As part of T A P E collective’s FOUND IN TRANSLASTION programme, catch our Xuanlin Tham in a post-screening recorded conversation with powerhouse director, writer and star Isabel Sandoval on her 2019 film Lingua Franca. 

Lingua Franca written and directed by Isabel Sandoval (US, 2019)

Picturehouse Cinemas 5-6 December 

After finding work as a live-in carer for elderly Russian expatriate Olga, undocumented Filipina trans woman Olivia (Isabel Sandoval) is terrified of deportation – so her next priority is to secure a green card to stay in the country.

She has a plan to do so, but when she unexpectedly becomes romantically involved with Olga’s grandson (Eamon Farren), complex issues of identity, civil rights and immigration begin to threaten her very existence.