The Pearl of Africa

From her warm demeanour and disarming smile, you wouldn't know how dangerous life is for Cleopatra Kambugu, a young transwoman living in Uganda. After being outed on the front page of the biggest tabloid in Kampala, in a country with some of the world's most bigoted anti-LGBT laws (including a notorious bill threatening life imprisonment for homosexuality), her relationship with long-term boyfriend Nelson is tested. Forced to flee to Kenya to escape reprisals, Cleo begins the process of navigating a difficult bureaucracy to reconcile with her partner. Along the way, she seeks to undergo gender confirmation surgery, which she hopes may be a final step in her journey towards being married in her home country. A moving and universal love story, told in the face of extreme circumstances, this documentary reveals often unsaid and inexpressible facets of the human heart. (Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival)