Dawn, Her Dad and the Tractor

Writer/Director/Actor Shelley Thompson has created  a new fund to support trans youth at Phoenix Youth Programs.

 The DAWN Fund will be launched on March 31, 2023, the International Trans Day of Visibility, with a series of screenings of Thompson’s feature film DAWN, HER DAD & THE TRACTOR, winner of the 2022 Nova Scotia Masterworks Prize.

DAWN, HER DAD & THE TRACTOR tells the story of a young trans woman returning home after the death of her mother to make peace with her estranged father.  As Dawn and her dad begin to restore the old family tractor, they cautiously rebuild their relationship and come to understand the mechanics of the heart.  The story evolved from Thompson’s experience of living in a rural Nova Scotia setting and being a parent to a young trans man - singer-songwriter T. Thomason.

On March 30 and 31, 2023, funds raised at a number of screenings in schools, universities, and public libraries will bolster the fund. Thompson’s hope is to see every March 31st helping to build and continue the fund with educational screenings like those listed below.

This fund could not have been imagined without the help of the team at Phoenix Youth Programs, and the support of DAWN’s producer, Terry Greenlaw.

On March 30th and 31st, you can see DAWN, and make a donation to the DAWN fund at the following venues: 

Thursday March 30th:  

Wolfville: Horton High School  

Wolfville:  Al Whittle Theatre, Wolfville NS 7 PM