From Leonard to Leona: Ah Kua No More (2013)

This documentary is about the life and work of Leona Lo. Born and raised in Singapore, Lo realized that she is a transgendered woman at the age of 12. Often a target of taunting by her peer because of her effeminate mannerism, Lo excelled in school and graduated from one of the top high schools in Singapore. However, during her national service, she had a breakdown and attempted suicide. Later she was sent by her parents to the University of York in England. Yearning to become a woman, she went to Thailand for her sex reassignment surgery during a winter break.

With her new body and identity, she returned to Singapore only to find challenges in many aspects of her life, including employment, romance and family. Determined to tell her story, Lo wrote an autobiography in 2007 and produced and acted in a one-woman play, The Ah Kua Show, detailing her joy and pains in her journey to becoming a woman. The film takes a close look at Lo’s life and work in a society that is still coming to terms with its transgender people and other sexual minorities.

Exhibitions/Screenings

Official Selection, OutReel Cincinnati (11/2015)
Official Selection, Qfest, Indonesia (09/2015)
Official Selection, Big Pride L.A. Film Festival (09/2015)
Official Selection, My True Color Festival (06/2015)
Official Selection, Serile Filmului Gay Film Festival (11/2014)
Official Selection, NYC Independent Film Festival (10/2014)
Official Selection, Art All Night-Trenton Film Festival (06/2014)
Official Selection, Imperfectu International Film and Gender Studies Festival (04/2014)
Official Selection, Boston LGBT Film Festival (04/2014)
Official Selection, Gender Reel Film Festival (09/2013)