The ground-breaking kiwi-made LGBTQ+ series Rurangi has been awarded the Best Short Form Series at the International Emmy Awards in New York.
Rurangi, which is both a television series and a feature film, tells the story of a trans-guy who returns to his remote rural New Zealand hometown after his urban life has been turned upside down is a thought-provoking look at modern Aotearoa through a trans lens.
10 of the 24 cast members identify as gender-diverse, and all transgender characters have been performed by trans actors, with both the series and the movie stars Arlo Green and Elz Carrad in their acting debuts.
Created by Oliver Page and Cole Meyers, who worked alongside Max Currie, Craig Gainsborough-Waring, Melissa Nickerson and Tweedie Waititi on the project, Rurangi has previously won awards at film festivals in San Francisco, Madrid and Melbourne.
Writer/Producer Cole Myers 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.”
“It’s a lot harder to hate and hurt people you fully see!”
