Understanding Myself as an Amphibian
Sept 19, 2026
1:30 PM
Location
International Village
Watch Online in BC
Sept 21, 12 AM - Sept 27, 11:59 PM
North American premiere
Director
May Caroline Matchim
Country
Canada
Year
2026
Runtime
63 min
Languages
English
118 min
Community Partner
ARTIVISM Festival by Exposure UBCMay Matchim explores the diversity of gender and sexuality in nature while navigating her own gender transition. Drawing on queer ecology across Turtle Island, the film reveals the fascinating science of sex-changing amphibians, same-sex animal families, and all-female salamander groups. Through science, history, and grassroots initiatives like the Queer Forest Club and Feminist Bird Club, Matchim highlights spaces where queer and trans communities connect with nature. This thoughtful documentary challenges binaries and celebrates the natural world’s boundless diversity, reminding us that queerness is not an exception—it exists everywhere, across ecosystems, species, and communities.
Followed by Q&A with special guests May Caroline Matchim, Candace Campo and Trent Maynard.


DIRECTOR BIO
CREDITS
Nature Girl
Trent Maynard, Candace Campo
Canada
2026
27 min
English
Candace Campo (xets’emits’a), a shíshálh knowledge keeper, artist, and cultural educator, collaborates with Trent Maynard, a settler filmmaker, poet, and ethnoecologist. Set throughout five years of fieldwork, the pair reimagine documentary filmmaking as a meditational practice of listening and relation-making.



