Sheona McDonald | Canada | 2021
19 min | CC Available
Co-presented by Hot Docs

When a child reveals who they truly are on the inside, how does a parent set aside their own expectations to help them become their most authentic self?

Set against the crystalline Northern landscape of Yellowknife, Sheona McDonald’s new documentary, Into Light, captures a season of change as a mother and child navigate the complexities of gender identity together.

The film offers one family’s unique perspective on learning how to accept, honour and support one another during a time of intimate personal growth and transition. Seemingly simple items—a sparkly silver dress, hair barrettes—lead to a more complex navigation of name and gender markers. Coming out in school and in the community requires care and advocacy on everything from pronouns to playdates.

Elemental changes—winter into spring, darkness into light—parallel this extraordinary journey. The return of brighter days uncovers a confident and social little girl with an encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs, a deep love of animals, and a parent who fully embraces this magical person.

DIRECTORS BIO

Sheona McDonald

Sheona McDonald has worked in the film and television industry for two decades, producing, directing and writing documentary features, limited series and narrative shorts. Her most recent projects include the feature-length documentary Dead Man’s Switch: A Crypto Mystery, about the death of Gerald Cotten, founder of the QuadrigaCX Cryptocurrency exchange, as well as A Short Essay on Men, Candice, Inside Her Sex, When Dreams Take Flight, Capturing a Short Life and the second season of the Knowledge Network’s popular series Emergency Room: Life and Death at VGH. In 2020, Sheona co-wrote and directed the short documentary Into Light for the National Film Board of Canada. She lives in West Vancouver with her husband and three children.