Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story

Canada2024documentary99'DocFilmMusic Competition

‘I was born but I never lived,’ confesses an African American R&B singer, who went into exile from the US to Canada in the late 1950s because of transphobia and racism. Some saw in Jackie Shane a second Little Richard, as she had to hide her true identity underneath an androgynous image for a long time. Using candid phone calls made just before her death, the filmmakers tell the story of her life in hiding and her coming out. Many years later, the performer of the hit ‘Any Other Way’ became a symbol of courage ahead of her era, although this also came at a price.