10s Across the Borders is a pan-Asian documentary feature directed by Chan Sze-Wei, spotlighting the ballroom scene culture in Southeast Asia. Starring three pioneers Xyza Pinklady Mizrahi, Teddy Oricci, and Aurora Sun Labeija from the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand, it uncovers this fascinating subculture derived from African and Latinx communities in New York in a transformed version adapted by the Southeasterns.

Director Chan Sze-Wei blends vérité documentary footage with stylised portraits of each dancer, creating a visual language that reflects ballroom culture itself. For those within the community, the film preserves the stories and memories of the community; for outsiders, it offers a vibrant, unconventional queer tableau, bold and connected to everyday life. Every frame, cut, and beat moves with contemporary energy, speaking through the present with light and motion.

The film is not only about glamour or hardship. It also focuses on the heart of belonging, a chosen family. Through the stories of the three protagonists, we see personal struggles: rejection at auditions, escaping a father’s homophobia, and carrying the weight of judgment. From these challenges grows a deeper desire to create a welcoming space, a home for those whose first one didn’t nurture them.

There is a meaning in the act of creating that chosen family. We do not choose where we are born, so acceptance must be redefined. Beyond strict gender roles, participants have the right to form their own families outside traditional marriage. This becomes more than community – it is a caring, intentional way of living. To choose your family is to shape your world.

In the ballroom, participants are not just welcomed – they are encouraged to “shine the room to the brightest,” showing confidence and beauty no matter their gender or background. While rooted in queer resistance, the culture is not only for LGBTQ people; it is a rare space where respect is earned through skill, creativity, and self-expression. Sze’s lens shows how queer self-fashioning can gradually blend with broader social norms.

This inclusivity is reflected in cultural moments, like the call-and-response of Malay chants during screenings, when the cinema itself becomes a communal ballroom. 10s Across the Borders shows that this subculture follows a unique logic: with respect, it navigates rigid gender rules; with love, it builds chosen families; and with confidence, it allows queer identity to thrive as a celebrated, self-created truth

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Written by Jane Wei

Featured image courtesy of SGIFF

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a special focus on the Asian entertainment industry. Alongside in-depth features on emerging and established musicians, we provide thoughtful coverage of cinema, from independent films to international releases, exploring the stories and work that bring them to life. Through interviews, reviews, and features, we connect our audience with the voices and visions driving the cultural landscape today.}