Caden Gardener and the Trans Film Image

March 27, 2025 @ 7:00 PM – Bausch and Lomb 109

March 28, 2025 @ 2:30 PM – Humanities Center Room D 

On Film, a student-run organization at the University of Rochester, is excited to welcome programmer, critic, and film historian Caden Mark Gardner to celebrate the release of his co-authored book (with Willow Maclay) Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema. See below for a rundown of our set of two events from March 27-28:

March 27 – 7:00 PM – Bausch and Lomb 109 at the University of Rochester’s River Campus

Two Films by director Cary Cronenwett:
Phineas Slipped (2003, 15 minutes)
Maggots and Men (2009, 55 minutes)

This film program will be anchored by Cary Cronenwett’s Maggots and Men (2009), a film reworking the textures and collective political imaginary of Sergei Eisenstein’s work (October, Battleship Potemkin) to demonstrate what revolution and communal living look like in a trans context. Shot with a largely transgender cast and crew, the film melds digital and analog film formats to speak as sharply to film history as it does to its present–and our own. The screening will be followed by a moderated conversation with Caden about the film, trans film history, his collaborative work on the book, and considerations of academic work on transgender identity.

March 28 event – 2:30 PM – Humanities Center Room D at the University of Rochester’s River Campus 

Worn Paths: A Discussion on Trans DIY Filmmaking
2:30pm Humanities Center Room D

Caden Mark Gardner joins VCS PhD student George Elkind for an hour-long discussion and Q&A on trans DIY filmmaking. Expect a wide-ranging discussion on how trans films have been produced throughout their history and their role within the broader context of DIY filmmaking–along with some considerations of the films’ authorship, DIY stardom, aesthetic tendencies, and circulation among audiences. Coffee and snacks will be served and copies of Corpses, Fools, and Monsters will be available for purchase.