In 2017 and 2019 respectively, Gemmel “Juelz” Moore and Timothy “Tim” Dean, two gay black men, both died of a meth overdose at the now-infamous apartment of Ed Buck, a once influential Democratic donor, businessman and LGBTQ+ political activist. The deaths sent shockwaves through LA’s LGBTQ+ community and particularly West Hollywood, LA’s gay Mecca. The ensuing media circus cooked up a spicy concoction of sex, drugs, race and politics, but had no appetite for the in-depth human stories of who the young men truly were. This documentary looks at Gemmel and Tim’s parallel walks of life told by the friends who loved them: memories, correspondence, things they did and didn’t share with each other, and the forces that led them to their tragic fate.

A two-spirit genderqueer teenager from the Narragansett tribe in Rhode Island boldly challenges the status quo of what it means to be a queer Indigenous person in a world bound by binary gender roles.

Africa has a vibrant storytelling history and we are pleased to showcase three modern short films that live up to that rich legacy.