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    STATE OF FIRSTS

    Directed by Chase Joynt
    USA | 93 minutes | Queer Cinema Today

  

Best of Fest: Audience Favorites!

Director Chase Joynt is expected to attend the January 2nd and January 3rd screening. 

Film Festival 2026

In this immersive political documentary, Sarah McBride runs for Congress to represent the State of Delaware. If elected, she will make history as the first elected transgender member of Congress.

film synopsis

In November 2024, Delaware Representative Sarah McBride made history as the first elected transgender member of Congress. In the same national election, other politicians won their own races in part by scapegoating the very idea of trans visibility. With immersive on-the-fly access, director Chase Joynt peels back the headlines in real time while following McBride’s journey on and off the campaign trail—and into the halls of power in Washington, D.C. With tireless optimism, and under astonishing public pressure, she must learn to chart her own path through today’s political minefield in order to build a more perfect union.

film details

Director: Chase Joynt
Producers: Jenna M. Kelly, Justin Lacob
Cinematographers: Melissa Langer
Editor: Chris McNabb
Music: Becky Gebhardt
Cast: Sarah McBride
Country: USA
Language: English
Year: 2025
Running Time: 93 minutes
Director Filmography: Framing Agnes (2022), No Ordinary Man (2020)
Primary Company: The Film Collaborative

Film Festival 2026