My Sunnyside
Allie and Joe share a loving life together in Sunnyside, Queens. She teaches biology, he’s a public speaker and mentor for startups. But not everyone celebrates their happiness. At what should be a joyous wedding, it becomes clear that some family members have chosen not to attend because Allie and Joe are a transgender couple. In her feature-length documentary debut, Matylda Kawka explores the roots of familial rejection and the systemic obstacles the couple faces in daily life. Yet My Sunnyside is, above all, a love story of two ordinary people who met on a dating app, fell for each other instantly, and want to spend the rest of their lives together. Filmed over the course of seven years, Kawka’s camera captures both pivotal and everyday moments: work routines, the transition process, family conversations, and visits to government offices. With quiet attentiveness to understated detail, the film offers a tender window into the social challenges faced by queer couples, while also exposing the more subtle gender norms that shape our relationships.
Matylda Kawka
Polish director, screenwriter, and editor, and a graduate of the Lodz Film School, Matylda Kawka has worked on the editing of acclaimed documentaries such as Karski and the Lords of Humanity (2015) and Don’t Cry When I’m Gone (2016). In My Sunnyside, she takes on multiple roles – director, co-writer, editor, and co-producer.
Filmography
2007 Too Short (short)
2012 Without Sugar (short fiction)
2012 Forever Mine (short fiction)
2025 My Sunnyside (doc.)
Cast & Crew
