This short documentary film is only 30 minutes and it is utterly fascinating. I knew next to nothing about hijras before I saw this film, but I had heard that India had made a third sex an official designation. Maybe I had only seen one depicted in the film Jodhaa Akbar. I was completely absorbed with learning about the lives of the hijras and I just wish the film was longer!! Most of the film is interviews with hijras, but the really fascinating part is a glimpse at hijras doing blessings at a wedding and of a small child. They also show part of the ceremony to become a part of the hijra community, which they describe as similar to a Hindu wedding. The film centers on two Hirjras, and their histories in joining the hijra community, which became their family. One of the hirjas still lives with and supports her mother, but is estranged from the rest of the family. I discovered that Meera Darji, the director has created a webpage for the film with lots of background history. Must read!! She alludes to it briefly in the film, and has a scene from one of the Mahabarat serials showing a hijra in Hindu mythology: www.transindiafilm.co.uk/?page_id=16 This film is appearing in Film Festivals, and is currently available for purchase on Vimeo.
Fifty years after the Stonewall uprising, Oscar-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman travel to three diverse communities – Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama – for an unflinching look at LGBTQ Pride, from the perspective of a younger generation for whom it still has personal urgency.
A Place to Live: The Story of Triangle Square chronicles the journey of seven brave individuals as they attempt to secure a home in Triangle Square, Hollywood, the nation's first affordable housing facility for LGBT seniors. Since demand far exceeds the number of available apartments, a lottery system was set up to determine who would be selected. This film is a moving exploration of the applicants' personal stories and the journey that brought them to the lottery and what the future might hold.
Author and cook David Groß travels through five European countries and cooks exclusively what others throw in the garbage bin. With great thirst for knowledge, he tracks food waste and presents unexpected solutions. In an unusual and humorous self-attempt David Groß questions our daily consumer lifestyle.
During World War II, 12 000 children were born to Norwegian mothers and German soldiers. In WARS DON’T END five of these children tell their stories about lives of discrimination and abuse stemming from the choices of their mothers and the actions of their fathers.
This film from acclaimed theater director Lonny Price charts the journey of the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" in the 30-plus years since the musical debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in 1981.
For consumers, bananas are a delicious and nutritious start to the day, a healthy snack and a fixture in our fruit bowls. For millions of residents in the banana lands, the production of bananas means social upheaval, violence and pesticide poisoning. Banana Land explores the origins of these disparate realities, and opens the conversation on how workers, producers and consumers can address this disconnect.
125 employees of the Catholic Church come out as queer! In the exclusive ARD documentary, believers in the service of the Catholic Church in Germany dare to go public together. People who identify as non-heterosexual talk about fighting for their church - sometimes at the risk of losing their jobs as a result. There are priests, religious brothers, parish assistants, diocese employees, religion teachers, kindergarten teachers, social workers and many more who report intimidation, denunciations, deep injuries, decades of hide and seek and double lives. The Catholics report a system in which pressure, fear and arbitrariness leave employees uncertain as to what exactly happens when they stand by their sexual orientation or identity. The investigative documentary listens to those who live their faith every day and are nevertheless degraded by the church as an institution.
A film about one of the most iconic images of the 20th century, the moment when the radical spirit of the 1960s upstaged the greatest sporting event in the world. Two men made a courageous gesture that reverberated around the world, and changed their lives forever. This film is about Tommie Smith and John Carlos' protest at the 1968 Olympics.
A set of seven portraits consisting of personal accounts from the lives of gays and lesbians. The narration includes stories about coming out, bashing, cross-dressing and AIDS.
A review of the wild New York City nightlife of the 90s. The cast of characters who made up the infamous Club Kids speak candidly about that era, culminating with Alig's release from incarceration.