The films in this section include both short- and feature-length films of LGBTQIA+ experiences.
(A)sexual
Directed by Angela Tucker, 2011, 1hr 15min
(A)SEXUAL follows the growth of a community that experiences no sexual attraction. In 2000, David Jay came out to his parents. He was asexual and was fine with it. And he was not alone. Studies show that 1% of the population is asexual. But in a society obsessed with sex, how do you deal with life as an outsider? Combining intimate interviews, verite footage, and animation with fearless humor and pop culture imagery, David and our four other characters grapple with this universal question and the outcomes might surprise you.
Official Selection at the Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival. (Description provided by Kanopy)
An Act of Love: A Personal Story About LGBTQ Rights and Religion
Directed by Scott Sheppard, 2016, 1hr 27min
Reverend Frank Schaefer was put on trial in the United Methodist Church for officiating his son's same-sex wedding. Several years into Frank’s ministry at a small church in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, his eldest son, Tim, began to quietly struggle with his sexual orientation. Amidst fear of rejection from his Church and his family, Tim became withdrawn and teetered on the verge of suicide.
Tim moved to Boston for college where he met his future husband. After college, they were married in a private service in Massachusetts, where Frank officiated. The Schaefers knew that having Frank officiate Tim’s wedding was a risk to his career, but they figured since it was a private family affair that it wouldn’t ruffle any feathers. They were wrong.
This compelling documentary chronicles the Schaefer family's struggle and the movement for LGBTQ equality in the nation's second largest protestant denomination.
2nd Place Award Winner for the Audience Award - Valley of the Docs at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
(Description provided by Kanopy)
Forbidden: Undocumented an Queer in Rural America
Directed by Tiffany Rhynard, Heather Mathews, and Moises Serrano, 2016, 1hr 22min
This film is about an inspiring young man whose story is exceptional, although not unique. When Moises Serrano was just a baby, his parents risked everything to flee Mexico in search of the American dream. Forbidden to live and love as an undocumented gay man in the country he calls home, Serrano saw only one option: to fight for justice. Serrano is like the thousands of other young people growing up in the United States with steadfast dreams but all the cards stacked against them. The film chronicles Serrano’s work as an activist traveling across his home state of North Carolina as a voice for his community, all while trying to forge a path for his own future. In the fall of 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump is preaching damaging rhetoric towards immigrants and in North Carolina progress is unraveling as discriminatory laws continue to oppress the LGBTQ community. FORBIDDEN humanizes the issues and demonstrates how a loving family has the power to defeat prejudice. This is a story about love conquering hate.
(Description provided by Kanopy)
Pride Denied: Homonationalism and the Future of Queer Politics
Directed by Kami Chisholm, 2016, 1hr 02min
This film tells the story of how corporate sponsors coopted the concept of LGBTQ pride, turning it into a feel-good brand and blunting its radical political edge. The film locates the origins of pride in sites of grassroots resistance and revolt, going back to the anti-police Stonewall uprising led by queer and trans people of color in 1969. It then traces how the deeply political roots of pride morphed into the depoliticized big-business PRIDE™ spectacles of today -- multimillion-dollar events designed to project an image of tolerance and equality rather than calling attention to the relationship between normative identity, power, and sexual repression.
The film also offers a stunning case study in the politics of "pinkwashing," detailing how the government of Israel has used its purported tolerance of gay rights to deflect attention away from its systematic repression of Palestinian human rights. Drawing on the insights of activists, artists, and educators, Pride Denied makes a compelling case for returning to the progressive political activism and grassroots community support that characterized the early LGBT rights movement.
(Description provided by Kanopy)
Ruthie and Connie: Every Room in the House: Lesbian Jewish Grandmothers
Directed by Deborah Dickson, 2002, 1hr 04min
Ruthie and Connie are in many ways typical Jewish New Yorkers. They married men in the 1950s, became mothers, and eventually divorced. But when Ruthie and Connie fell in love, these "ordinary" housewives became plainspoken activists and international icons of equality.
Audience Award Winner for Outstanding Documentary at L.A. Outfest, and Winner of Best Documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival.
“Two of the funniest and most outrageous queer activists you’ll ever see. Whether they are in City Hall, on the shores of West Palm Beach, or dancing on the Coney Island boardwalk, they move, enlighten, and inspire.” - Dennis Harvey, Variety
"A wonderful, wonderful 54-minute documentary … Never once holding back for a second, they unleash their very souls for the camera, and beautiful souls they are, without a doubt. No one will leave without smiling or shedding a tear.” - Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner
(Description provided by Kanopy)
