"Tamara W." is an honest, stripped-down look into the world of voguing, escort business, drug addiction, sexual abuse, and being a transgender girl. The documentary film is a compassionate portrait of Tamara Williams, a 23-year-old Bronx girl with a fire in her heart and too much life experience on her shoulders. In the film, Tamara recounts her life -- from her childhood and adolescence to her days as a ballroom diva and an out-of-control addict. Tamara tells her story openly and candidly. She has not been dispirited by the disturbing experiences in her past. She expresses herself by vogue dancing and has a strong following in the ballroom scene of New York City. Highly visual film presents a bare and lingering look at the locations of Tamara's life and everyday life in the Bronx. The film pays homage to the beauty of the borough and its residents. The film's director, Finnish-born Marko Vuorinen (b. 1974) is better known for his work as a documentary photographer and an artist. "Tamara W." is Vuorinen's debut as a filmmaker.
—Marko Vuorinen