From Tom of Finland to Bugs Bunny in a dress – animation has been a place where artists can unleash and explore their sexuality. When did all this g(art) start? Is it a sexual turn-on? How did the artists get their start? Why the obsession with these fantastical stories and characters? Are they taken seriously in the mainstream comic world? Hosts Andy Cheng and Cara Connors dive into the pages of comic books, animated series, films and video games to discover the LGBTQ characters in the documentary Drawn this Way.
Larger-than-life actress, cabaret performer, activist, and proud sex professional since the age of eleven, Luana Muniz - arguably one of Brazil’s most recognizable transgender personalities, shapes a new reality for a new generation of transgender sex workers in her hostel by providing a safe working environment in the dangerous neighborhood of Lapa in Rio de Janeiro. Queen of Lapa explores the day-to-day lives, quests for love, housemate rivalries in a turbulent political climate under matriarch Muniz’s watchful and guiding eye.
In a fading Georgia town, a community recalls its dark past and faces a grim present. An undocumented immigrant, caught in legal limbo and facing deportation, contemplates his future. In the midst of it all, a massive, private immigration prison generates millions in profits. Where these stories meet, the hidden epicenter of America's immigration crackdown is revealed-a place called Lumpkin, GA.
Dejan is an ordinary guy living in post-communist country. But each time a Chinese delegation visit his country, he’s treated as public enemy: state security taps his phones and tails both him and his family. The reason is he’s practising Falun Gong. But what is Falun Gong? Why is it banned and persecuted in China and what is the connection with Serbia? By following the events on the margins of Chinese Summit held in Belgrade in 2014, when police unlawfully detained 11 Falun Gong activists, we discover a story. The activists were held to avoid spreading the truth about Falun Gong in China. Through their testimony in this film, as well as Dejan’s exclusive video materials, the truth is finally brought to the light of the day. It's the bitter truth about China and the whole world we live in.
The film follows the 21st Century formation of WITCH (We Intend To Cause Havoc), Zambia's most popular rock band of the 1970s, and documents the life of its lead singer, Jagari, whose name is an Africanisation of Mick Jagger's. Through the resurrection of a music that was forgotten by many and unheard by most, the film explores the life of a former African rock-star, and the excitement around the rediscovery of his music by Western fans, many of whom had yet to be born when his last album was released.
"Casa del Migrante" in Huehuetoca, a suburb at the gates of Mexico City, is a safe haven for migrants. At least for two days. Then they must go on with their journey towards north in freight train carriages, which everyone here just calls "La Bestia," the beast.
LOURDES, a small village where the Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl about 150 years ago. Still today LOURDES is more alive than ever. And Our Lady remains active and attentive to each of her children. About 6 million people visit it every year. After the pandemic, her devotion is increasing. The multitudinous processions of people seeking a miracle feed a small army of caregivers (nurses, volunteers, hospitalists) who accompany them. These pilgrims are an amazing display of humanity: accident victims, the terminally ill, an overweight teenager being bullied at school, a group of prostitutes and trans people from Paris, etc. LOURDES is an insightful meditation on the human capacity for empathy and hope, and especially a journey into the mystery of religious faith in the face of life's profound tribulations.
Set against the backdrop of an epic bike ride in Ireland's beautiful Connemara region, this inspirational film tells the story of Rick Boyle, a man who overcame extraordinary obstacles to become an avid long-distance bicyclist.
Led by the eccentric visionary Freddie Mercury, Queen conquered the world. Who is the man behind the voice and how did a young boy from Zanzibar become The Ultimate Showman?
Explore the extraordinary story of the man who possessed one of the greatest voices of the century. Known as The Voice, The Leader, and Ol’ Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra conquered all aspects of entertainment, singing and acting. Through archival performances and interviews, journey through Frank’s remarkable life, from his troubled birth in 1915 to the day The Voice was sadly silenced.
This Emmy award-winning documentary explores the deeply rooted psychological issues that victims of sex trafficking face on a daily basis at the hands of pimps and buyers. Through firsthand testimony of abuse from three survivors of the illicit sex trade, the complex nature of this form of modern-day slavery is revealed. Investigative interviews with leading experts provide further insight on what drives the industry, exposing misconceptions many of us harbor that allow sex trafficking to thrive.
Five friends embark on a 1,200 mile journey along the US-Mexico border from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico to learn first hand what effect a border wall will have on the natural landscape and the wild animals roaming the land.
Foreign Puzzle is an intimate documentary that captures the journey of an inspiring Mexican American dancer as she communicates the impermanence of life through dance while juggling the roles of a recently divorced parent of a 6-year-old, a choreographer and a primary school teacher amidst intensive treatments for breast cancer.
For eons, a one-of-a-kind population of killer whales has hunted chinook salmon along the Pacific Coast of the United States. For the last 40 years, renowned whale scientist Ken Balcomb has closely observed them. He’s familiar with a deadly pattern, as salmon numbers plummet orcas starve. The orcas need roughly a million salmon a year, where to find a million fish? The solution, says Balcomb, is getting rid of four fish-killing dams 500 miles away on the largest tributary to what once was the largest chinook producing river on earth.
Ay Mariposa tells a story of three characters in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas whose lives are upended by plans to build a US-Mexico border wall. As the director of the National Butterfly Center, Marianna Trevino Wright has become a leader of wall resistance in the Valley, a position that has resulted in violent threats from pro-wall factions and an emotional odyssey as she tries to navigate the ever-shifting sands of border policy. Zulema Hernandez, a life-long migrant worker, immigrant and great grandmother, has been a dedicated advocate for all migrants, both wild and human-kind. Meanwhile the butterfly, la mariposa, fights its own daily battle for survival in a landscape where more than 95 percent of its habitat is long gone and much of what remains lies directly in the path of the wall. Ay Mariposa documents each characters' fierce commitment to home, justice, wild beauty and the future of the US-Mexico borderlands.
Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, sits down with filmmaker Werner Herzog to discuss his many achievements. Topics include the talks to reduce nuclear weapons, the reunification of Germany and the dissolution of his country.