Film Forum released the official trailer for Little Girl, Sébastien Lifshitz’s empathetic documentary portrait of a French trans girl and her family. The documentary opens in theaters on Friday, September 17 at Film Forum, with a wider national release to follow.

“When I grow up, I’m going to be a girl,” declares 3-year-old Sasha, assigned male at birth in provincial France. In time, the petite 7-year-old dons pink dresses and hair ribbons — though only at home — as she and her close-knit family confront their community’s resistance to her calmly proclaimed identity. From Sasha’s bedroom to scenes of alienation in ballet class and the school principal’s office — and finally to sessions with an empathetic therapist in Paris — the filmmaker captures this child’s poignant emotional shifts, by turns remarkably mature and heartbreakingly anxious. Her strong-willed mother fights tirelessly on Sasha’s behalf, moving through complex stages of guilt, anger, and hope. Despite all the ado made by adults, it is young Sasha who must learn to be at ease in the world.

Little Girl premiered at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival and was the opening night selection at the 2021 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York.

Lifshitz’s documentaries often focus on French queer experiences. His documentary debut La Traversé premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight; Wild Side (Teddy award winner), Bambi, and Little Girl were each selected for the Berlin Film Festival; Les Invisibles won the 2017 César award for Best Documentary; Adolescents won three 2020 César awards, including Best Documentary.