Transgender Lana Wachowski’S’ ‘Cloud Atlas’ Earns Standing Ovation

The hugely anticipated Cloud Atlas premiered to a standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival this week. Its co-director Lana Wachowski (The Matrix) also used the event to publically embrace her gender switch, from Larry Wachowski, reports AFP.

Her sex change has long been rumored, though it was never confirmed, and Wachowski has often avoided interviews or press tours: she is said to have no-media clauses written in her movie contracts. Nevertheless, Lana – donning bright pink dread locks - spoke in depth about both her change of gender and ‘Cloud Atlas’ at a Toronto press conference this week, alongside the film’s star Tom Hanks. “I did feel some responsibility to the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) people, and some people had been asking me to be more public”, she said, adding, “But me and Andy (brother), we love our privacy, our anonymity. Being a celebrity doesn't do much to improve yourself. We think it can actually worsen your life. So it was a big decision and it took a long time”. ‘Cloud Atlas’ – an adaptation of David Mitchell’s bestselling novel – is a time-tripping, globe-spanning epic also starring Hugh Grant and Halle Berry. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie was greeted by a “loud and lengthy standing ovation” throughout its credit sequence at Toronto, leaving it challenging The Master as one of the best received movies of the festival so far.

‘Cloud Atlas’ hits theaters in the U.S. on October 26, 2012, with a UK release following on March 22, 2012.