‘T’ Premieres at Dances With Films: Lane Michael Stanley’s Intimate Portrait of Transition

Set to premiere June 20 at 7:15 p.m. at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres as part of the 2025 Dances With Films festival, T has already garnered recognition—receiving Out on Film’s inaugural Out on Filmmaker Fund and being featured in Film Independent’s Spotlight: Three Stories of Queer Activism, Actualization, and Error.

Stanley wrote the role of Em specifically for lead actor Mel Glickman, whom he had collaborated with in Baltimore nearly a decade earlier. Their creative history includes a transgender-led production of Hamlet that was covered by The New York Times. “From our first draft, the project was always about capturing Mel’s real-time journey through the transition,” Stanley explained in a recent interview with The Hollywood Times. “If I were casting from scratch, they’d still be the person I’d choose.”

Production spanned five shoot blocks between October 2021 and May 2023—an unusually long but essential timeline to authentically capture Em’s physical and emotional evolution. “It magnified every logistical task,” Stanley noted. “Five permits, five location builds, five equipment rentals. Over two years, people’s lives changed—crew members moved, actors’ schedules shifted, locations became unavailable.” But the team was fueled by what Stanley described as “miracle moments” and a tight-knit community, including camera operators and crew members fresh from major studio features.

Music plays a powerful role in T, functioning as an emotional anchor throughout the film. Stanley tapped into personal resources for the score, including his brother Kevin Stanley, whose falsetto vocals became a key part of the film’s emotional tone. “His music felt perfect,” Lane said. To complement Kevin’s songs, composer Ed Varga—whom Stanley met at the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival—was brought on to create the underscore. “Even though T is subtle and internal, Ed delivered a rich, textural score that complements Kevin’s songs beautifully.”

While Stanley’s previous film, Addict Named Hal, dealt with grief, addiction, and recovery in the aftermath of personal tragedy, T marks a shift toward portraiture—an emotional unfolding more than a plot-driven drama. That rawness, said Stanley, is the point. “Make films for each other first,” he advised to other emerging trans filmmakers. “That authenticity will draw in broader audiences and build empathy.”

Premiering T at Dances With Films, and in the historic TCL Chinese Theatre, marks a milestone for Stanley. While his first feature screened at the same festival in 2021, the experience was muted by COVID-19 restrictions. “This time, it feels like a return to full festival life—glamorous red carpets, pool parties, an electric atmosphere,” he said. “We shot much of the film here in L.A., and our cast and crew are local, so it’s wonderful to come home for our world premiere.”

T has only been screened for friends and family during post-production, making its June 20 debut the film’s true world premiere. For Stanley, the project isn’t just a creative achievement but a statement of purpose in an increasingly hostile political climate. “It’s easy to obsess over those who oppose us,” he said. “But our goal should be to tell stories that resonate with our community and then extend outward—to allies who want to understand but aren’t sure how.”

With T, Lane Michael Stanley offers more than just a film; they offer an invitation to witness transition—not as spectacle, but as a deeply human journey. For anyone seeking a film rooted in truth, community, and quiet revolution, T promises to be one of the festival’s most resonant and moving entries.

Don’t miss T — screening June 20, 7:15 p.m. at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres.

For tickets and full festival lineup, visit the Dances With Films website.

Watch the full interview with Lane Michael Stanley on Hollywood Times Official YouTube channel.