Heightened Scrutiny: Frameline 2025 Completion Fund Spotlight

Heightened Scrutiny
Directed by Sam Feder · USA 🇺🇸 · 89 mins

Amid the surge in anti-trans legislation that Chase Strangio battles in the courtroom, he must also fight against media bias, exposing how the narratives in the press influence public perception and the fight for transgender rights. Following Disclosure (2020) and Kate Bornstein Is a Queer and Pleasant Danger (2014), Heightened Scrutiny is the third film directed by Sam Feder to receive a Frameline Completion Fund grant. Featuring appearances by Laverne Cox (who also serves as executive producer), Elliot Page, Miss Peppermint, and journalist/editor Phillip Picardi, Heightened Scrutiny had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Sam Feder (they/he) is a Peabody Award-nominated film director and writer. Sam’s films explore the intersection of visibility and politics along the lines of race, class, and gender. Sam directed the award-winning Netflix Original documentary Disclosure (2020) and the widely acclaimed documentary Kate Bornstein Is a Queer & Pleasant Danger (2014).

A salient document of our current moment, Disclosure director Sam Feder’s Sundance standout acts as the “centerpiece” of Frameline49. The film centers on ACLU attorney Chase Strangio, the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court. While Strangio fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (United States v. Skrmetti), he and other leading activists, like Laverne Cox and Elliot Page, examine how media bias influences the public’s perception of trans rights.

An actively unfolding case, United States v. Skrmetti’s decision will likely be announced during Frameline49. As a community, we are bearing witness. No matter the results, we need to be in a room together. Feder’s timely documentary not only provides an opportunity to gather in the same space, it also gives us a moment to show up for each other. When you buy a ticket to the screening of Heightened Scrutiny and/or the First Friday Party, you can participate in our Pay-It-Forward initiative by purchasing tickets for others. Our promise is that no trans or nonbinary attendee will pay to see the film and be in community. 

Film remains one of our most powerful tools for change and connection, so let’s seize this moment and build something for us.