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She is a seven-year-old girl born in a man's body.

The film about her moved all of France, and now you too

The documentary "Little Girl" tells the story of Sasha, a French girl born in a man's body, and her parents are fighting for her rights.

Now that the film is available on VOD of the various channels in Israel, director Sebastian Lifshitz explains why it has become such a big hit in France, and what its message to the world is.

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• Berlin Festival

Avner Shavit

Wednesday, 17 February 2021, 00:22

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Trailer for the movie "Little Girl" (Berlin Film Festival)

Being a boy or a girl is always challenging, and when you are a girl born in a man's body - it's doubly challenging.

This is the story of Sasha, a French elementary school student whose teachers did not agree to her coming to school wearing women's clothes, her classmates harassed her and the school principal refused to help her.

Those who stood by her side all along were her parents, who fought for her right to self-determination and as part of their struggle, caught the attention of French director Sebastian Lifshitz.

The result is the docu-"little girl" who squeezed out gushing reviews and broke French television viewing records.

Now, after being screened at the Jerusalem Film Festival, it is available to watch on VOD by HOT, Cellcom, Partner and yes, and also on Lev's website.

Lifshitz, with whom I converse in Zoom, is an esteemed and prolific documentary creator.

In the past, he also won praise for the docu-"Bambi", which featured the portrait of the artist Mary-Pierre Provo, one of the first transgender women in France.

"During the filming, I asked her at what point in time she realized she was a woman," he says.

"She answered me - never. I mean, there was no zero point where her identity was shaped. She always felt most deeply that she was a woman. Before, I thought it was something that happens during or after puberty, but then I realized it had nothing to do with it. "In general, I realized it could happen at a very young age."

"I subsequently decided to make a documentary about a girl in this situation," he continues.

"My next step was to look for the heroine of the film. I went into the online forums of families who have such girls. Often, they are desperate, because there is almost no one in France to help them, especially if they do not live in a big city like Paris. Sasha's family lives in the province She was already exhausted from years of futile struggle and dealing with family doctors who admitted they did not know what to do, and institutions that had shown hostility towards them out of ignorance. Help her answer the questions she has. "

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"The family was already exhausted from the struggle."

From "Little Girl" (Photo: Berlin Festival)

One of the flattering reviews in the British media said it was the kind of film that could change the world.

Did you mean that?

"We live in a society where gender boundaries are clear and education is conformist, so if a child comes with a more fluid identity and does not fit into one of the slots, it sometimes causes panic in parents and teachers who do not know how to respond. There are girls who grow up tolerant and allow themselves to express themselves, Themselves because of their conservative family - censorship forever or until they are older. Of course there are also those who experience violent fate, so the film is important to me. Movies, in general, are important to me - as a child, I relied on movies more than what I learned in school. It is assumed that this is an important thing, because it makes it possible to educate and arouse empathy. "

"I hope, in short, that the film caused and will make people discover a reality they do not know. The issue of gender dysphoria, that is, people who feel a gender gap that is attributed to them and that they identify with, is an unfamiliar issue, and I tried to stir the discourse around. "It was broadcast on Arte channel on French television, where it set unprecedented ratings, so it probably touched a lot of viewers. I hope the film will help parents, and help them understand how to deal with things that happen to their children."

A prolific and esteemed director.

Sebastian Lifshitz (Photo: Imagebank) (Photo: AFP, Andreas Renz)

Sasha's parents are inspiring.

"Indeed. Their beloved, understanding and inclusive response is to me like the intent of other parents - do not be afraid, listen, respect."

And yet, with all due respect to them and to Sasha's own courage, she is a white girl.

Could it be that if she had come from a less privileged environment, it would have been less easy for her?

"First of all, her family is not rich. They are middle class, at most, and live around Reims, which is really not Paris. The fact that you are a white girl means nothing, because if your parents are very Catholic, they could very well suppress your sexual identity. .

"Sasha's parents' reaction is like referring to any other parent."

From "Little Girl" (Photo: Berlin Festival)

Sasha was only seven years old during the filming.

What ethical rules did you have in her photographs?

"I'll never do something a child does not want. I'll give you an example that illustrates how conscious Sasha was. One day I wanted to photograph her in her room, which is an intimate place for her. She said it was okay and I went up with her, and then I asked her if she could play with her toys. She said no, and I asked why, so she said 'because you're here.' I told her 'I know, pretend I'm not here' and she said 'No, you're here.' "I can shoot something that happens anyway, but she will not play in front of the camera, and of course I did not force her."

Can you say that the film is shot and edited like a feature film, and not like a docu?

"Yes, I always use the syntax of a feature film when I make a docu-film. The materials are documentary, but the way I build them is a plot. There is a point of view in the film, and it is close to Sasha. I do not look at it - I am with it. I accompany her with empathy. "

"In life, they do not have something they do not want with them."

From "Little Girl" (Photo: Berlin Festival)

During the relationship with Lifshitz, Sasha's parents found a medical center that would provide them with support, which for them was "a huge sigh of relief, and changed their lives."

They also transferred Sasha to another school, and contains more.

"The day after the film's TV premiere, I was nervous about what the reactions would be at the new school," says Lifshitz.

"I called at noon because she always comes back to eat at home, and her mother told me 'listen, there was nothing special. It was a day like any other day'. More importantly, her older brother told me that his teachers approached him and told him 'pass the message on to Sasha - Next year, when she joins us in the division, we are excitedly waiting for her and we will be here for her. "

Were there also less positive reactions?

"No, and there's no reason for it to be a scandal. Sasha decides on her own, she's not forced, and everything is reversible. If she later wants to define herself as a son, there will be no problem. "The sexual development she is already taking is also something reversible, and they are a very well-known drug that is used in other circumstances as well. It is not some kind of magic."

"There is no reason for there to be a scandal."

From "Little Girl" (Photo: Berlin Festival)

How is Sasha today?

"I talked to her a few days ago. The quarantine is difficult for children, but it's mostly hell for parents. Overall she's really fine. She's already ten years old and no longer a little girl. I would like to make a sequel about her, but I will not encourage her to do so and I will not initiate it. "It should come from her. She went through a difficult time, and now she needs to relax."

Today she is ten years old.

Where will she be in a decade?

"I hope she will be a beautiful and successful woman who has fulfilled herself. I photographed her so young, that it is hard to know. It is hard for me to imagine her in a particular profession. Maybe she will be a dancer, it is something she loves very much and embodies with her female eyes. I definitely see her in art."

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