Fun, satirical, and a pastiche of the chaotic, brash, self-deprecating tone of 1990s/2000s British reality TV, TOPS is filmmaker Ames Pennington’s landmark faux-documentary.

Fun, satirical, and a pastiche of the chaotic, brash, self-deprecating tone of 1990s/2000s British reality TV, TOPS is filmmaker Ames Pennington’s landmark faux-documentary.

Casting themself as an invasive TV presenter, Ames embarks on a satirical odyssey into the lives and homes of four unique individuals, exploring the crucial question that defines the transmasc experience: “What top did you want to wear after top surgery?”.

In a desperate attempt to make their first trans friend, the intrusive and neurotic yet lovable Ames delves into the worlds of four people who have undergone the procedure. The interviewees open up their lives, homes and - in one case - a bag of dicks to the presenter.

Juxtaposing abrupt, gut-busting comedy with tenderness, TOPS  creates space for conversations about the vulnerability of surgery without adding to the pile of sad or gory trans stories in mainstream media. Yes, your nipples might fall off—but you can still have a laugh.

Director Ames Pennington will join us for a post-screening Q&A, hosted by Jaye Hudson from TGirls On Film.

TGirls On Film is a trans-feminine archival project that explores the socio-political context of trans-feminine audio-visual culture.