A farming town in Nova Scotia isn’t the ideal place for a young trans woman. For Dawn, it used to be home. When her mother dies, she returns from Montreal to grieve and mend ties with her father. But Dawn (trans actress Maya V. Henry) doesn’t expect to find love, community, and a galvanizing sense of purpose. She falls for a queer barista at the town café. She also encounters Marty, an abusive former schoolmate now running the town’s farm supply; that makes him difficult to avoid as she restores her late mother’s beloved vintage tractor.

Filmmaker Shelley Thompson has spent more than three decades as a working actress and short-filmmaker; she was compelled to make the leap to features by her experiences parenting a trans son. Her passion, insight, and optimism make DAWN, HER DAD & THE TRACTOR an emotional tribute to family, healing, and the awesome power of diesel mechanics!

Frank Danay