June 8, 2020

“No Ordinary Man” at Cannes Documentary Showcase

Parabola’s latest production “No Ordinary Man” is at the Cannes Film Festival’s Documentary Showcase for works-in-progress. The feature documentary, directed by Aisling Chin-Yee & Chase Joynt, and written by Aisling Chin-Yee & Amos Mac is one of four films representing Canada at this year’s market.

For decades, the life of American Jazz musician, Billy Tipton, was framed as the story of an ambitious woman passing as a man in pursuit of a music career. In No Ordinary Man, Tipton’s story is reimagined and performed by trans artists as they collectively paint a portrait of an unlikely hero. Together, the filmmakers join Tipton’s son Billy Jr. to reckon with a complicated and contested legacy: how do you tell the story of someone who was hiding in plain sight yet desperate to be seen?

The documentary is supported by the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada, Documentary Channel, SODEC and TVO