Produced by Lisa Simpson voice actress Yeardley Smith, Gossamer Folds, a 2022 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Limited Release nominee, arrives in select theaters on August 12 and On Demand August 23 from Indican Pictures. Taking place during the summer of 1986, the film tells the story of a cis white boy who forms a friendship with a Black trans woman when he moves to a new neighborhood.

The film about found families, self-acceptance, and identity tells the story of a friendship between a Black trans woman, Gossamer, played by Transparent and Empire‘s Alexandra Grey, and a white cis boy, Tate, played IT‘s Jackson Robert Scott, in a 1980s Midwestern suburb who form a close friendship against all odds. When Tate’s father learns about his child’s friendship with Gossamer, he forbids Tate from hanging out with her (however, Tate isn’t transphobic like his father, and defies his orders). Check out an exclusive clip below.

The official synopsis reads:

Gossamer Folds takes place during the summer of 1986 and examines the close bonds people can form in the most unexpected of places. Ten-year-old Tate Millikin (Jackson Robert Scott) is abruptly uprooted and forced to move to the suburbs of Kansas City where his transphobic father discovers that their next-door neighbor is a trans woman named Gossamer (Alexandra Grey). After learning this information, he swiftly forbids Tate to even say hello to her. As Tate’s parents’ marriage unravels, young Tate chooses to defy his father’s orders and, instead, forms a powerful relationship with Gossamer and her father, Edward (Franklin Ojeda Smith, “Boardwalk Empire”). The beautifully woven story showcases the important role friends play as we learn who we are and who we want to be.

Directed by Lisa Donato (Foxy Trot), Gossamer Folds also stars Sprague Grayden (Six Feet Under), Shane West (A Walk To Remember), Ethan Suplee (Remember The Titans), and Yeardley Smith.

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Lisa Donato Trans Representation “Non-Negotiable”

When director Donato came on board to helm Gossamer Folds, casting a trans actor to play the lead was imperative. “It was non-negotiable,” she told Variety about her directorial debut. “We put out a casting call and received a bunch of self-tapes from Black trans actresses, and we watched them all. Alexandra Grey nailed it. I cried during her tape. It’s so rare to evoke that kind of emotion. She was perfect for the role. Gossamer resonated with her. She grew up in Chicago. Her parents didn’t accept her, and she dreamed of leaving and starting over in LA. So, it resonated with her.”


In addition to hiring onscreen trans talent, it was also important to Donato to hire trans talent behind the scenes. So she recruited her frequent collaborator and trans cinematographer Ava Benjamin Shorr.

Gossamer Folds will be available in select theaters across the country, including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco on August 12 and On Demand on August 23 via Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play, DirecTV, and more.