Rhys Ernst

Directing

Rhys Ernst

Born January 1, 1982 · North Carolina, USA (age 44)

Rhys Ernst is a filmmaker and artist. Ernst was nominated for a 2015 Emmy Award for directing and producing the webseries This Is Me. He created the award-winning trans history web series We’ve Been Around, and is a Producer, Director on Amazon’s Transparent; he also created the Transparent title sequence. Ernst has shown work in the Whitney Biennial, Sundance, Oberhausen, and The Hammer Museum; h…

Known For

AdamAdam · 2019
Adam
4.32019
MovieComedy
Adam, an awkward teen, spends a summer with his older sister, who is part of New York City's lesbian and trans activist scene. He meets the girl of his dreams but can't figure out how to tell her he's not the trans man she thinks he is.
UnisonUnison
Unison
Movie
With its non-linear structure, Zackary Drucker’s dreamlike Unison imagines phases of an always evolving trans identity existing simultaneously over an idyllic afternoon.
Dear Lou SullivanDear Lou Sullivan · 2014
Dear Lou Sullivan
2014
Movie
The story of Lou Sullivan, a transgender man and AIDS activist. Cutting VHS footage of Sullivan's trailblazing appearances on talk shows with contemporary screenshots of Grindr users' bewildered responses to the filmmaker's own trans status, Dear Lou Sullivan is a provocative text exploring trans visibility, then and now. Commissioned by Visual AIDS in 2014 as part of ALTERNATE ENDINGS, a program of seven videos that bring together charged moments and personal memories amidst the public history of HIV/AIDS.
The OwlsThe Owls · 2010
The Owls
3.52010
MovieDramaCrime
Two middle-aged lesbian couples accidentally kill a younger girl and decide to cover it up. But their crime comes back to haunt them when an unexpected stranger appears in their lives, bringing tension and discord.
Death and BowlingDeath and Bowling · 2021
Death and Bowling
1.02021
MovieDrama
A transgender actor struggles with what it means to be seen after the beloved captain of his lesbian bowling league dies and a mysterious stranger shows up at the funeral.
UmbrellaUmbrella · 2018
Umbrella
2018
Movie
The story of four transgender individuals across America who are fighting for rights and representation in a challenging and changing world.
We've Been AroundWe've Been Around · 2016
We've Been Around
9.02016
MovieDocumentaryHistory
In this documentary, director Rhys Ernst tells the previously untold histories of transgender pioneers. Trans people have always been here, throughout time, often hidden in plain sight.
The Drive NorthThe Drive North · 2003
The Drive North
2003
Movie
Two youths bicker their way up the East Coast and through a discomforting and poignant transition into adulthood. Using still images, animation, Super-8 and an experimental score composed and performed by the filmmaker, The Drive North subverts the typical coming-of-age tale with social commentary, humor and an understated identity-politics slant. This savvy short demonstrates the skills of the next generation of media makers, seamlessly incorporating an astute sense of self-reflection, rebellion and family relationships.

Filmography

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