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Transgender community thrive in local web series

Jasmine Ng
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New Zealand's transgender community has key roles in a five-episode web series.

"Rūrangi" will explore issues in the trans community such as mental health and family tensions.

The 24-strong cast includes 10 people who identify as gender-diverse.

"All transgender characters will be performed by trans actors, and gender-diverse actors will also star in several cisgender roles," a press release from Elephant Publicity says.

Elephant Publicity also developed an internship programme that has six trans people employed as full time understudies and also teaches them about creative roles within film-making such as directing, producing, and editing.

The co-writer of the series Cole Meyers says "productions like Rūrangi provide a platform for trans people to see themselves in narrative and in pop culture, but also represents and validates trans people as respected and talented human beings to the general public."