Dead Name
作者：范曉瑞
★ 作品說明：
與一位跨性別朋友共同創作，從他的生命經驗出發，一起回望名字、身分與成長留下的痕跡。
對許多跨性別者而言，名字承載著關於身體、身分與成長的記憶，透過童年照片、舊證件與名字，回望那些曾經想逃離、埋葬，卻也共同構成今日自己的過去。
當舊名字被輕輕收進盒中，這場告別重新理解生命一路走來的軌跡，最後，新的名字出現在鏡頭裡，象徵一個人終於能以自己選擇的名字與身分繼續生活。
我可以記得自己從哪裡來，也可以決定接下來要以誰的名字活著。
★ 評審評述│陳栢青：
大頭照，照相框，旁白一響，全新登場。螢幕裡是場葬禮，但同時也是接生儀式，敘述者既是經歷一場死亡，也是重獲新生，將送別變成別送，讓悼亡也像慶生，一個儀式兩種寓意，〈Dead name〉概念精巧，點出轉身/轉生的意圖。此外，我注意到，從相片上的名字，到逐一於盒子中放入過往照片和身份證等，創作者更能在細節上告訴觀眾，跨性別者在意的是什麼。這是這個短片的精細處。而另一個值得注意的是，〈Dead name〉雖然是告別，卻不是和過往自己一刀切，透過旁白注釋，也有了接納的意涵。「謝謝過去的你，讓我長成現在的自己」，是愛也是恨，是感激但也不無遺憾，非常矛盾，卻又順理成章，張力滿滿，於情感和形式上展現巨大感染力。
★ Artist’s Statement
Co-created with a transgender friend, this work looks back on his coming-of-age, examining what’s left of different names and identities.
For many transgender people, a name carries memories of the body, identity, and growing up. Through childhood photographs, old identity documents, and a dead name, we look back at a past that we once wanted to escape or bury, despite knowing it has contributed to who we are today.
When the dead name is placed inside a box, this farewell becomes a way of understanding the journey of life.
Finally, a new name appears in the frame, symbolizing that a person can finally continue living with the name and identity they have chosen.
I get to remember where I come from, and I can decide which name I will live by from now on.
★ Comment from the Judge│Chen Bo-ching
A portrait photo, a picture frame, and a voice-over suddenly bring us into a completely new scene.
What appears on the screen is a funeral, but it is also a birthing ceremony. The narrator experiences both death and new life: farewell becomes another kind of beginning, and mourning becomes akin to a birthday celebration.
The concept in Dead Name is carefully constructed and clearly expresses the idea of transformation and rebirth.
I also noticed how the creator uses details to tell us what matters to transgender people: the name on the photograph, the old photographs and identity documents being placed into the box one by one, and so on.
Another important aspect is that although Dead Name is a farewell, it is not a complete break with the past self. Through the voice-over, the work also carries a sense of acceptance.
“Thank you to the person I was for helping me become who I am today.”
There is love and resentment, gratitude and regret. These feelings are deeply contradictory, yet completely rational. This tension gives the work great emotional and formal power.