Pyuupiru 2001-2008 2009

This riveting documentary charts the transformation on every level of Pyuupiru, a Japanese performance artist. Filmed over a period of 7 years by his friend, Daishi Matsunaga, it chronicles his journey from his early days as a Japanese Leigh Bowery, wowing the club-crowds with his ever more fanciful costumes, to becoming a fully-fledged artist, exhibiting at the Yokohama Triennale. The film also records his bitter personal struggles with relationships against the backdrop of his difficult decision to undergo gender reassignment. Interviews with his family and friends as well as in-depth footage of his creative process round out a fascinating study of a true artist.