FTFF 2026: NIÑXS

A tender coming-of-age and a surreal late-night journey explore gender, identity, and becoming who you are.

At Fairy Tales Film Festival, we champion stories of transformation in all their forms. This pairing blends documentary intimacy with dreamlike storytelling, following young people navigating identity, self-expression, and the spaces between who they are and who they’re becoming.

NIÑXS(Feature Film)

Contemporary Calgary | Heather Edwards Theatre

Runtime: 1h 22m Country: Mexico, Germany Languages: Spanish

ABOUT:
In the magical town of Tepoztlán, Mexico, fifteen-year-old Karla intimately, and unabashedly, guides audiences in her journey for self-discovery, as she navigates the joys and uncertainties of adolescence, alongside society's gender prejudices. Through Karla's exploration of her transgender identity, the film presents an empowering, yet sweet coming-of-age story about self-expression, resilience, and the complexities of growing up, that is as specific as it is universal.

Genres: Documentary

Director

Kani Lapuerta

Kani Lapuerta is a trans filmaker and researcher with a Master’s degree in Documentary Film from the University School of Cinematic Studies at UNAM (Mexico). His work navigates projects and spaces that challenge hegemonies around gender, sexuality and embodiment, opening new possibilities for imagining through audiovisual storytelling. In 2023, he wrote and directed La UNAM sin Límites, a dissident miniseries produced by UNAM and Procine CDMX, which sheds light on the sex-gender dissent narratives within the university major University in Mexico. In 2021, he premiered La Fuga, a short documentary exploring masculinity and the prison experience. The film debuted at the Morelia International Film Festival and earned awards at several international festivals. Kani also conducts filmmaking workshops in institutions and cultural centers across Mexico and abroad, sharing his passion for audiovisual language as a tool for creation and transformation.

Snakeskin(Short Film)

Contemporary Calgary | Heather Edwards Theatre

Runtime: 13m Country: Canada Languages: English

ABOUT:
Malalai is a teenage girl from the Baloch community in Iran, due to a traditional cultural practice, has been wearing boys' clothing for years. Now that she has reached puberty, she must return to the world of girls, but she is experiencing an identity crisis.

Genres: Short Film

Director

Emily Bendeck Garay

A trans girl misses her train stop one night and embarks on a surreal journey back home as her dreams start leaking into her reality.

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