GISEL.

GISEL. IS A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE DAILY LIFE OF A BRAZILLIAN TRANSGENDER LIVING IN LONDON, UK. FOR A LONG TIME I HAVE BEEN FASCINATED ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATION FROM MAN TO WOMAN AND THE COURAGE AND ENDURANCE ONE NEEDS TO FIGHT TO BECOME WHO THEY TRULY ARE. WHEN I FINALLY FOUND HER SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS A PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO A FASHION DESGINER AND HER LIFE WAS GOOD, BUT DIFFICULT AT TIMES. I TOLD HER THAT I WOULD LOVE TO DOCUMENT HER LIFE, BUT THAT I WOULD NEED TO STAY AT HER PLACE AND BE ALLOWED TO PHOTOGRAPH ANYTHING I WANTED. AFTER SHE AGREED I FLEW TO LONDON, AS SOON AS I ARRIVED AT HER APARTMENT IT WAS CLEAR THAT SHE WAS EXTREMELY HIGH AND FORGOT ABOUT MY ARRIVAL. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES THE PHONE RANG. I HEARD HER SAY; "YES DARLING, THAT WILL BE 300 POUNDS FOR HALF AN HOUR"..IN THE WAY SHE SAID IT I INSTANTLY KNEW SHE WAS PROSTITUTING HERSELF. SHE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID; "SURPRISED?" YOU KNOW I AM A HIGH CLASS ESCORT RIGHT??? "LETS SAY THAT I AM A VERY PERSONAL ASSISTANT"... SHE STARTED TO GET READY FOR THE CLIENT WHO WAS ON HIS WAY TO HER PLACE. FORTY MINUTES LATER I WAS SITTING NEXT TO HER BED DOCUMENTING HER WORKING. RIGHT THEN AND THERE I DECIDED THIS WAS GOING TO BE MY FINAL PROJECT FOR SCHOOL. I ENDED UP FOLLOWING HER LIFE FOR OVER A YEAR. WE BECAME VERY CLOSE. HER STRUGGLE AGAINST DRUGS, HER SEARCH FOR RECOGNITION AND LOVE, DROVE HER TO LEAD A VERY DISTRUCTIVE LIFE. I DECIDED THAT JUST PHOTOS WERE NOT ENOUGH AND RECORDED SOME OF OUR CONVERSATIONS. SHE WROTE THE MOST IMPORTANT QUOTES DOWN FOR ME AND I USED THEM TO CREATE THE FEELING OF LOOKING IN A DIARY. THE COMBINATION OF HANDWRITTEN QUOTES AND PHOTOS MELT TOGETHER IN THE BOOK I HAVE MADE. WITH THE SIMPLE TITLE GISEL. I GRADUATED WITH HIGHEST MARKS POSSIBLE, AND HAD AN AMAZING EXHIBITION WITH THIS PROJECT AT THE MELKWEG GALLERY IN AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS.