Bohemia Media’s new documentary Funny That Way tells the story of Julia Scotti, a Transgender comedian who went through a difficult process of transitioning from male to female.
Despite the challenges and obstacles she faced, Julia persevered and is now back performing stand-up comedy. The film follows her journey as she tries to reconnect with her children, who struggled to come to terms with her transition.
In the comedy boom of the 1980s, Rick Scotti was a busy guy – appearing in clubs and sharing bills with Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld – when he came to the powerful realisation that nothing felt right. At a time when the words gender dysphoria and gender reassignment surgery were rarely heard, Rick’s true awakening at age 47 led to a new identity as Julia Scotti.
Then everyone turned away: friends, family, comedy world buddies, and most painfully Julia was shut out from any contact with her children. She reinvented herself, spent a decade teaching, and then several years ago, stepped back on stage and began her journey back to the family she loves.
Shot over a period of five years, Susan Sandler’s documentary tracks Julia’s triumphant comeback and the complex process of reuniting with her children, as comedy becomes the shared language of identity, healing, and joy.
Julia Scotti: Funny That Way will be released across digital platforms on Transgender Day of Visibility, which celebrates the rights and achievements of Transgender people, on March 31.