Wicked Queer 33

Thirty-something Immigration attorney Zaynab (played with wry humor by out Pakistani Muslim actor Fawzia Mirza) is balancing her work, love life, and taking care of her conservative TV-obsessed mother. A drunken night with the bold and assertive Alma (EMPIRE's charismatic Sari Sanchez) leads Zayneb to question just how to come to terms with her mom, her love life, and her new-found obsession with Lucha-style wresting. Jennifer Reeder’s feature is a funny and honest take on the complications of contemporary dating and the joys of wrestling.

Aram, an Iranian-Armenian trans man living in the U.S. since childhood, returns to Armenia to meet his girlfriend’s conservative family. Over the course of the day-long journey, Aram’s brother helps him prepare for the meeting, while also coming to terms with Aram’s transition. Written and directed by Pouria Heidary Oureh, this quiet and introspective film beautifully illustrates the bittersweetness of reconnecting with a culture that may not be accepting of who you have become. (description courtesy Outfest: Fusion Film Festival)

Bacon sizzling in fat, a young woman thanking the subscribers of her YouTube channel, a corpse neatly wrapped up in black garbage bags and floating down a river – as clear as the first few images of Travis Mathews’ mystery thriller may be, the connections only become clearer gradually, as if they were emerging from the subconscious. This elliptically edited story, which revolves around a man who can no longer be described as young, is accompanied by an eerie soundscape. Filmmaker Alex lives in a van. He sets up his camera in rural areas in the US, in the no-man’s land near highways. During a visit to his mother, a former alcoholic, she shares with him a well-kept secret. There is also a small boy, with whom Alex develops an unexpectedly close relationship. Director Mathews chronicles a modern day gay existence in the West – from anonymous sex to heterosexual porn in a sex bar cabin, or as a service in a motel room. A small house and a life on the margins of society. Meanwhile, on the radio, we are treated to a steady stream of right-wing slogans against everything that is not white and heterosexual, here in Texas. Desc. courtesy of the Berlin International Film Festival.

JEWEL’S CATCH ONE documents the oldest Black owned disco in America and establishes the legacy of businesswoman, activist, and healer, Jewel Thais-Williams, who stood up against hate and discrimination for 42 years. The story of Jewel and “The Catch” celebrates four decades of music, fashion, celebrity, and activism that helped change the course of our country by breaking down racial, social, and cultural barriers. One of the original safe spaces for both the LGBT and Black communities, The Catch also served as a refuge for many during the AIDS crisis. As her club grew to become known as the “unofficial Studio 54 of the West Coast,” Jewel became a national model for how to combat discrimination and serve the less fortunate. The film is a lush visual and musical journey highlighted by exclusive interviews with Sharon Stone, Thelma Houston, Evelyn “Champagne“ King, Madonna, Sandra Bernhard, Thea Austin, Jenifer Lewis, Representative Maxine Waters and Bonnie Pointer. CCH Pounder narrates this historically important film.

Dive into a selection of shorts that give you an in-depth look on those awkward teenage years where puberty isn't the only strange thing you are dealing with. These coming of age shorts will give you a glimpse on the life of a modern LGBTQ young person. Some themes featured will be exploration, loss, fear, young love and sexuality.

THE GUYS NEXT DOOR is an intimate portrait of a real "Modern Family:" Meet Erik and Sandro, a gay married couple whose friend Rachel is a surrogate for their two daughters. Rachel, who is in her 40s, is married to Tony and they have three children. Together, they form a unique extended family. Spanning over three years, this lyrical documentary tackles some of the most pertinent issues of our time: gay marriage and parenting, surrogacy as a path to having children, and the extension and redefinition of what it means to be “an American family.” Elegantly shot and edited, and told with candor and humor, THE GUYS NEXT DOOR is an inspiring story of family, friendship and gay rights.

On her way to the store with a group of friends, Chrishaun Reed “CeCe” McDonald was attacked. While defending her life, a man was killed. After a coercive interrogation, CeCe was incarcerated in a men’s prison in Minnesota. An international campaign to free CeCe garnered significant support from media and activists, including actress and executive producer Laverne Cox. Cox used this platform to explore the roles race, class and gender played in CeCe’s case. CeCe emerged not only as a survivor, but also as a leader. Documentarian Jac Gares pushed past everyday narratives of victimhood that surround the lives of transgender people, to spotlight the way CeCe and other trans people are leading a growing movement to critically interrogate and disassemble the prison industrial complex. Desc. courtesy of the L.A. Film Festival.

A great un-shaming is uniting and healing Inuit and LGBTQ communities in the eastern Arctic. The territory of Nunavut was built upon decades of relocation, re-education, and Christianization of nomadic Inuit people. Colonization and shame have shadowed the community, hitting LGBTQ people especially hard, as the systematic destruction of native culture has driven the Inuit’s original complex, inclusive sense of sexual orientation and family structure underground. Directors Woods and Yerxa methodically trace colonization from the 1950s, through the gradual thaw leading to LGBTQ protections in the Nunavut human rights act in 2003, up to the current state of affairs. The moving story comes alive through the voices of returning LGBTQ Inuit adults and the new generation of youth; tribal elders reviving ancient inclusiveness; white LGBTQ activists and scholars; and an Inuit filmmaker and LGBTQ ally who’s making it all visible. As indigenous values and contemporary mores come together, the way opens up for Inuit people to lead this continuing and exciting journey. Desc. courtesy of Frameline: The San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival.

Join us for a selection of women's short films!

Cherry Pop! is a crazy night in the life of a small local bar's drag show. It's about a newcomer struggling with being the outcast on his first night. And a legend coming to terms with life after her last night in drag. And it's about a bunch of other back-stabbing queens with their own problems who just plain can't stand each other. Even the stories of some of the patrons play a part in the chaos. Cherry Pop is a real-time roller coaster ride where you better be strapped up, tucked in, and ready to go! When Zaza, headliner of a weekly drag show, 'CHERRY POP', refuses to come out of her dressing room, all hell breaks loose backstage. A young newcomer, The Cherry, is hiding a huge secret from the girls while getting ready for his debut performance.

THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN examines the life and work of one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay rights pioneer whose novels have inspired millions to claim their own truth. Jennifer Kroot’s documentary about the creator of Tales Of The City moves nimbly between playful and poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. With help from his friends (including Neil Gaiman, Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen and Amy Tan), Maupin offers a disarmingly frank look at the journey that took him from the jungles of Vietnam to the bathhouses of 70’s San Francisco to the front line of the American culture war.

In his most audacious film since his groundbreaking debut O FANTASMO, João Pedro Rodrigues reimagines the myth of Saint Anthony of Padua as a modern-day parable of sexual and spiritual transcendence. On a bird-watching expedition in the remote wilderness of northern Portugal, Fernando (Paul Hamy) capsizes his canoe and loses his bearings. His ensuing odyssey, both intensely physical and wildly metaphysical, involves sadistic Chinese pilgrims, a deaf-mute shepherd named Jesus, pagan tribes, Amazons on horseback, and a glorious variety of feathered friends. Shot entirely outdoors and in magnificent ‘Scope by Rui Pocas, THE ORNITHOLOGIST is a bracing exercise in queer hagiography, a cheerfully blasphemous tale of a religious awakening. Desc. courtesy of The New York Film Festival.

Lucía, a 21-year-old girl, suffers from panic and anxiety attacks due to problems from her childhood and adolescence. During a winter stay in Salta, her hometown, she meets Olivia, who takes her to discover new surroundings, new people and a new point of view, recognizing her sexuality and freeing herself from the traumas of her past.

A selection of short films from students and first-time directors.

195 LEWIS is a dramedy series about a group of women navigating the realities of being Black, queer, and poly in New York City. Based in Brooklyn, the series follows Yuri and Camille as they test the boundaries of their open relationship. Yuri’s growing infatuation with a new lover leaves Camille distressed, which is only amplified by the unexpected arrival of Yuri’s old college friend Kris, who shows up with nowhere else to stay. Director Chanelle Aponte Pearson and writer Rae Leone Allen will be in attendance.

Ana is sleeping with Hugo, Dalhia with Graciano, Léo with Louis, and Arthur with everyone. Parties and love affairs lead to heart searching, deep desires and the craving to live life to the full. *Even Lovers Get the Blues* draws the portrait of the love and sexual lives of disenchanted and passionate young people.

Commitment phobic Morgan and her ex-girlfriend Jean are locally famous true crime podcasters obsessed with female serial killers. There’s a chance they may still have feelings for each other, but co-dependence takes a back seat when Morgan meets the mysterious Simone during her Food Coop shift. Blinded by infatuation, Morgan quickly signs up for the relationship, ignoring warnings from friends that her new love interest is practically a stranger. When Jean shows Morgan proof that Simone may not be who she says she is, Morgan accuses Jean of trying to ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to her. But as she and Simone move into commitment territory, Morgan starts to notice red flags—maybe Jean was right and Simone isn’t as perfect as Morgan’s made her out to be. Morgan and Jean investigate Simone as if she were a subject of their podcast, they uncover disturbing clues—a death at the Food Coop, a missing friend, a murder weapon—leading them to suspect her not only of mystery, but of murder. In the end, Morgan has to examine all the evidence in front of her: Is she just afraid of what it means to be in a relationship or is her life actually in danger?

A music-mad 16-year-old outcast at rugby-mad boarding school forms an unlikely friendship with his dashing new roommate, in this funny and observant coming-of-age tale from Irish novelist and filmmaker John Butler. This tender look at the travails of teenage life is the story of the worst thing Ned (Fionn O'Shea) ever did. It's also the story of the best thing that ever happened to Ned. With his dyed hair, willowy build, and penchant for sexually ambivalent pop and rock from generations past, 16-year-old Ned has never fit in at the rugby-mad boarding school his father insists he attend. Determined to simply keep his nose down and weather another year of loneliness and bullying, Ned is pleasantly surprised when he develops a friendship with his dashing new roommate, Conor (Nicholas Galitzine), a rugby virtuoso with issues of his own. The boys bond over music and start to practice guitar together. At the encouragement of their English teacher (Andrew Scott), Ned and Conor enter a talent show at a local girls' school. As both talent show and rugby season loom, however, the pressure on Conor to choose between manly athletic discipline and more artistic pursuits threatens to tear him apart — while Ned is increasingly tempted to betray Conor's trust in order to save his own skin. This funny, observant coming-of-age film from Irish novelist and filmmaker John Butler — whose feature debut, The Stag, screened at the Festival in 2013 — reminds us that bravery and loyalty are not innate traits. They're qualities we earn under pressure. Ned and Conor both make mistakes, but in the end, what truly matters is that each learns to speak in his own voice. Desc. courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival.

In February 2015, the Village Voice heralded the arrival of “New York’s Bravest” – Brooke Guinan, the first openly transgender firefighter in New York City. As a third-generation firefighter, Brooke has a passion for heroism that runs in her blood. Her father George is a respected lieutenant and 9/11 survivor with a 35-year legacy in the FDNY. People always asked Brooke if she would follow in her father’s footsteps. But when Brooke transitions from male to female in her father’s workplace, it poses not only a challenge to a macho profession, but also to the customs of the people she cares about the most – her traditional family. Meanwhile, Brooke’s boyfriend of two years, Jim, struggles with to come out to his family. A wise-cracking Air Force veteran, Jim still hasn’t told his mother that Brooke is a transwoman. Brooke and Jim realize that having the life they want means being vulnerable in the face of judgment. As we watch the couple buy a house together and consider marriage, we reconsider what it means to be man and woman, gay and straight, traditional and nontraditional. A heartfelt portrait of change in the American family and workplace, Woman on Fire is a testament to love, courage, and loyalty.

Princess Shaw placed her dreams on YouTube. Then they became a reality. This is the extraordinary true story of an aspiring musician down on her luck, who inspired internationally famous YouTube artist Kutiman to create a magical collaboration that would bring her music to a whole new audience.

Featuring films by a selection of new talents, this year's lineup of shorts includes lyrical works from Turkey and Iran, a pair of brilliant shorts in French from Switzerland and Canada, and a bittersweet goodbye story from Italy.

The years-long friendship between two pre-teen boys in a small Icelandic village is threatened when they strike up romantic relationships with a pair of local girls, in the affecting and beautifully crafted debut feature from Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson. In a small village in rural Iceland, Thor and Christian are best friends whose home lives are unsatisfactory, to say the least. Thor is ruthlessly mocked by his elder sisters, while his mother can't be bothered to hide her frustration at having to sacrifice her pleasure for the sake of her children. While Thor suffers from absentee parenting, Christian's drunken and abusive father is, unfortunately for him, all too present. When the two friends strike up romantic relationships with a pair of girls, the events that follow threaten to destroy the longest and most meaningful relationship either has ever had. Evincing a real feeling for how kids relate to one another, Heartstone also offers a powerful portrait of the limits of small-town life. While Thor and Christian's relationship takes centre stage, Guðmundsson also skillfully integrates a wide range of supporting characters (from a possibly psychotic local bully to the seedy clerk at the local diner/ bar, whose crass insensitivity reaches epic levels) and casts a cold eye on the boys' parents, whose privation and boredom have left them ill-equipped to fulfill their roles as protectors and nurturers. Well-crafted and very affecting, Heartstone is the finest debut by an Icelandic director since Rúnar Rúnarsson's Volcano. Desc. courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival.

At first glance, they seem unlikely gang-bangers. Some of the boys wear lipstick and mascara, some stilettos. They carry Louis Vuitton bags, but they also carry knives, brass knuckles and mace. As vulnerable gay and transgender youth, they’ve been shot, stabbed, and raped. Once victims, they’venow turned the tables, beating people into comas and stabbing enemies with ice picks. Started in 2009 by a group of bullied 9th graders, today these 14-22 year old gang members all have rap sheets riddled with assault, armed robbery, and drug dealing charges. Led by an ex-convict named Mo, Check It members are now creating their own clothing label, putting on fashion shows and working stints as runway models. But breaking the cycle of poverty and violence they’ve grown up in is a daunting task. Life for the Check It can be brutal, but—it’s also full of hope and an indomitable resilience. At its heart, CHECK IT explores the undying friendship that exists between these kids—an unbreakable bond that is tested every day as they fight to stand up for who they are in a community relentlessly trying to beat them down. CHECK IT is about a gay African-American gang struggling to survive in one of Washington D.C.’s roughest neighborhoods through an unlikely avenue: fashion.

A cinematic series of desires, passions, the heights and depths of emotions, and plenty of corporal fluids.

Recent high school grad Joey (Lola Kirke, Mozart in the Jungle and Mistress America) is scooping ice cream at the local fair when she meets Rayna (Breeda Wool, UnREAL), a leggy blonde in Daisy Dukes who likes drinking and flirting, and who has a weakness for “them tomboys,” as her grandmother calls them. Rayna takes Joey home along with some ice cream, and soon Joey is head-over-heels in love and lust—even after she discovers that the older woman has a couple of kids and a trucker husband named Roy. Based on the award-winning short film of the same name, this story of star-crossed love provides a nuanced depiction of working-class life in rural America. Director Deb Shoval gets the details right, from Joey’s series of dead-end jobs to the car on blocks outside Rayna’s trailer house. The film finds gritty beauty in the scuffed basements, bars, malls, and meadows where Joey and her friends work and play. It observes the gradations of class within Joey’s circle: Joey’s sister looks down on Rayna as a welfare-check-collecting freeloader, and Joey’s mother desperately wants Joey to join the army, her one shot at college. Tensions mount as Rayna and Joey’s relationship moves from summertime fling to something more serious. While the pair are creative about setting up clandestine meetings—in a barn, the front seat of a pickup, and, most memorably, a tent—they have a harder time imagining a life together. “Would you go into the army if you were rich?” asks a college-going lesbian friend of Joey. “Probably not,” she answers laconically. In this movie, the price of same-gender love is steepest for those who can least afford it. Desc. courtesy of Frameline: The San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival.

Set ten years after the most peaceful revolution in United States history, a revolution in which a socialist government gains power… The movie that rocked the foundations of the early Indie film world, this provocative, thrilling and still-relevant classic is a fantasy of female rebellion set in America ten years after the Second American Revolution. When Adelaide Norris, the black radical founder of the Woman’s Army, is mysteriously killed, a diverse coalition of women (across all lines of race, class and sexual preference) emerges to blow the System apart.

DISCO LIMBO is a movie about a boy who can't stop thinking about the night he met another boy and so he loses himself in a whirlwind of memories of parties, mountains and karaokes. If you've ever asked yourself, "What if David Lynch made hip queer techno trippy movies with handsome Argentinian men?" then this is the movie for you.

Fernando is on holiday with his closest male friends in a beautiful country house in a suburb of Buenos Aries. On their own without their girlfriends in a “men only” environment, the hunky young studs bask in the hot sun, play in the pool, smoke pot, and drink, most often semi-clad or naked. In this freewheeling and testosterone-infused environment, they talk of their desires and strengthen their individual bonds. Fernando invites a new friend from his taekwondo class, Germán, a dark-haired Brad Pitt look-alike to join them. Germán is easily accepted by the others but he brings something different to the group that he hasn’t shared with them – he’s attracted to men. As the emotional intimacies and the sexual lethargy ripen in the baking heat, Germán begins to realize that he might not be the only gay man in residence. The latest homoerotic slow burn from director Marco Berger (co-helming with Martin Farina), TAEKWONDO is his most sensual treat yet and is sure to raise the temperature of male voyeurs to the boiling point. Desc. courtesy of Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ International Film Festival.

The film is based on the true story of Tamara Adrián, the first trans person elected to national office in Venezuela. The film follows her transition as she comes out as a woman, while maintaining her career as a prominent lawyer with a wife and two small children.

Wicked Queer received an abundance of fantastic films made on the Iberian penisula. This inspired us to create a program dedicated to show the beauty that exists there. The shorts in this program will feature films with the themes of LGBTQ surrogacy, bisexuality, death, love, and plenty more.

In most years, it's a challenge for the festival to program trans films for two reasons: there are so few of them, and many of them tend to overly focus on the physical aspects of transition. Not this year! This year's films have trans folks doing more than transitioning: they're traveling the world, following their hearts, fighting for justice, running for office, loving and being loved, fighting fires, and standing up for themselves and one another.

Emmy Award-winner John Scagliotti guides us in a wondrous tour of erotic history, poetry and visual art in this point-of-view documentary on same-sex desire from ancient times to Victorian crimes. He explores how the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the growth of LGBT political power in the 1990s cleared the path for artists and scholars to re-discover pre-20th century same-sex desires. With dozens of experts he revels in lesbian love spells from ancient Rome, censored chapters of the Kamasutra, Native American two-spirit rituals and more. A prequel to Before Stonewall, Before Homosexuals unearths the garden of human sexual delights and the endurance and creativity of “an army of lovers”.

Growing up in North Carolina as an undocumented gay man, Mexican-born Moises Serrano shares his story and advocates for justice and equality in this timely, inspiring documentary. When Moises Serrano was a baby, his parents risked everything to flee Mexico in search of the American Dream. The 24-year-old Serrano spent 22 years in the rural South, and yet is still forbidden to live and love in the country he calls home. Serrano sees only one option—to fight for justice and equality while activating a national movement. Driven by a deep love for his family, who have come to accept being treated as invisible, the impassioned, eloquent Serrano is proof of how one person can change the world. Desc. courtesy of NewFest.

Everything seems to have changed. A storm has ravaged the forest; his single mom, an expatriate American, is pursuing yet another new boyfriend; and his twin sister Diane, once his closest confidant, has grown mysteriously distant. Then Phillip sees the beautiful, athletic Nicholas in school, and is instantly infatuated. As Phillip and Nicholas's passionate and carefree affair blossoms, the rest of his world seems to be spiraling out of control. Why does his mother refuse to tell him who his father was? What has turned his twin sister against him? Even his best friend Kat, jealous of his relationship with Nicholas, has become aloof. Jakob M. Erwa's sensuous and surprising coming-of-age movie takes many twists and turns before Phillip can find his place in a world whose center seems to be constantly shifting. Desc. courtesy of Palm Springs International Film Festival. "Refeshingly candid and admirably complex... The boys' rapport is played ...in a loving and tender way that's as attractive to behold as it must be life-affirming for youngsters worried about their sexual proclivities." Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter

Somewhere in Lower Austria; the school term is drawing to a close and the summer holidays are not far off. Boarding school pupil Paula, seventeen, is secretly in love with her girlfriend Charlotte. But Charlotte’s going out with Michael. Lovelorn, Paula decides to try and take her mind of things by getting involved with schoolmate Tim, whose feelings for her are at least genuine. Paula has no idea how often Charlotte thinks of her. And then there’s Lilli, who is just dying for someone to fancy her and tries to play the wild seductress. Paula must decide if she wants to follow her own feelings or yield to other people’s.

The director interviewed 100 teenagers aged 17- 19 in Bangkok and then created this feature that blends documentary style with dramatic intersections. All sorts of passions, preoccupations and questions about sex, gender and life choices come up and get talked about with open minds and hearts. A captivating and vividly imaginative work that encapsulates the experience of growing up in modern Bangkok.

Prepare to be dazzled! "Thirsty" is the compelling story of Scott Townsend a.k.a., Thirsty Burlington, who caught the filmmaker's eye during Thirsty's striking performance as Cher. The film lays bare Scott's life growing up as a girl-boy in Cambridge public housing and eventually becoming a revered drag queen delighting club-goers with her spot on impersonation of Cher. Using an array of storytelling techniques within a non-linear structure, the film moves through dramatic, fantasy and musical sequences, capturing both the harsh realities of living a life with a slippery gender and the sparkle that Thirsty exudes. Townsend embodies this natural phenomenon of a gender that roams between male and female. "A bouquet from a single stem," as Thirsty sings. "Thirsty" asks that we let everyone be beautiful and create the world they want. For Townsend that means, "To be safe and comfortable in all his skins, and loved for all that he is." Desc. courtesy of the Woodstock International Film Festival.

One sleepless night as Sadie is surfing the web her suspicions that her and her bestie since the 7th grade are growing apart are confirmed, when she discovers that he has unfollowed her on Instagram. Over the winter Sadie becomes a social recluse, going to Normy Suburbs Public High by day, working at the Bogus Burger Barn by night, reading zines alone in her bedroom and day dreaming while wandering the streets of suburbia. On her 17th birthday her mother gifts her a 3 zone one year transit pass telling her to “go out and explore, discover new things and have adventures close to home.” Downtown Sadie is randomly befriended by Miami, a self identified teeny bopper who is the first out trans girl to attend North Shore Private Girls College. Miami introduces Sadie to her token straight, musical theatre loving BFF Cynthia, her angsty emo boyfriend Zeke, and the rest of her clique: Ellen, an astrology loving lesbian and Jersey, a twinky bisexual highschool drop out. Sadie quickly starts to hang out with them all on the regular, but has she really found a place where she belongs? Or will old insecurities, crushes and drama get in the way?

"My mother and I have lived like strangers under one roof for decades. The only exchanges between us are the meals she cooks for me since we never talk to each other. One day, I finally summon up the courage to sit her down and make her talk. But am I ready to hear what she has to say?" Anu is a tomboy. Although she was married off at a young age – as was customary in Taiwan in the 1970s – and had two children, she quickly divorced her violent husband and brought up her daughters alone. Since then her only relationships have been with women who, like her, earn a living as professional mourners at funerals. One of her daughters is filmmaker Hui-chen Huang. It’s considered taboo in Chinese culture to question a mother’s unconditional love, and yet this is exactly the topic of Huang’s intimate portrait. Mother and daughter set off on a journey together into the past during which Anu is confronted with questions that have tormented her daughter for years. In a series of long shots the two women discuss such topics as trust, abuse and cognisance, and yet most of these discussions end in painful silence. Shifting focus in order to plumb the depths of the depicted room, the director attempts to understand her mother by also talking to her mother’s siblings and ex-lovers. In doing so she paints a picture of changing living conditions for three generations of women in Taiwan.

Wicked Queer, Boston's LGBT Film Festival is proud to continue our relationship and support of the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project in San Francisco. We are excited to present the latest and greatest of films by, for, and about queer women of color.

As leader of the world’s only LGBT political party, Bemz Benedito dreams of being the first transgender woman in the Philippine Congress. But in a predominantly Catholic nation, rallying for LGBT representation in the halls of Congress is not an easy feat. Bemz and her eclectic team of queer political warriors must rethink traditional campaign strategies to amass support from unlikely places. Taking their equality campaign to small-town hair salons and regional beauty pageants, the activists mobilize working-class trans hairdressers and beauty queens to join the fight against their main political opponent, a homophobic evangelical preacher, and prove to the Filipino electorate that it’s time to take the rights of LGBT people seriously. But as outsiders trying to get inside the system, will they have to compromise their political ideals in order to win? Culminating on election day, OUT RUN provides a unique look into the challenges LGBT people face as they transition into the mainstream and fight for dignity, legitimacy, and acceptance across the globe.

Filmed with vérité intimacy over the course of a decade, the documentary feature debut of director Jonathan Olshefski is a portrait of a family living in North Philadelphia. Set against the backdrop of a country engulfed in turmoil, and a neighborhood assaulted by inequality and neglect, it follows Christopher “Quest” Rainey, and his wife Christine’a, “Ma Quest,” as they raise their children and nurture the creative sanctuary offered by their home music studio. The family evolves before our eyes, and what began as a tender depiction of an American family develops into a stunning illumination of race, class, and community. Quest begs viewers to take notice. The Rainey clan will have audiences clutching their hearts in a visceral display of admiration. Ultimately, Quest reflects the profound beauty of one family whose journey is a testament to love and healing and whose resilience provides hope for a nation torn apart. Desc. courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival.

"The conversation surrounding sex work affects all human beings, even if we aren't sex workers ourselves or hire sex workers. This issue is, at its core, about our bodies and the agency we should have over them and our actions. [...] We also need to be aligning these conversations alongside the other larger, cultural conversations that are currently taking place; about policing, incarceration, the murders of trans women of color and other vulnerable members of our society ‚ and basic human rights that everyone should be concerned with. [...] Events like the Rentboy raid don't just affect sex workers; they impact all people affected by policing, incarceration, surveillance and institutionalized racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and transphobia." By James Michael Nichols - The Huffington Post