ABSTRACT
This chapter offers an analysis of Matthew Baren’s 2018 film Extravaganza, a documentary about the drag scene in Shanghai. By focusing on the drag characters represented in this film, in tandem with the author’s interviews with the filmmaker and performers, this chapter problematises the gender identity of the performers and the national identity of the film. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari’s notion of ‘becoming’ and Song Hwee Lim’s discussion of ‘trans’, this chapter proposes to think about certain modes of transnational production with the critical concept of ‘becoming trans’. ‘Becoming trans’ offers a productive way to conceptualise new modes of ‘minor’ transnational cinematic connections in a globalised world without having to resort to identity politics.
