Casa Susanna

  • Sébastien Lifshitz
  • Documentary
  • 2022
  • France, USA
  • 1h37

In the 50s and 60s, deep in the American countryside at the foot of the Catskills, a small wooden house with a barn behind it was home to the first clandestine network of cross-dressers.

Diane and Kate are now 80 years old. At the time, they were men and part of this secret organization. Today, they relate this forgotten but essential chapter of the early days of trans-identity. It is a story full of noise and fury, rich in extraordinary characters, including the famous Susanna, who had the courage to create this refuge that came to be known as Casa Susanna.

Photography
  • Paul Guilhaume
Sound
  • François Abdelnour
Editing
  • Tina Baz
Production
  • Agat Films
  • Muriel Meynard
Coproduction
  • ARTE
  • AMERICAN EXPERIENCE FILMS
Partners
  • BBC STORYVILLE
International seller PBS Distribution
Video editor AGAT FILMS
DVD release 17/10/2023
Awards US Competition Grand Jury Award @DOC NYC 2022
Best Documentary Film @Madrid International LGBTIQ Film Festival 2022
Festivals Giornate Degli Autori, Venise 2022
TIFF Docs, Toronto

Photos Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Collection of Cindy Sherman, Collection Elizabeth Wollheim, Courtesy of Katherine Cummings

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