Documentaries
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- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.
- DirectorMichael D. GoughCammie PavesicAn up close look at social change in one of the nation's most conservative states.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsKevin BaconDustin Lance BlackDavid BoiesLive chronicle of the landmark federal trial of California's Prop. 8 using the actual court transcripts and first-hand interviews.
- DirectorPetey BarmaPetey BarmaBret 'Brook' ParkerTwin Peaks Tavern, the bar that changed the face of the gay community in the 70's by opening it's windows, and the men who dared to be seen.
- DirectorBruce WeberStarsJan-Michael VincentPeter JohnsonFrances FayeA homage to Bruce Weber's Favourite things, these being mixing film, photography and classic movies. With portraits of a lesbian jazz singer and a 16 year old wrestler.
- DirectorScott SheppardStarsJimmy CreechFrank SchaeferTim SchaeferFollows Rev. Frank Schaefer who was put on trial in the United Methodist Church for officiating his son's same-sex wedding.
- DirectorChristian J. PintoStarsChristian J. PintoJ. Edward DeckerS. Brent MorrisThis powerful documentary delves into the controversial and often debated beliefs of the founders of the American Revolution. Were these men Christians, according to the Bible? Was it their "original intent" to found America on the teachings of Christ and the Apostles? Or were their opinions closer to those of the Enlightenment thinkers in Europe?
- DirectorFenton BaileyRandy BarbatoGabriel RotelloStarsMarlene SandersAdolf HitlerLothar MachtanGerman historian Lothar Machtan proposed in his book that Hitler may have been gay and his desire to keep it a secret motivated many of his actions. This film details Machtan's explorations and provides other historians a chance to refute Machtan's conclusions.
- DirectorCan CandanStarsMehmet Yilmaz AkYunus AlbayrakMehmet AslantugWhat happens when your child comes out to you? In this feature documentary, parents of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender individuals in Turkey intimately share their experiences with the viewer, as they redefine what it means to be parents, family, and activists in this conservative, homophobic, and trans-phobic society.
- DirectorC. FitzStarsThea AustinSandra BernhardC. FitzJEWEL'S CATCH ONE directed by filmmaker C. Fitz celebrates the legacy of a legendary Los Angeles nightclub, Catch One, and the life-changing impact its owner, Jewel Thais-Williams, had on her community breaking down racial and cultural barriers and building the oldest black-owned disco in America. Jewel's story celebrates music, fashion, celebrities and activism that helped changed the course of our country.
- DirectorDaniel PeddleStarsMarquise BalenciagaKisha BatistaOctavio SandersA pioneering documentary filmed in NYC from 1997-2004 follows a group of "Aggressives," or "AG's" - masculine presenting and/or identifying - queer POC who were assigned female at birth.
- DirectorJennifer AbodStarsAudre LordeA movie about poet Audre Lorde's broad social vision and the translation of that vision into a transnational conference, "I Am Your Sister: Forging Global Connections Across Differences" which used Lorde's work as the foundation of the conference, while celebrating her life.
- DirectorLesli KlainbergGini RetickerStarsAllison AndersLisa CholodenkoPatricia ClarksonA documentary on the influence of women in independent film over the last two decades.
- DirectorPilar PrassasChronicles the lives of three same-sex couples fighting to marry the partners they love-and tragically, one couple's heartbreak as their dream dies at the cruel hands of ALS.
- DirectorEmiko OmoriWendy Blair SlickStarsShirley ChisholmBetty DodsonBetty FriedanThis is the story of one simple invention, the vibrator, and its relationship to one complex human behavior, the female orgasm. The history of the vibrator and its medical use had virtually vanished until historian, Rachel Maines, researching needlework patterns in early 20th century women's magazines, ran across ads for electric vibrators. Piquing her curiosity, she traced the origins of this early electrified appliance and made an astonishing discovery. Under the guise of a medical treatment, Victorian doctors had used vibrators to relieve women of symptoms of hysteria by masturbating them to orgasm. Why did women need this treatment? Female sexual satisfaction was, and continues to be, misunderstood or, worse, ignored. Almost 70% of women do not reach orgasm by penetration alone. Yet, the social, legal and religious definition of "real" sex is just that: penetration of the vagina to MALE orgasm. FEMALE orgasm isn't even considered. Is it any wonder that a lot of women were unsatisfied? Their dissatisfaction was labeled "hysteria." Symptoms of hysteria were vague - being cranky, reading French novels while wearing tight corsets, etc. It was a disease manufactured by doctors creating a lucrative clientele and a mutually camouflaged procedure that satisfied both. In the late 1920s, vibrators began appearing in blue movies. The camouflage was blown. Doctors dropped the treatment and manufacturers stopped advertising. The vibrator went underground and it disappeared from the annals of history until Maines happened upon it. In the 1970s, the feminist movement, the birth control pill and legalized abortions ushered in the sexual revolution. Artist and author, Betty Dodson almost single handedly brought the vibrator back into women's lives because of an accidental discovery. When Dodson and her lover used a barber's scalp massager on her clitoris, she experienced intense orgasms. Inspired by this revelation, she began a crusade to teach women how to have orgasms with vibrators - alone and with partners. In 2004, thirty years after Dodson's happy discovery, the female orgasm is under attack again. Former fifth grade teacher, Joanne Webb, was arrested for selling vibrators to two undercover cops in a small Texas town. She had broken a state law that prohibits the sale of devices that stimulate the genitals. Texas and three other states have enacted these laws, a backlash to feminism. In these states, however, it is legal to advertise and sell Viagra. This double standard for women has far-reaching contemporary implications for sexual freedom, civil liberties and the right to privacy.
- DirectorWaad Al-KateabEdward WattsStarsWaad Al-KateabSama Al-KhateabHamza Al-KhateabFOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war.
- DirectorNatasha Sharandak
- DirectorSébastien LifshitzStarsYannPierreBernard RomieuSeveral elderly homosexual men and women speak frankly about their pioneering lives, their fearless decision to live openly in France at a time when society rejected them.
- DirectorCarole BonsteinStarsSabine LernerDaniel GirardinAnne BisangBased on unreleased archive material, this first film about Annemarie Schwarzenbach explores the life of woman born within a very rich Swiss family with open inclinations towards the Nazi Order. A writer, a journalist and a reporter photographer, Annemarie stood up against her aristocratic family and she travels around the world to denounce, European fascism as well as the exploitation of American workers. Annemarie Schwarzenbach doubts and disturbs.
- DirectorSonali GulatiStarsSonali GulatiA documentary on gay and lesbian families living in India.
- DirectorChris ArnoldStarsMasen DavisChristine McGinnTiffany WoodsTRANS is an extraordinary documentary feature about men and women, and all the variations in between. It is about the Transgender Community, perhaps the most misunderstood and mistreated minority in America and around the world. Inspired by the incredible story of Dr. Christine McGinn and her work as a transgender surgeon, TRANS provides an up-close and very personal vision into the lives, loves, and challenges of a remarkable cast of characters of all ages and from all walks of life. Stories of confusion and courage, excitement and emotion that have never been told, until now. To anyone who has ever looked in a mirror and wondered, 'who they really are?' TRANS ask another question, 'are you brave enough to find out?'
- DirectorWieland SpeckAndrea WeissStarsCora FrostAlbrecht BeckerChristoph EichhornDocumentary with dramatised episodes about the lives of Erika and Klaus Mann, children of German writer Thomas Mann.
- DirectorDavid WeissmanBill WeberStarsEd WolfDaniel GoldsteinGuy ClarkA deep and reflective look at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco and how individuals rose to the occasion during the first years of this unimaginable crisis.
- DirectorCindy L. AbelStarsTammy BaldwinAlex WanKathy WebbIn BREAKING THROUGH, openly LGBT elected officials - including the first openly gay US Senator, Tammy Baldwin - share their stories of self-doubt and triumph over multiple barriers, revealing a deeply personal, rarely-seen side of politicians and gay people. As they show what is possible, they give hope to struggling people from all walks of life.
- DirectorJosh HowardStarsGlenn CloseDavid Hyde PierceCynthia NixonWith the United States gripped in the panic of the Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower deems homosexuals to be "security risks" and orders the immediate firing of any government employee discovered to be gay or lesbian. It triggers a vicious witch hunt that lasts for forty years and ruins thousands of lives, while thrusting an unlikely hero into the forefront of what would become the modern LGBT rights movement.
- DirectorLara EmbryCarolyn ShererAlabama Bound explores the roller-coaster ride of being gay in the South over the last decade, following the stories of two lesbian families as they fight for their children and the only openly-gay state legislator in Alabama. These stories are a window into the past and a map for the future. In 2006, when Cari was denied access to her infant son who needed open-heart surgery, she and her wife Kim set out on a 9-year legal battle against the state. In 2012, Kinley's son was physically abused by a step-parent, but had to fight for custody in the homophobic family courts. And in 2015, as federal marriage equality comes to a head and the politically-ambitious Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice leads the charge to reject the federal government, Representative Patricia Todd is the last remaining hope in the State House for the next wave of the LGBTQ struggle: the fight for Non-Discrimination.
- DirectorMatt TyrnauerStarsIan SchragerSteve RubellDonald RubellThe story of the notorious 1970s New York City nightclub.
- DirectorReed CowanSteven GreenstreetStarsSpencer JonesTyler BarrickDustin Lance BlackA scorching indictment of the Mormon Church's historic involvement in the promotion & passage of California's Proposition 8 and the Mormon religion's secretive, decades-long campaign against LGBT human rights.
- DirectorMarilyn BennettStarsGeorge Bellinger Jr.Marilyn BennettTiph BrowneA straight Black preacher and a lesbian white activist form an unusual bond as they search for the intersection between the Black Civil Rights and the LGBTQ Equality movements of today.
- DirectorCara LavanStarsAdnan AliMufti BarkatullaSonia DeolAn exploration of how many gay and lesbian Muslims attempt to integrate their religion with their sexuality.
- DirectorMark HendersonHomophobic hate crimes are on the increase in Britain, this film hears from the victims, their families and the police. What makes someone attack a person because of their sexuality?
- DirectorAngelika LeviStarsUrsula BeckerIn her essayistic documentary, filmmaker Angelika Levi reconstructs the life of her deceased mother, who survived the Nazi era as a Jew in Germany.
- DirectorRob EpsteinJeffrey FriedmanStarsTroye SivanHeklinaRaymond BraunA look at the history and meaning of the the pride movement featuring a diverse range of LGBTQ+ perspectives.
- DirectorTom ShepardUnsettled: Seeking Refuge in America follows the stories of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East as they flee persecution in their countries of origin to seek better and safer lives in the U.S.
- DirectorParvez SharmaStarsMuhsin HendricksA.K. HoosenMazenA documentary on gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims across the Muslim and Western worlds.
- DirectorJennifer AbodMary DupreyFor six decades Angela Bowen, classical dancer and teacher, black lesbian feminist activist, and professor has influenced and inspired untold numbers speaking out as strongly for the Arts, Black and Women's Rights as she has for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The film depicts Bowen's life across the decades, from the early fifties, with historic footage, photographs and interviews including her dance mentor, dance partner, former husband, partner, children, activists, scholars, and dance and university students. Bowen's candid and compelling stories allow us to understand how race, class, gender, age, and sexuality played into her decisions and choices, her mission, and strategies for survival. Passionate Pursuits is intended to challenge and inspire diverse audiences to pursue their own dreams with tenacity and courage, but not for themselves alone.
- DirectorKirill SakharnovThis is a film about a lesbian couple living in Russia.
- DirectorMarjorie SturmStarsAsia ArgentoBeth BachtoldStephen BeachyJT LeRoy was a teen prostitute, addicted to heroin and infected with HIV, when a therapist encouraged him to write his life stories. Buoyed by a cadre of celebrities, he published three critically acclaimed books. His death in 2006 left his fans and supporters bewildered, angry, and betrayed. Others saw his fate coming.
- DirectorYony LeyserStarsFred AldrichLaurie AndersonAmiri BarakaWilliam S. Burroughs: featuring never before seen footage as well as exclusive interviews with his closest friends and colleagues. Born the heir of the Burroughs' adding machine estate, he struggled throughout his life with addiction, control systems, and self. He was forced to deal with the tragedy of killing his wife and the repercussions of neglecting his son. His novel, Naked Lunch, was one of the last books to be banned by the U.S. government. Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer testified on behalf of the book. The courts eventually overturned their decision in 1966, ruling that the book had an important social value. It remains one of the most recognized literary works of the 20th century. William Burroughs was one of the first to cross the dangerous boundaries of queer and drug culture in the 1950s, and write about his experiences. Eventually he was hailed the godfather of the beat generation and influenced artists for generations to come. However, his friends were left wondering, did William ever find happiness? This extremely personal documentary breaks the surface of the troubled and brilliant world of one of the greatest authors of all time. "William S. Burroughs: A Man Within" is the first and only posthumous documentary about this legendary figure.
- DirectorChantal AkermanStarsChantal AkermanChantal Akerman interviews her mother, and other elderly women who survived the Holocaust.
- DirectorGregorio DavilaStarsSteve BuscemiRosario DawsonDrea de MatteoMost consider the NY Stonewall Riots of 1969 to be the birth of the Gay civil rights movement. But there have been activists, artists and innovators in L.A. since the turn of the 20th century. L.A. A Queer History is an educational, exciting and emotional epic saga spanning nearly a century featuring artists, scholars and first hand accounts from LGBTQ elders who lived it.
- DirectorCecilia Neant-FalkStarsEva DahlgrenNatalie DurbeejUlf EkmanThree teenagers express their thoughts about bi- and homosexuality.
- DirectorBarbara HammerStarsJerreMariaRuthVisually structured around four couples making love, one couple at a time; narratively structured around four chapters in lesbian life: older women talking about what it was like in the 30s, 40s and 50s; a look at the hidden eroticism of movies; the repression of gays under the Third Reich; and, the work of the Lesbian Herstory Archives in New York City. The narrative voices and the couples making love share the film with photographs, movie outtakes, newsreel archives, and individuals relating events in their lives. The film calls lesbians to tell their stories; it also dramatizes the importance of telling the story of the loss of stories.
- DirectorAshley JoinerStarsMichael CashmanGeorge MontagueLisa PowerRare archive footage and interviews across a spectrum of historical campaigns and current activists in the United Kingdom celebrate the LGBTQ+ Pride movement's landmark achievements.
- DirectorCaroline BerlerStarsDesiree AkhavanJanet BausVicky DuA history of queer cinema from the women who made it happen.
- StarsBilly PorterAnne RamsayCheyenne JacksonThe gripping and true backstories of the leaders and unsung heroes, pre-Stonewall, who changed the course of American history through their tireless activism.
- DirectorAndrew SegerStarsTyler FordCharles GarramoneLauren LubinWhat if the world told you that you do not exist? This is the reality for Lauren: a person in their mid-twenties who identifies as gender neutral. Lauren's story chronicles their entire life--from early childhood, to a near death experience, to living in the depths of the rain forest--capturing the physical, emotional, and mental obstacles Lauren must face just to get to say, "I exist."
- DirectorShaun KadlecDeb TullmannBORN THIS WAY is a portrait of the underground gay and lesbian community in Cameroon. It follows Cedric and Gertrude, two young Cameroonians, as they move between a secret, supportive LGBT community and an outside culture that, though intensely homophobic, is in transition toward greater acceptance.
- DirectorDavid RothmillerStarsCharlene StrongChris GregoireGloria Steinem'For My Wife' is a feature documentary chronicling the making of an activist. After the tragic death of her wife, Charlene Strong was thrust into the spotlight becoming a powerful voice for the equal rights of same-sex couples and their families, resulting in the passage of Washington State's historic Domestic Partnership legislation.
- DirectorA.J. MattioliStarsCaldwell TidicueCarmen CarreraShakina"I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word." - Emily Dickinson In a generation built on texts, tweets, memes, and irony, what has become of the weight of our words? In what way does communication serve as a form of self-expression, and self-expression a form of communication? Mattioli Production's upcoming documentary "Words" will explore how people navigate gender and identity in the open and evolving landscape of New York City. Using some if NYC's most fluid scenes as a backdrop, Mattioli Productions will investigate how masculinity, femininity, and everything in between are contextualized in a range of environments, from the theatre world to early childhood education. Featuring exclusive interviews from a variety of artists, activists, icons, and innovators to be announced, "Words" promises to be a poignant and powerful tribute to the language we use to shape our identities.
- DirectorMichael WaldmanStarsRupert EverettJohn BrownePaul Burrell50 years after decriminalization of homosexuality in Great Britain, actor Rupert Everett explores the way both the gay community and public attitude towards gay people have changed.
- DirectorKris van der VeenStarsKris van der VeenIn 2013 Russian parliament passed legislation that criminalizes public discussion of homosexuality, especially by foreigners. The fine for kissing someone of the same sex in public? 5000 rubles. Kris van der Veen visits St. Petersburg and Murmansk, where he talks with a diverse group of youngsters and activists. What motivates them to take a stand and can they still be safe on the streets? Van der Veen's visit to Russia ends in a police raid. He and his crew become the first foreigners to be charged with making gay propaganda. They get off with a fright, but can't help but wonder: how will this continue? What does the future hold for gays, lesbians and transgenders in Russia?
- DirectorTori FosterA documentary about queer Canadian women.
- DirectorAndrea WeissStarsIan McKellenA Bit of Scarlet excavates clips from Britain's cinema archives to create a moving and humorous testament to the closeted gay and lesbian images from filmmaking's earliest days.
- DirectorSophie DeraspeWhen well-known Syrian blogger Amina Arraf - purportedly kidnapped by local authorities during the Arab Spring - was revealed to be an elaborate hoax persona, an entire international community realized it had been catfished.
- DirectorMarilina GiménezFormer all-female punk band bassist turns documentarist and follows women's bands from Argentina, showing their struggles and achievements, both musical and feminist.
- DirectorChris BolanStarsTerry DonahuePat HenschelDiana BolanFalling in love in 1947, two women -- Pat Henschel and pro baseball player Terry Donahue -- begin a 65-year journey of love and overcoming prejudice.
- DirectorMandi WrightStarsApril DeBoerDana NesselJayne RowseApril DeBoer and Jayne Rowse were simply looking to overturn the law that would allow them to adopt their children. But on the recommendation of a federal judge, the Michigan couple fought the constitutional amendment that prohibited same-sex couples from marrying. This case became the accelerant that would result in the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage across the country in June 2015.
- DirectorJohn ScagliottiStarsCraig RodwellMelissa EtheridgeMike CarneyDocumentary/Historical retrospective of the Gay Rights movement from the 1969 Stonewall riots to the present.
- DirectorJeremy J.P. FeketeStarsLiberaceJere RingDaryl WagnerHe was an icon, flamboyant pianist, egomaniac, showman par excellence: Liberace - the King of Bling, led his life in the fast lanes between Hollywood, Las Vegas and Palm Springs. In the middle of the Californian desert, where Hollywood stars celebrated wild parties around private pools, he lived a paradoxical life of spectacle and secrecy, illusion and reality. His success is closely linked to the growing popularity of television and the American TV era. Scores of American housewives adored the musician who could play everything from jazz to classic. His public life was as paradoxical as his performances were glamorous. No other artist cultivated such an openly camp persona on America's biggest stages while at the same time vehemently refusing to come out as gay, a facade Liberace kept up until his death. He was one of the first celebrities to die of complications from the AIDS virus, although his death was officially attributed to "heart failure" in order to preserve the memory of the one-man Disneyland. We examine his stellar career and its abrupt end in the context of America's social and media history. Liberace's story reflects the American dream - but also the country's bigotry and the divisions of a rapidly growing society.
- DirectorBernadette WegensteinStarsMarin AlsopCurtis BannisterLeonard Bernstein's protege Marin Alsop reveals how she smashed the glass ceiling to become an internationally renowned conductor.
- DirectorT.J. ParsellStarsBonnie BakerCidny BullensDianne DavidsonThis documentary explores a group of gay women songwriters who have successfully navigated the male dominated country music genre and have written number 1 hits for some of country music's greatest stars.
- DirectorBobbi Jo HartStarsFannyJune MillingtonJean MillingtonFANNY: The Right to Rock reveals the untold story of a Filipina American garage band that morphed into the ferocious rock group Fanny, who almost became the female Beatles. Features Bonnie Raitt, Joe Elliott.
- DirectorPatrick SammonBennett SingerStarsHarry AdamsonGary AlinderIrving Bieber"Cured" takes viewers inside the campaign that led to a pivotal yet largely unknown moment in the struggle for LGBT equality: the American Psychiatric Association's 1973 decision to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Combining eyewitness testimony with newly unearthed archival footage, the film reveals how a small group of impassioned activists achieved this unexpected victory.
- DirectorAlex ClausenRyan A. WhiteStarsSusie BrightDarryl CarltonRick CastroRaw. Uncut. Video. chronicles the rise and fall of homegrown gay porn studio Palm Drive Video, and explores how a devoted couple helped battle a devastating health crisis by promoting kinky sex. Legendary leatherman Jack Fritscher met Mark Hemry in 1979 at Harvey Milk's birthday party - and the two fell head over heels in love. When the AIDS epidemic swept through San Francisco, the couple left the city to begin a new venture: turning a rural ranch in Sonoma County into a safe-sex porn studio that offered viewers new sexual possibilities in an age of plague. Casting rugged non-professional models to explore their unique erotic fantasies onscreen, the studio explored a wild array of queer kinks - and helped champion sex-positivity in the porn industry.
- DirectorJonas HeldtStarsDrago EngelbrechtAlexander FritschEva HeppelSedanur spends the night in Ingolstadt sorting car parts and headhunter Eva is looking for specialists in logistics automation. Two very different representatives of a generation in which, sooner or later, everyone will be replaceable.
- DirectorRoberto GuerraEila HershonWibke von BoninStarsHayden HerreraFrida KahloSada ThompsonFrida Kahlo: declared a symbol of Mexican national heritage, made into a cult figure by the women's movement, praised by the likes of Picasso and Breton, this film uses images and music to reveal the soul of an icon. At the age of 18 she suffered an accident that would forever change her life, resulting in pain, numerous operations and childlessnesss. Insdie you will visit the Blue House in Coyoacan, the place of her birth and the last years of her life. Today, the house serves as a museum dedicated to the charismatic artist. Haunting self-portraits and a stirring world of images tell of her life and passions, her thoughts and feelings, her exhausting love for Diego Rivera and her deep connection to Mexico.
- DirectorPratibha ParmarStarsRobert L. AllenTony BrownAngela DavisThis film tells the compelling story of an extraordinary woman's journey from her birth in a paper thin shack in the cotton fields of Georgia to her recognition as a key writer of the twentieth Century.Walker made history as the first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for her groundbreaking novel, The Color Purple. A universal story of triumph against all odds not that different from Walker's own. Born, the eight child of sharecroppers, her early life unfolded in the midst of violent racism and poverty during some of the most turbulent years of social/political changes in the U.S. The film offers a penetrating look at the life and art of an artist, a self confessed renegade and human rights activist.
- DirectorDee MosbacherInterviews and performance footage are used to provide an overview of the women's music scene.
- DirectorDagmar SchultzStarsAudre LordeAudre Lorde, the highly influential, award-winning African-American lesbian poet came to live in West-Berlin in the 80s and early '90s. She was the mentor and catalyst who helped ignite the Afro-German movement while she challenged white women to acknowledge and constructively use their privileges. With her active support a whole generation of writers and poets for the first time gave voice to their unique experience as people of color in Germany. This documentary contains previously unreleased audiovisual material from director Dagmar Schultz's archives including stunning images of Audre Lorde off stage. With testimony from Lorde's colleagues and friends the film documents Lorde's lasting legacy in Germany and the impact of her work and personality.
- DirectorLinda CullenVanessa GildeaDocumenting the journey of marriage equality in Ireland
- DirectorTracy Heather StrainStarsHarry BelafonteRuby DeeLouis Gossett Jr.A documentary feature about Lorraine Hansberry, whose play Raisin in the Sun was the first by a black woman to be produced on Broadway. A passionate artist, she was also a committed activist and sought-after intellectual who waged an outspoken and defiant battle against injustice in 20th-century America.
- DirectorClaudia RicharzUlrike ZimmermannStarsClaudia GehrkeLaura MerrittUta SchlossbergerIt is about the representation and optimization of the vulva, anatomical myths, circumcisions, censorship and intimate modifications. With: Mithu Sanyal, Claudia Gehrke, Laura Meritt, Wilfried Schneider and many others.
- DirectorCatherine GundStarsElizabeth StrebSarah CallanJaclyn CarlsonElizabeth Streb vs. Gravity takes us on an exhilarating journey with choreographer Elizabeth Streb - pushing the boundaries between action and art and daring us to join Streb and her dancers in pursuit of human flight.
- DirectorKatharina LampertCordula ThymThis documentary film deals with constructions of fe/maleness in western society and explores the lives of 6 people who cross the boundaries between these 2 genders. This film wants to create awareness for diverse transgender identities beyond a binary contruct.
- DirectorCady McClainStarsLesli Linka GlatterSarah GavronLi LuFour diverse women share the story of how they became directors, what motivates them, how they lead, and how they overcome obstacles to create the most optimal working environment and work that makes a difference.
- DirectorLisa Billuart-MonetDaphné LeblondTwelve young women aged 20 to 25 tell the story of their sexuality since childhood. In their room, face camera, they address the two women directors in prey to the same questions. They remember the first sensations, the hazardous explorations, the conversations in the dark and the unexpected obstacles. All are moved, each in their own way, by the same impulse: the quest for a fulfilling, free and egalitarian sexuality.
- DirectorIrene LusztigWhat might be revealed in the slippery space of inviting strangers to act out and respond to 1970s feminism in 2017? YOURS IN SISTERHOOD invites strangers in communities all over the US to read aloud and respond to letters from the 1970s sent to the editor of Ms. Magazine-America's first mainstream feminist magazine. The intimate, provocative, and sometimes heartbreaking conversations with strangers that emerge from these spontaneous performances of forty-year-old letters make us think critically about the past, present, and future of feminism, providing a space of reflection that is newly urgent in the aftermath of the 2016 election.What might be revealed in the slippery space of inviting strangers to act out and respond to 1970s feminism in 2017? Between 2015 and 2017, hundreds of strangers in communities all over the US were invited to read aloud and respond to letters from the 1970s sent to the editor of Ms. Magazine-America's first mainstream feminist magazine. The intimate, provocative, and sometimes heartbreaking conversations that emerge from these spontaneous performances make us think critically about the past, present, and future of feminism. YOURS IN SISTERHOOD is a collective portrait of feminism now and forty years ago that is newly urgent in the aftermath of the 2016 election-a project about time travel, embodied listening, empathy, and public discourse.
- DirectorJoan BradermanStarsEmma AmosIda ApplebroogPatsy BeckertThe Heretics uncovers the inside story of a pivotal force in the "second wave" of the Women's Movement. Director Joan Braderman, who followed her dream of becoming a filmmaker to New York City in 1971, where she joined the feminist art collective Heresies at the epicenter of the 1970's art world in lower Manhattan, charts the collective's story for the first time in a feature-length film or video. Unlike more traditional "documentaries," the film is framed with striking new digital motion graphics. Consisting of intimate interviews with former collective members, archival footage from the 1970s, and documents of the Heresies collective, which published HERESIES: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics from 1977 to 1992, The Heretics views the collective in the context of the larger second-wave movement, which was made up of thousands who met in small, private group settings to discuss issues and launch programs and actions relevant to women. The hundreds of Heresies members-now scattered around the globe and working as artists, writers, architects, painters, filmmakers, designers, editors, curators, and teachers-speak intimately about the extraordinary times they shared, challenging the terms of gender and power and re-imagining the lives of generations to come.
- DirectorLiesa KovacsNick ProkeschStarsDenice BourbonKatrina DaschnerMoira HilleA naked female* body stepping on a stage with self-confidence and autonomy is still a highly political, radical act. Through their queer-feminist performances the seven artists* of CLUB BURLESQUE BRUTAL demand the normality of female* desire. While never really leaving the stage FEMME BRUTAL translates the core questions of the show into the cinema. The performers are dealing with struggles concerning identity, body, sexuality and the inclination of the gaze. Within the film the backstage and backgrounds shift into the spotlight, become equal to the performance. The glamorous pictures of the show stand side by side with the performers collective stream of consciousness. With disarming honesty, self-irony and openness the protagonists offer insights into their backgrounds, motivations, identities and tell the story of their life-performances.
- DirectorNancy AdairAndrew BrownRob EpsteinStarsPat BondJohn BurnsideSally M. Gearhart26 diverse lesbian and gay people are interviewed about their lives and the challenges they experience in a homophobic culture. A groundbreaking documentary is now an artefact of a different time.
- DirectorMark HerzogSandrine OrabonaStarsKristin BeckIn "Lady Valor", former U.S. Navy SEAL Christopher Beck embarks on a new mission as Kristin Beck as she lives her life truthfully as a transgender woman. In 2011, after 20 years of service on SEAL Team 1, she retired from service though continued to hide her true identity while working for the United States Government and the Pentagon. In 2013, a year and a half after retirement, Kristin came out publicly through LinkedIn and confirmed her true identity on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 taking many friends and family by surprise. While many people have been supportive, some in the some in the public have expressed more bigotry than she ever expected. After a lifetime of service, Kristin has learned that her fight for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness did not end on the battlefield.
- DirectorYair QedarStarsMichal EdenellyottUzi EvenIn 1985, there were three gays who were out of the closet in Israel. By 1998, there were 3,000. In this short, intensive and dramatic period, Israel came out of the closet in one of the quickest and most colorful revolutions of the end of the 20th century. There was no bloodshed in this revolution, but a rare cooperation between academics, prostitutes, transsexuals, singers, hairdressers and military officers. The director, Yair Qedar, documented this revolution in he's newspaper, The Pink Times. Using rare archival materials, personal stories and touching scenes, and via his own personal diary, the film tells the untold story of the GLBT revolution in Israel in an energetic, bittersweet musical collage.
- DirectorPeter BarbosaGarrett LenoirStarsMaher SabryGay people exist in Armenia, Syria, Iran, Egypt and Sudan too. They are Christians, Muslims and Jews, belonging to and rejected by their own cultures. In this series of interview we learn a bit about their lives and hear a few critiques of western media and its oversimplified, often negative depictions of these peoples and cultures.
- DirectorJulie GaliStarsFrédéric AnscombreDominique BesnehardDustin Lance BlackIn 2008 French filmmaker Julie Gali traveled to the US to film the election of Barack Obama. In spite of this victory for civil rights, it soon became apparent that the rights of another minority were under threat. In California the passing of Proposition 8 marked the only time in U.S. history that a civil right was actually taken away after it had been granted. Upon seeing this, Ms. Gali decided to immerse herself in the growing grassroots struggle of the gay community, which culminated in the October 11, 2009 March for Equality in Washington DC.
- DirectorShine Louise HoustonStarsGeorgia MannPapi CoxxRozen DeBoweDocumentary filmmaker Georgia Mann explores the streets of San Francisco in search of raw and compelling lesbian sex.
- DirectorVirginie DespentesStarsNorma Jean AlmodovarMaria BeattyLynn BreedloveMutantes sheds light on a feminism that was little talked about in France. This documentary comprises of a series of interviews conducted in the USA, Paris and Barcelona, and documents from the archives about the political action of sex workers, queer activists and post-pornographic performances.
- DirectorJen RaininRivkah Beth MedowStarsFranco StevensMelissa EtheridgeJewelle GomezAHEAD OF THE CURVE chronicles the outrageous adventures of Franco Stevens, the woman who started the most successful lesbian magazine in the world in the '90s, and her journey to understand what queer women need today.