Cleo and Nelson in Thailand. Photo: Jonny von Wallström. Courtesy of The Pearl of Africa.
The Pearl of Africa tells the radical story of a 28-year-old transgender Ugandan woman, Cleopatra Kambugu, and her fiancé, Nelson. Director Jonny Von Wallström takes viewers inside their fight for love and acceptance in one of the most transphobic countries in the world.
The project began as a web series in late 2014, which Okayafricaclosely followed. At the time, the filmmakers launched an indiegogo campaign to raise funds for Cleo’s sex reassignment surgery. The campaign was successful–in February 2015, they raised $14,000–and the couple traveled to Thailand for Cleo’s surgery. The full-length documentary continues to follow Cleo and Nelson after the surgery.
The film will soon make its world premiere at Hot Docs (April 28 - May 8) in Toronto, where it’s competing in the festival’s International Spectrum. Today, the filmmakers share the powerful first trailer for The Pearl of Africa. Watch below.
For more, read our interview with Cleo and Nelson.