Intermediacy: The Life of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld

Berlin, Germany | Film Feature

Documentary, LGBTQ

Alex Yakacki

1 Campaigns | New York, United States

10 days :15 hrs :23 mins

Until Deadline

122 supporters | followers

Enter the amount you would like to pledge

$
%

$13,562

Goal: $22,000 for post-production

Join us in bringing a vital chapter of queer history to light! INTERMEDIACY showcases the resilience and brilliance of LGBTQIA+ community, past and present, while looking to the future. 100+ years ago, Hirschfeld was world-renowned, but his legacy was nearly erased - a history we must not forget.

About The Project

  • The Story
  • Wishlist
  • Updates
  • The Team
  • Community

Mission Statement

INTERMEDIACY weaves the extraordinary life of gay, Jewish sexologist and activist Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld with eight vibrant stories of LGBTQIA+ Berliners today. This is a film about queer history and people, featuring an all-queer cast, lovingly made by queer creators, for everyone.

The Story


This documentary is a first-of-its-kind feature-length biopic of Hirschfeld - a complex figure whose influential work in the early 20th century challenged prevailing societal views that queerness is abnormal, pathological, or morally wrong.


His work, rooted in his theory of "intermediacy" from 1896 to 1935, reflects his belief that sexual and gender diversity - what he called "love's natural turns" - is a beautiful and inherent part of humanity, evident across all cultures and times. Tragically, this progress championed by Hirschfeld was cut short by the rise of Nazism, yet its impact shines in Berlin more than 125 years later.


Intermediacy reminds us that the struggles and joys of queer existence are timeless. It's a call to reflect on the past and fight for the possibilities of liberation in our present and future.





WATCH OUR FULL TRAILER HERE!





Behind the camera, we're proud to have a majority LGBTQIA+ team and every person you see on screen is part of the community. "Nothing about us, without us" is a foundational principle of Intermediacy. Read more about our team on THE TEAM tab above!




EXPERT INTERVIEWS


PROFILE PIECES


FEATURING




This project launched with the support of a Fulbright grant, and since then, we've had the honor of collaborating with some of Berlin's most prominent academic, cultural, and queer institutions, including Freie University, Humboldt University, and Charité – Berlin University Medicine, as well as the Magnus Hirschfeld Society, Spinnboden Lesbian Archive and Library, and the Schwules Museum, the world’s first museum dedicated to gay history.




We’ve filmed with a range of powerful voices, including Tessa Ganserer, the first transgender member of the German Bundestag; Jan Noll, former editor-in-chief of the iconic SIEGESSÄULE magazine; Roland Müller-Flashar, manager of the queer bookstore Eisenherz, open since 1978; Christopher Schreiber, Executive Director of LSVD+, Germany’s largest queer rights organization; Eddy Entropy, creative director of queer bar/club Tipsy Bear; Laura Méritt, founder of feminist sex shop Sexclusivitäten; and historian and artist Hani Portner, who blends queer history into nature tours.


This carefully curated group of vibrant and diverse LGBTQIA+ folks gives insight into the pulse of queer Berlin, and hits at the heart of the community and care model that Hirschfeld advocated for throughout his life.



From the Director:

Through my long, often dehumanizing journey of securing gender-affirming care, I discovered Hirschfeld and his Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Science) - founded in 1919. Learning this inspiring and heartbreaking story gave me a profound sense of perspective and drove me to earn a Fulbright scholarship to Germany to produce Intermediacy.


Today, at least 67 countries still criminalize same-sex relationships, and at least nine target transgender and gender nonconforming individuals through laws restricting gender expression. (via Human Rights Watch) With hard-won queer rights under threat worldwide, sharing authentic queer stories is a powerful act of resistance against this oppression.


Engaging with this history, it's clear that queerness is far from a modern invention - and neither are the efforts to erase it. Recognizing this should inspire us to challenge societal norms built on shame, fear, and patriarchy.


Intermediacy spotlights a profound historical time and uplifts brilliant modern-day voices and I believe, whole-heartedly, that this film will change lives for the better, as it did mine.


Costume ball at the Institute for Sexual Science, c. 1920. CREDIT: Archiv der Magnus-Hirschfeld-Gesellschaft, Berlin | Coloring by Eli Erlick



We're seeking vital funding to film two final interviews in Berlin, one expert and one profile piece, as well as schedule two studio days to capture b-roll to fill gaps in visual coverage and enrich the film. Your support will also fuel our transition into post-production, seek and hire an editor and graphics professional to start a working relationship with, and cover licensing some powerful archival media. Additionally, we will cover costs related to preparing and executing our campaign, allowing us to reach the widest possible audience and amplify the impact of this powerful narrative.






Here's a sample social post! Please make sure to tag us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, and thanks for getting the word out.


"More than 125 years ago, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld argued that queerness is completely natural. INTERMEDIACY is a feature-length documentary highlighting the resilience and brilliance of LGBTQIA+ people, past and present. Join us in bringing an essential chapter of queer history into the light! Help support this film's crowdfunding campaign by visiting www.magnus-doc.com @magnusdoc"

Wishlist

Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

First Meet with an Editor

Costs $10,000

Editing a feature-length documentary takes a lot of time, care and effort - not to mention, funds. This will get us started!

Final Production Days

Costs $10,000

We need to film two interviews + pickups and studio b-roll to officially wrap production!

Fees + Administrative Costs

Costs $2,000

There are a basket full of costs and fees associated with running a crowdfunding campaign - this will help with those!

About This Team

Alex Yakacki - DIRECTOR

(He/She/They)


A proud small-towner and Penn Stater, over the past decade, Alex has used video to explore history, culture and identity for some of the world’s leading media brands - Racked/Vox Media, MAKERS/Verizon Media, McGee Media, and A+E Networks. Based in New York City, they have produced, filmed, and edited content spotlighting incredible stories and people - especially women, LGBTQIA+ folks, and Black Americans. Completing 100+ short docs, ad spots, and explainer videos, they have refined their skills while focusing on platforming marginalized voices. Most recently, Alex earned a Fulbright research/study scholarship to Germany to pursue their first feature-length documentary project - Intermediacy.


Ashton Carlisle Green - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

(She/They)


Ashton Carlisle Green's spectrum of work includes documentary, video installation, and narrative. She’s a member of IATSE Local 600. With a keen eye for both the simplicity and complexity of everyday life, her work behind the camera brings out the unique stories of each project, connecting with audiences through an original and evocative lens. She is a cinematographer and filmmaker from rural South Carolina now residing in Brooklyn, NY.


Jennifer Swann - CO-PRODUCER

(She/Her)


Jennifer Swann has spent close to 30 years as a professional writer and software interface designer, both in the public and private sector, running her own companies. She loves problem solving as much as she loves developing and implementing worlds both on paper and on screens. She holds degrees from NYU, Columbia University, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has called NYC home for the past 25+ years and has also lived in Myanmar, the UK, and South Africa.


Elisa Daniel - B CAMERA

(She/Her)


Sean Comber - ASSISTANT DIRECTOR/SOUND DEPARTMENT

(He/Him)


John McClellan - CO-PRODUCER

(He/Him)


Julian Haas - CO-PRODUCER

(He/Him)


Fabian Fornalski - INTERVIEW PRODUCER (GERMAN)

(He/Him)


Rocket Loam - SOUND RECORDIST

(She/Her)


Kristin Freia - STEADICAM OPERATOR

(She/Her)


Calix van Tonder - PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

(They/Them)


Ula Wróbel - PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

(She/Her)


APPEARING IN THE FILM:

FEATURING - Zero Pilnik

(They/Them)


Zero Pilnik is a non-binary Brazilian actor and writer. They are based in Berlin, where they moved after graduating from the acting school at California Institute of the Arts. Zero's curriculum spans a wide range of projects, from working in theaters such as Ballhaus Ost, Volksbühne, and Maxim Gorki to roles in television and film productions such as Colônia (Canal Brasil, 2024), The Trouble Out There (2024), Bad Influencer (SWR, 2024), and Eldorado - Everything the Nazis Hate (Netflix, 2023). Zero authored several stage and screenplays, most of which they also performed in, including Matter (short film, 2022), Gasoline Queen (musical, 2022), and Brutes (TV Pilot, in development). They are the recipient of the 2017 Tim Disney Prize for Excellence in Storytelling Arts as well as multiple fellowships in recognition of their performance work.


EXPERTS

Mine Pleasure Bouvar - (She*/They) - Activist/Political Educator


Ralf Dose - (He/Him) - Managing Director/Founding Member - Magnus-Hirschfeld-Gesellschaft e.V. (the Magnus Hirschfeld Society)


Michaela Dudley - (She/Her) - Author/Doctor of Law/Artist


Dr. Rainer Herrn - (He/Him) - Medical Historian - Institute for History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine, Charité University Hospital; Board Member - Magnus-Hirschfeld-Gesellschaft e.V. (the Magnus Hirschfeld Society)


Katja Koblitz - (She/Her) - (Former) Director - Spinnboden Lesbian Archive and Library


Prof. Dr. Andreas Kraß - (He/Him) - Professor of German Literature, Center for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies, Director - Research Center Archive for Sexology, Humboldt-Universität Berlin


Prof. Dr. Martin Lücke - (He/Him) - Professor of History Education, Head - Margherita von Brentano Center for Gender Studies, Freie Universität Berlin


Orlando Meier-Brix - (He/They/Er) - Queer and Jewish Studies/Historian


Ben Miller - (He/Him) - Writer/Historian, Board Member - Schwules Museum


PROFILE PIECES/VIGNETTES

Eddy Entropy - (She/Her) - Creative Director - Tipsy Bear Berlin


Tessa Ganserer - (She/Her) - Member - German Bundestag


Laura Méritt - (She/Her) - Sex Activist/Communication Scientist, Sexclusiväten


Roland Müller-Flashar -  (He/Him) - Manager - Eisenherz Bookstore


Jan Noll - (Any Pronouns) - (Former) Editor in Chief - SIEGESSÄULE Magazine


Hani Portner - (They/Them) - Historian/Artist/Tour Guide


Christopher Screiber - (He/Him) - Executive Director - LSVD+ (Verband Queere Vielfalt/Federation Queer Diversity in Germany)

Current Team

Supporters

Followers

Incentives