POV Acquires ‘Who I Am Not,’ Documentary On Intersex Experience From Exec. Producer Patricia Arquette

EXCLUSIVE: The public television series POV has acquired Who I Am Not, the award-winning documentary executive produced by Patricia Arquette that explores “what it means to be intersex in a binary world.”

The film directed by Tünde Skovrán will make its broadcast debut this summer as part of POV’s 37th season on PBS. POV, produced by American Documentary, is the longest-running show on American television devoted to independent documentary films. [Watch the Who I Am Not trailer below]

Intersex people constitute an estimated 1.7 percent of the population, according to the Intersex Campaign for Equality, which the organization notes “makes being intersex about as common as having red hair (1%-2%).” Yet, intersex people have been largely invisible in most cultures. Who I Am Not combats that invisibility by foregrounding the experience of two intersex people in South Africa, a beauty queen and a male-presenting activist.

The documentary “reveals the diversity of experiences in the intersex community and the struggle to achieve body autonomy,” notes a release from POV. “While Who I am Not‘s focus is on intersex experiences, it is set within the broader context of challenging binary gender norms, and urges society to embrace the full spectrum of human identity.”

Who I Am Not implicitly asks a series of timely question: “What makes a male, and what makes a female in a world dominated by the gender binary? Where do we draw the line, and does it really matter?” a synopsis of the film observes. “In Who I am Not actress-turned-director Tünde Skovrán explores the lives of two South Africans from contrasting backgrounds who share one particular natural variation in common. Namely, they are intersex – born male and female within one single body, experiencing various forms of trauma and self-doubt, Sharon-Rose Khumalo, a South African beauty queen, plunges into an identity crisis after finding out she is intersex. She needs the guidance of somebody just like her. The only person who will help is Dimakatso Sebidi, a male-presenting intersex activist who turns out to be her complete opposite. The documentary’s two parallel yet divergent stories offer an intimate look at the struggle of living in a binary world, when you are born in-between.”

Skovrán said in a statement, “My aim was to delve into the real, gritty, unscripted slices of life, no interviews, no narration, but narrative structure, character development, and some ‘poetry, written’ with intimate, subtle cinematography. We wanted the audience to really experience what it is to live in the skin of a person who is intersex.”

The documentary is produced by Andrei Zincă. Executive producers include Marc Smolowitz, Oscar winner Patricia Arquette, M.J. Peckham, Andrei Zincă, Tünde Skovrán, Jafta Mekgoe, Danielle Turkov, and Maryse Rouillard.

“Who I am Not is a tender and brave film that focuses on a seldom seen population,” said Arquette. “It’s intimate and we grow to have some understanding of their challenges and victories. It is humbling to see the bravery it takes to live their lives and touching to see those who love them through their journey.”

Chris White, executive producer of POV, noted, “As gender identity is under attack in the U.S., Who I am Not reinforces the fact that body autonomy is a global concern. We hope director Tünde Skovrán’s sharp, compassionate story about two intersex people living in South Africa will serve as a springboard towards greater understanding of this community in America and beyond.”

The Who I am Not deal was negotiated by Chris White and Erika Dilday for American Documentary | POV and Catherine Leclef for Cat & Docs.

Deadline interviewed the filmmakers at SXSW last year, where the film headed immediately after premiering at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece. Khumalo, one of the two protagonists, also joined us, reflecting on her experience. “When I discovered that I’m intersex it was a very, very lonely time and especially coming from South Africa, the first thing you go and do a Google search and it’s all people from America and different areas where they aren’t faces and voices like your own. So, this for me is just an ode to my younger self, that 21-year-old, but then also the families because this is a very deep issue that affects not just the person involved but their family as well.”

Producer Andrei Zincã  told us, “The film is, I think, an invitation to a conversation about who we are as human beings from the point of view of biological sex. We are living in a very divided society, and among all of the divisions is the sex one. [There are] males and females and there is a little bit in between that is in the case of intersex people. So, almost 2 percent of the world population, secret, 2 percent of the world population not talked about, ignored.”

Watch the trailer for Who I Am Not here: