COLORS OF TOBI
Alexa Bakony
Editor: Marianna Rudas
Filmfabriq, Hungary, 80’
Éva, a protective mother of a transgender teenager has mixed feelings as her child, Tobi struggles not only with his gender identity but also with growing up. A journey about releasing and accepting.
![sarajevoff-2020 - Tobi színei - Graphic materials [1026434].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f2448dc0c0627144d4412a6/1596637165776-JHJ4MVG0OEFGFXD3RNAE/sarajevoff-2020+-+Tobi+sz%C3%ADnei+-+Graphic+materials+%5B1026434%5D.jpg)
![sarajevoff-2020 - Tobi színei - Graphic materials [1026435].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f2448dc0c0627144d4412a6/1596637184359-VZ10NM5BC7Y93579CJT2/sarajevoff-2020+-+Tobi+sz%C3%ADnei+-+Graphic+materials+%5B1026435%5D.jpg)
![sarajevoff-2020 - Tobi színei - Graphic materials [1026436].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f2448dc0c0627144d4412a6/1596637149460-WK4F2BHJZJBMMRTCEZ3G/sarajevoff-2020+-+Tobi+sz%C3%ADnei+-+Graphic+materials+%5B1026436%5D.jpg)
In the middle of nowhere, there is a tiny village in Hungary, where ÉVA and her family live. Her 16-year-old child recently came out as transgender and lives by his chosen name of TOBI. After the initial shock, the whole family comes together to support him. However, Éva is quietly suffocating from the idea of losing the girl she was raising. Tobi is determined to become a man biologically and not be dependent on his family - all while he struggles growing up. Éva is trying hard to be the mother her son needs and becomes an enthusiastic LGBTQ-ally, all while Tobi starts questioning the boundaries he set up for himself as a transgender man. The years-long journey of Éva and Tobi is an emotional tale of releasing, accepting - and finding yourself.
Director’s biography: Alexa Bakony / IMDb
Alexa Bakony was graduating as a documentary film director at the University of Theatre and Film Arts Budapest. Her main focus is on human relations. Her first feature-length documentary COLORS OF TOBI is supported by the Sundance Institute and the Hungarian National Film Fund.
Director’s statement
I have special access to this story because I know the area where the family is coming from really well because half of my own family is living there. I have a strong connection with my characters. The 4 years we spent together were very intense and eye-opening in many ways. In this story of TOBI and ÉVA, the main focus is not the physical change, but the changes in the family’s life. This is an extreme coming of age story, the main thing is to see the emotional dynamics between Tobi and his mother, Éva, and to see how they confront their boundaries.
I would like to use this film to show the human side of a family and to show how hard it is to be part of the LGBTQ community even if the family is supportive. I want the viewer to feel after watching: “I want to go home and do something to own my family.”
Where are we at?
Production budget: 151.200,00 EUR
Needed for completion: 9.200,00 EUR
Territories available: worldwide
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Production Company profile
FILMFABRIQ is a Budapest based film production and production service company founded by producing partners Dorottya Ócsai and Gábor Osváth. Over 40 short films, 8 feature-length documentaries, and 3 feature films, the company is considered to be one of the strongest voices of the contemporary Hungarian cinema.
Email: info@filmfabriq.hu