focusses on the potency of creativity interwoven with stories of “creating” a personal gender identity. Early funding from the Screen Innovation Production Fund was a huge boost and meant that I could keep pursuing my requests for “a chat” which always unfolded into more filming, and then a little more filming…just one more question…would you mind if we bring the camera?

     Rebecca Swan’s own artistry as a photographer, and her potent but dignified aesthetic was a keystone for the way I approached the film’s style. While it was important for colour and vibrancy to also permeate the film, I wanted her elegant photographic images to sit comfortably within the body of a beautifully crafted and eloquent visual frame. With Rebecca’s full-scale photographs, ASSUME NOTHING and eight short related films formed an exhibition touring New Zealand Public Art Galleries and Museums from 2008-10. The New Zealand Human Rights Commission held public workshops for the Trans community and friends in every community where the exhibition opened. This was my hope, that while my film and Rebecca’s images will not tell you what to think about gender, they may open up cracks in your thinking and move you to embrace the idea of assuming nothing about her, him, you, me, them.