TransAthletica is a 17-part TikTok documentary series tackling the unique challenges faced by transgender people in sport.
TransAthletica is a TikTok sport documentary series that tackles these issues from a trans perspective. Trans, autistic TikTok creator and former Badminton champion Rudy Jean Rigg, is going to hit the road and talk to trans athletes from grassroots community clubs all the way up to the pro-leagues, to get to the bottom of why trans athletes are so often left on the bench. Through the lens of Rudy’s experience, the documentary asks: “can Rudy find their way back to the sport they love”.
Navigating complex and nuanced subject matter, in 1 minute episodes, platform-driven innovation including seamlessly looping episodes and a custom 9:16 set, TransAthletica is the first documentary produced specifically for TikTok.
TikTok Australia in partnership with Screen Australia and New Zealand On Air created a program titled Every Voice, which would fund an original series designed to be released exclusively on TikTok, and share the mic with underrepresented voices.
“TransAthletica uses Rigg’s story as a way into broader issues. Is hormone testing the best mechanism for determining who can play, and in which category? Isn’t the notion of an “unfair” physical advantage at the very heart of elite sports anyway?” — The Age and Sydney Morning Herald
“Amazing and very timely” — JOY 94.9
TEAM
Hannah McElhinney, TransAthletica Director & Writer, Snack Drawer
Rudy Jean Rigg, TransAthletica Writer & Host, Snack Drawer
Amina Soubjaki, TransAthletica Producer, Snack Drawer
Jamie Searle, TransAthletica Executive Producer, Snack Drawer
Carly Paterson, TransAthletica Video Editor, Snack Drawer
Kieren Barber Wilson, TransAthletica Cinematographer, Dynamic Visuals
Walter Mather, TransAthletica Sound Recordist & Gaffer, Dynamic Visuals
Bea Lane-Smailes, TransAthletica Storyboard Artist, Dynamic Visuals