Binary Error directed by Anjana George stars actor Sunny Wayne and trans man pilot Adam Harry explores the concept of gender inclusivity on screen and behind the camera. The film explores the struggles of the members of the transgender community, rainbow mothers and people belonging to binary gender who are unaware of other genders that exist in the world.
Sunny Wayne plays sub inspector Sunny Thomas, an aspiring filmmaker residing in Cherthala. His inquisitive nature and interest in unravelling the hidden mysteries open a whole new world in front of him. “My character who also appears in my name is a representative of the society that confines to binary genders. The film mirrors each one of us and the injustice we did to the genders beyond that. Binary Error is an empathetic film which would make us think from the perspective of heterosexual persons, transgender people and rainbow mothers. I thoroughly enjoyed working in this movie,” says Sunny.
The film, dedicated to people belonging to gender minorities who have lost their lives fighting against systemic gender norms, features Adam Harry as a trans man who is struggling to find a space in his family. “Movies like Binary Error can create a big impact in a society that does not give much visibility to trans men. When the script was narrated to me, I felt there is a need to have more such gender-sensible films. I not only enacted Anirudh but also wrote dialogues for my character to make sure the perspective is right. It is very rare in the industry. I enjoyed the entire process of making the movie with a highly receptive team. It was more of an awareness process for many, including the crew which was something really beautiful. Hope it’s the same for society,” says Adam.
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An entertainment journalist specialising in gender and cinema, Anjana explains that applying the discourses on bringing gender inclusivity and sensibility in cinema that she witnessed in Malayalam cinema since the actress assault and Kasaba incident has been a very interesting experience for her.
“While we argue that bringing political correctness, queerness and being empathetic to mental health struggles are a hindrance to creative freedom, I felt it is important to have a practical experience. Thanks to Midhun Manuel Thomas and Sunny Wayne who trusted my concepts and gave me the freedom to do a cinema that I wanted in every way. It is a team effort, where we had Adam writing dialogues for his character. I assure you that people who walked into this project with deep-rooted transphobia have returned with a whole new understanding of gender,” she says adding that cinema is a popular culture which can be used responsibly.
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The film produced under the banner Nerambokku, an initiative by Midhun Manuel Thomas to support budding filmmakers, is edited by state award winner Lijo Paul. Colouring is by three-time state awardee Liju Prabhakar, the background score is by Prakash Alex and the sound design is by Arun Rama Varma. It also has KPAC Leela, Abraham Edayadi, Charu Chinmani, Sufi Maria and Merin Komban playing integral roles.
Binary Error is now streaming on the YouTube channel Nerambokku. You can watch it below:
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