This Could Be the Place?
Opening Reception: Friday, September 8, 2023 | 6-9pm | Free-To-Attend
Friday, September 8, 2023 – Sunday, October 15, 2023
Presented in Black Box, Curated by The Black Box Committee
About the Exhibition
This Could Be the Place? Is a hybrid fiction documentary and proudly the very first film that I ever made. It’s heavy on the DIY, heavy on collaboration and heavy on transness. Combining a narrative fictional story with real life interviews of trans people about their experiences with housing security. I made this short for $2 to see if I could in fact make a film and it turns out that I could! I’ve made more films since then but the freedom of creativity, and “not sure what I’m doing but we’ll figure it out” from this film has stuck with me over the years.
The idea for this short came from my interest in home, place and my own experience of housing insecurity & safety as a trans person. Trans people have to carve out our own spaces in everything and I think it is important for us to be real about the struggles faced but more than anything I want trans people to be able to dream big about home/safety and the possibilities of what we can have in our lives. This film barely scratches the surface of this topic but it’s heartfelt, genuine and made with a lot of love.
About the Artist
Malik Ever (they/them) is a Los Angeles based trans/nonbinary queer and first generation Algerian American filmmaker. Originating in the theatre “A heart-wrenching and hilarious physical theatre performer and writer.” (Phindie) Malik’s theatrical work has been seen across the U.S. at multiple festivals. They have received a LeeWay Art for Change Grant (The Queer Ghost Project). In 2018, Mal made the transition to film with their first short, This Could Be the Place (Scribe Philly) Collaboration is the touchstone of their work which centers the voices and bodies of trans, queer, disabled and BIPOC people. Mal explores themes of friendship, family (bio or chosen) and outsiderness through whimsy, comedic grief, absurdity, and truth. They hold a AA in Acting from Montgomery College Rockville, a BA in Theatre Studies from Ithaca College and an MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory. Their short film, Gorditx, has screened at GLAFF, LGBT Toronto (Best Director), Cleveland International Film Fest, OutFest Fusion, Inside Out Toronto, and NYLFF.