A feature film about iconic transgender Granny Lee is set to start production in April next year in Johannesburg, reports Variety. Multi-hyphenate South African artist Soli Philander plays the lead role in the film, titled Granny Lee. Ian and Gabe Gabriel, the father-son duo known collectively as The Gabriels, will direct it. Granny Lee is among the films that took part at the Film London Production Finance Market in this year's BFI London Film Festival.
Lee, described as a "transfemme" and "white-passing" person, was a prominent figure in the South African underground disco scene of the 1980s. The film, set in Apartheid-era Johannesburg, will revolve around the titular character as she helps a mother cope with grief in the LGBTQ underground scene of the city. Ian Gabriel, known for the feature Four Corners that South Africa chose as its 2014 Best International Feature Oscar submission, is expected to use his knowledge of Apartheid-era Johannesburg for the film. On the other hand, Granny Lee screenwriter Gabe Gabriel is known as a champion of South Africa's LGBTQ filmmakers.
The makers of the film are looking for an actor to play the mother.