The Aggressives

When we asked last year which film we should screen in memory of Barbara Reumüller, founder of the IDENTITIES – QUEER FILM FESTIVAL VIENNA, many expressed a strong desire to see this rare document of Black, Chicanx, and Asian female masculinities on the big screen once again.

Over five years, Daniel Peddle followed six working-class Butches—AFAB individuals who refer to themselves as "Aggressives," breaking conventional definitions. Neither Drag Kings nor trans, but distinctly influenced by Hip-Hop culture, they embody and express masculinity in their own unique ways. The film portrays the Aggressives in their daily lives, which are marked by racism, classism, misogyny, and homophobia. It explores their dreams, secrets, and fears, and follows them to lesbian Drag Balls—the counterparts to the legendary Black Ballroom and Voguing competitions—with categories like "butch first time in dress" or "construction worker vs. painter." A must-see!