About Face - Jewel's Darl

"...I mean to say, shouldn't I be in love with a fella or something?" Mandy (Richard Hanna), a man who dresses as a woman, describes his relationship with transsexual Jewel (future politician Georgina Beyer). Jewel's Darl concentrates on the fine details of their relationship: tea and biscuits in bed, Jewel's belief in staying strong against other people's mockery, and Mandy's memories of a troubled childhood. Nominated for multiple NZ Film and Television awards after finally getting a TV slot, Peter Wells' drama was inspired by an Anne Kennedy short story, which won the 1983 Katherine Mansfield Award. 

For the time, that was quite unusual, to look at people like us not as caricatures, but real people with real lives.

– Georgina Beyer on portraying a transgender character in Jewel's Darl, The Spinoff, 6 March 2023

Key Cast & Crew

John Maynard

Producer

Anne Kennedy

Writer, Original Author

Georgina Beyer

As: Jewel

Richard Hanna

As: Mandy

Peter Wells

Writer, Director

Stuart Dryburgh

Camera Operator, Cinematographer