Trembling Before G-d

Orgullo | Pride - Visión Zoo

In 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.

And My Soul Shall Be Healed: Reclaiming Christianity through the Transgender Experience explores the intersections between Christianity, far-right extremist politics, and gender identity. Through interviews with a pastor, a professor, and a transgender woman, this film reveals that gender diversity and Christianity are not mutually exclusive.

A box found in an abandoned storage unit unearths a time capsule of correspondences from a forgotten era: the underground drag scene in 1950s New York City. Firsthand accounts and newly discovered footage help cast a long overdue spotlight on the unsung pioneers of drag.

This is a story about a mother's love for her child and an activist's love for his country - and the stakes are life and death. Spanning five countries, THE ABOMINABLE CRIME explores the impacts of homophobia through the eyes of two gay Jamaicans who are forced to choose between their homeland and their lives. Simone, a young lesbian mother, survives being shot outside of her home by anti-gay gunmen. She must choose between living in hiding with her daughter in Jamaica or traveling alone to seek safety and asylum abroad. Maurice, Jamaica's leading gay-rights activist, is outed shortly after filing a lawsuit to overturn Jamaica's anti-sodomy law. He escapes to Canada, but decides to return to continue his activism.

An intimate documentary about a trans woman's isolation and decision to leave her home country of Azerbaijan in pursuit of a safer life. Using the metaphor of a rabbit, that comes from her nickname "bunny," she presents her relationship with her family, country, music, and protest, intercut with home videos.

While many in the Western world view Islam as socially repressive, in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, exists a community of biological men who live openly as women-- the warias. As four warias strive to find romance, intimacy, and acceptance, they encounter unique obstacles that force them to make extraordinary sacrifices to keep the ones they love.

Pioneer erotic film maker Peter de Rome talks about his life and work.

Centered around a vehement diatribe against pornography delivered by news reporter George Putnam, the film attempts to link explicit portrayals of human sexuality to the subversion and decline of American civilization, and briefly draws a parallel between pornography and Communist infiltration. Perversion for Profit illustrates its claims with still images taken from various softcore pornography magazines of the period-- though, 'sensitive' parts of the human anatomy have been obscured by colored bars. The film is in the public domain, and has become a popular download from the Prelinger Archives.

For 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.

A documentary about the alleged Nazi cure homosexuality conducted by a Danish doctor who experimented with a young homosexual in the concentration camp. After the war, he took refuge in Argentina until his death in 1965.

A young anthropologist reflects on her late grandmother's religious background.

Queen’s Land tells the oft forgotten history of drag, repression and resistance in Queensland’s queer scene during the Joh Bjelke-Petersen dictatorship. With glitter and glamour Destiny Rogers describes the ups and downs of life under Australia’s most conservative police state through the 60s to 80s. Petrified jelly, bribery, and gay bikies. Despite living in “pig city” a community was able to persist. To complement, Sel Dowd provides a history of the activist struggles of the era which inform our ongoing struggles today.

In this true-life twist on a holiday fable, Jeremy Morris brings a whole new meaning to Christmas spirit when his extravagant seasonal display sparks a dispute with his neighbors that lands them all in court.

In February 2016, rock 'n' roll trio Thelma & the Sleaze embarked on the world's first “Intra-City Tour”. They played 31 shows in 29 days and raffled off a promotional mini-van in the process, in an unprecedentedly absurd publicity stunt that raised the bar for independent artists everywhere. Exploring the furthest of reaches of Nashville’s music scene, blazing new trails in its wake, the film follows the twists and turns, triumphs and follies of all 29 days as Thelma & the Sleaze bring their raw rock 'n' roll fury through DIY spaces, art galleries, laundromats, screen printing shops, record stores, clothing shops, candy factories, roller rinks and even a McDonald’s.

Filmed over five years in Kansas City, this documentary follows four transgender kids – beginning at ages 4, 7, 12, and 15 – as they redefine “coming of age.” These kids and their families show us the intimate realities of how gender is re-shaping the family next door in a unique and unprecedented chronicle of growing up transgender in the heartland.

A documentary focusing on the stories of three Israeli women seeking a divorce through religious courts.

This feature documentary explores the historical relationship between Hollywood, television, and the authentic portrayal of diverse LGBTQ+ experiences over the course of more than a century. Interviews and archival footage provide a critique of the U.S. film industry that emphasizes the life-saving role storytelling plays in our collective imagination for a better future.

A documentary that explores the reality of the LGBTQIA+ community through the perspective of those who, excluded from their families of origin, have built new bonds and forms of belonging. At the center of the film is the House of Windowsen, an emerging presence in the Italian ballroom scene, made up of Gian, the overall father, Morgan Sasha, and Concetta. Following their lives between Milan, Rome, and Naples, the film weaves together personal experiences and shared journeys, offering a direct portrait of ballroom culture and the dynamics of a chosen family that is atypical and non-nuclear. It is a narrative that highlights identities, relationships, and the need to create a space in which to exist.

"The Atheist Experience," produced in Austin, Texas, is the only atheist TV show in the United States. Every Sunday afternoon, two atheists debate callers for one hour, on camera. "Mission Control Texas" portrays the show, its protagonists, and the discussions between the hosts and callers. The debates between believers and skeptics are funny, touching, and shocking in turn, and they're interspersed with footage of the very public religious displays common in the state of Texas. The film is an intimate, concentrated, and entertaining insight into the culture wars, and is sure to provoke inspiration as well as frustration, no matter which side of the divide you fall on.