Transmutation: A Ceremony (Washington DC Film Screening)

Mirror Memoirs is proud to present a screening of our theater project, "Transmutation: A Ceremony," a performance featuring our sacred storytellers Samantha Jo Dato, Ebony Ava Harper, Alexandra Magallon and Sydney Rogers. This production, supporting these four Black and Afro-Latina transgender women sharing their true stories of surviving child sexual abuse and the ongoing violence of transmisogynoir, and their visions of healing and the world we need and deserve, was written and directed by Luna Merbruja, Amita Swadhin, and Jaden Cervantes-Fields.

"Transmutation: A Ceremony" was filmed in advance at the Aratani Theater in Los Angeles, and will be screened in person at the Festival Center in Adams Morgan, Washington, DC on Tuesday, May 20 (6:00-8:30pm).

After the 90-minute screening, we will host a talk-back featuring our Founding Co-Director Amita Swadhin, Board Co-Chair Queen Adesuyi, and Board Member Dr. Ahmad Greene-Hayes. We will also invite audience Q&A.

Our panelists will draw connections between abolitionist, intersectional efforts to end child sexual abuse and other movements to end systemic, cultural and historical violence. In a time of accelerating genocide against transgender people, Black people, and especially Black transgender people, Mirror Memoirs is grateful for the clear call to action illuminated by our cast members' stories.

• 5:00pm Doors Open
• 5:00-6:00pm Refreshments Served
• 6:00-6:15pm Welcome
• 6:15-7:45pm Film Screening
• 7:45-8:30pm Post Show Talk-Back w/Q&A
• 9:00pm Doors Close

Event Logistics:
In service of one another's well-being, we will be distributing KN95 masks at the door. Masks will be required at all times except when guests are actively eating or drinking.

Performance Accessibility:
The pre-recorded performance is captioned in English. The post-performance discussion will be conducted in English. If you need ASL or Spanish interpretation, or have other access needs, please email us at: info@mirrormemoirs.org

Seeking Event Sponsors:
Thanks to anchor grants from the Ford Foundation, Trans Equity Consulting and San Diego Pride Fund, we will stage a series of "Transmutation: A Ceremony" film screenings and one full-scale live production in 2025. We are still raising funds to support this series, consisting of the following events:

• May 20: Washington DC Film Screening
• June 5: Oakland CA Film Screening
• June 11: Long Beach (Los Angeles County) CA Film Screening
• October 10 & 11: NYC Live Production

Please contact us if you or your workplace would be interested in becoming a sponsor of this series, or of one specific event.

Our 2021 filmed performance was supported in part by an arts grant from the City of West Hollywood, additional grants from the California LGBT Arts Alliance, Asian Women Giving Circle, Jenny Phillips Future Freedoms Fund, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation and Tory Burch Foundation, and donations from numerous individuals.

Mirror Memoirs is a project of Community Partners, a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.