DOC - Intermediacy: The Life of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld
Documentary Feature
Title: Intermediacy: The Life of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld
TRT: 01:30:00
Project Status: In Postproduction with final production to be completed
Logline
More than 125 years ago, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld championed a radical idea: sexual and gender diversity is natural and infinite. As fascist ideologies that destroyed his life's work find new momentum, INTERMEDIACY explores his legacy of resistance and joy, alive in queer Berlin today.
Synopsis
After World War I, Weimar Berlin emerged as a queer capital, with Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld at its center. A gay Jewish physician and sexologist, he built a movement grounded in science, empathy, and community. In 1896, he introduced his theory of "sexual intermediacy," arguing that sexual and gender diversity in humans is part of that natural diversity found everywhere in our world. He founded the world's first LGBTQIA+ advocacy group in 1897, and in 1919 opened the Institute for Sexual Science - a revolutionary hub for research and education. Internationally renowned for its breakthroughs in gender-affirming care, it was equally beloved locally as a sanctuary for queer and questioning people. In 1933, the Nazis raided the Institute and burned its library, reducing his life's work to ash.
INTERMEDIACY moves through eight chapters, each weaving together three elements: historical narrative of Hirschfeld’s life and world, told through interviews with leading experts on queer history and theory, paired with archival material; dreamlike drag performances in which a drag artist embodies Hirschfeld, animating his words with golden glasses and gentle authority; and “day in the life”-style contemporary profiles. Audiences meet Eddy Entropy, passionately producing and protects queer nightlife; Tessa Ganserer, Germany's first transgender parliamentarian; and Naeem Salifu of the Brown Boi Collectif, carving space for BIPOC trans men through sport, among others.
Queer liberation has never been a straight path. Progress ignites backlash. At a moment when queer and trans lives are once again under attack, INTERMEDIACY serves as reclamation, inspiration, and celebration.
Additional Project Info
Sexual and gender minorities have always existed. Yet, today, history is being flattened, books banned, and diversity framed as a threat. LGBTQIA+ people face an intensified cycle of erasure. INTERMEDIACY is my response: a documentary that puts queer history in conversation with our community today.
My drive to make this film came in 2020 while pursuing gender-affirming surgery. Seeking insurance approval became a months-long ordeal. Buried in medical paperwork and self-doubt, I discovered Magnus Hirschfeld. His story and this lineage of resistance became a lifeline, and allowed me to access the care I needed. This film was born out of the hope that it will offer others the same strength and clarity.
As a queer/transgender director, I’ve approached INTERMEDIACY with care, assembling an all-LGBTQIA+ cast and majority-queer crew. With strong connections to Berlin's queer communities and a commitment to honoring both history and lived experience, my team and I are uniquely positioned to produce this urgent project with creativity and integrity.
Industry/Public Engagement: Video Consortium’s Advisory Groups; TEDDY Award Queer Your Program pitch event at Berlinale/European Film Market; Filmshop Europe; Filmshop DocShop Virtual; Fulbright's Annual Conference, hosted roundtable discussion; Out on Film’s Queer Film Summit pitch event; The Gotham Accountability Sprint: Elevator Pitches workshop; Magnus Hirschfeld Day in Berlin at Schwules Museum, hosted pre-screening/panel; The D-Word virtual pitch event; DOC NYC newsletter, promising crowdfunding project.
Team
Director: Alex Yakacki
Producer: Marc Smolowitz
Co-Producer: Jennifer Swann
German Co-Producer: Sonja Klümper
German Co-Producer: Paula Alamillo Rodriguez
Director of Photography: Ashton Carlisle Green
Featuring: Zero Pilnik as Magnus Hirschfeld
Financials
This film has received support through a U.S. Fulbright Program grant, a Seed&Spark crowdfunding campaign, and private donations, with ongoing funding from the Facialteam Foundation's Trans Legacy Fund. Fiscally sponsored by Film Independent, we are seeking funds for final production and post-production as well as finishing, distribution, and impact.
Seeking
Production/post-production funds via financiers/EPs. Distributors and sales agents. Festival strategists and programmers. Archival producers, editors, and impact partners. Community.
Rights Available
All rights available
Project Website
Contact
Alex Yakacki
alex@magnus-doc.com