Directing

Ariel Mahler

Ariel Mahler is a nonbinary filmmaker, producer, and trans rights advocate. Their most recent film is Flock, a short thriller about a trans couple who get entangled in a lethal cult. Flock is on track to premiere in Summer, 2020. Last year, Ariel released Bad Ally, an irreverent comedy series they co-created with Daquisha Jones. Ariel is inspired by the many trans filmmakers and artists who make work consistently and push boundaries, especially in such a volatile political culture.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Something Still poster
NR

A heartbroken man returns to the home he shared with his ex-boyfriend, where visceral memories force him to confront the fissures that led to their parting: when the 'casual threesome' they planned evolved into something more.

Something Still

2026

Re-Entry poster
NR

35 years ago, Maya Redding, a male-presenting NASA engineer, and her best friend George, launched a satellite to study the origins of the universe. The satellite got lost in the wrong orbit, forcing Maya to leave NASA in shame. In the years since, Maya came out as trans, and has been searching for the satellite ever since. When she re-discovers the satellite, Maya is haunted by the memory of her painful, closeted past. Will she bring the satellite's data back to NASA and return to her former life? Or will she let her past burn up, like the satellite's re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere?

Re-Entry

2024

Flock poster
NR

Hunter and Weston, a lovelorn transgender couple, visit a therapy retreat in Maine. When Hunter learns that the therapy group is a front for a lethal cult, he flees, leaving Weston behind. Months later, Hunter receives a dire plea from Weston and must try to save his lover before it's too late.

Flock

2020

Flock poster
NR

Hunter and Weston, a lovelorn transgender couple, visit a therapy retreat in Maine. When Hunter learns that the therapy group is a front for a lethal cult, he flees, leaving Weston behind. Months later, Hunter receives a dire plea from Weston and must try to save his lover before it's too late.

Flock

2020

Death and Bowling poster
1.0

A transgender actor struggles with what it means to be seen after the beloved captain of his lesbian bowling league dies and a mysterious stranger shows up at the funeral.

Death and Bowling

2021

Evan Ever After poster
1.0

This short documentary explores the journey of Florida’s first transgender homecoming queen, Evan Bialosuknia, and her confidence and impact on youth faced with discrimination resulting from Florida’s newly signed “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Evan Ever After

2023