Loading Docs 2016 - Same But Different

Web (Full Length) – 2016

"How would your relationship with your best friend change if they were to change gender?" This is the intriguing proposition that led director Louise Leitch to make this 2016 Loading Doc. Best friends Neil (Leitch's husband) and Byron have been longtime climbing companions, but Byron’s shift from a male to female gender identity at 50 years old provides a challenge to their mateship that differs from any mountaineering obstacle. The mini documentary screened on SBS in Australia. The Spinoff’s Alex Casey called it a "moving, honest examination of an evolving friendship".

It’s moved me to see the two friends struggling to find a new way forward. I think friendship is an under-explored area of transgender relations and I hope that my film challenges people to put themselves in Neil and Byron’s shoes.
– Director Louise Leitch