The place is the notorious Starck Club (so called because it was the first major project designed by Philippe Starck in the US.) The Starck Club opened in Dallas in 1984 and not long after hosted the 1984 national Republican Convention. Ironically, it was actually legal to buy MDMA aka ecstasy there, people would put it on their credit cards. The DEA stepped in and made it a category 1 drug on July 1, 1985... In a time when ecstasy was legal & guyliner was cool.
Letter from Tokyo (2018)
Letter from Tokyo is a documentary film that looks at art, culture and politics in Tokyo, Japan. Shot over three months during the summer of 2018, and with a particular focus on grass roots arts initiatives, the use of public space, and queer politics, the film provides a snapshot of Japan’s capital in the run up to the 2020 olympics.
Intellect: Techno House Progressive (2003)
Documentary about the hard working DJs and producers who have brought electronic dance music to the forefront of nightlife around the world. Featuring over 35 world class artists from Derrick Carter to Paul Van Dyk.
Destiny in Alice (2008)
In the Heart of Australia, one of the harshest places on the planet, the town of Alice Springs has become a haven for lesbians, confronting the challenges of loving across racial and cultural gaps.
Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires (2018)
The dramatic story of Egon Schiele in his own words, celebrating his remarkable artistic achievements but also debating the controversies around his work.
Little Miss Westie (2019)
A year in the life of two transgender siblings as they navigate puberty, a local beauty pageant, and transitioning in the Trump era.
Love Me Like You Should: The Brave and Bold Sylvester (2020)
In partnership with filmmaker Lauren Tabak and writer/consulting producer Barry Walters, we dive into the music career of Sylvester, starting from church choir in South Central LA to his early years in San Francisco. It follows his ascent to stardom through his evergreen, international hits "Dance (Disco Heat)" and "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)". Through his groundbreaking career, Sylvester blew open the doors for queer visibility and gender fluidity in mainstream music, leaving a legacy that continues to influence today's pop music.
Finding Kim (2016)
50 year old Kim is transitioning from female to male gender over a period of two years. The story follows his life, surgery and struggles with his self-image and self-acceptance. Alongside Kim's narrative are interviews with luminaries in the field and trans community.
I Am My Own Woman (1992)
The life story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who survived the Nazi reign as a trans woman and helped start the German gay liberation movement. Documentary with some dramatized scenes. Two actors play the young and middle aged Charlotte and she plays herself in the later years.
Love Parade: When Love Learned to Dance (2019)
At the end of the Cold War, something new arised that should influence an entire generation and express their attitude to life. It started with an idea in the underground subculture of Berlin shortly before the fall of the Wall. With the motto "Peace, Joy, Pancakes", Club DJ Dr. Motte and companions launched the first Love Parade. A procession registered as political demonstration with only 150 colorfully dressed people dancing to house and techno. What started out small developed over the years into the largest party on the planet with visitors from all over the world. In 1999, 1.5 million people took part. With the help of interviews with important organizers and contemporary witnesses, the documentary reflects the history of the Love Parade, but also illuminates the dark side of how commerce and money business increasingly destroyed the real spirit, long before the emigration to other cities and the Love Parade disaster of Duisburg in 2010, which caused an era to end in deep grief.
Meet Me By The Magnolia Tree (2020)
“Meet Me by the Magnolia Tree” is a student documentary on the history of Richmond’s gay community and the role cruising for sex played in places like Byrd Park, the Block, and Battle Abbey.
General Idea: Art, AIDS and the fin de siècle (2008)
"GENERAL IDEA: Art, AIDS and the fin de siècle is a humorous, informative and ultimately poignant documentary about General Idea. Formed in 1969, they produced art that targeted and mimicked media, consumerism and celebrity, creating a revolutionary new spirit of art making. Interviews with AA Bronson, the sole survivor of the trio, lends personal relevancy to this story of art and sexual politics. GENERAL IDEA: Art, AIDS and the fin de siècle is a tale of love, fame, overwhelming loss and, ultimately, renewal." -AGO.net
Visible: Transgender Youth Stories (2020)
Two teenagers seek the fullness of their identities with time on top and normality against it. First hand testimony of transgender kids and the support of their family.
JazzTown (2021)
Denver’s iconic and Grammy Award-winning musicians reveal the secrets of their success and longevity in the music business while warning the young lions to whom they pass the torch to stay relevant in a marketplace both treacherous and brutal. The majestic Rocky Mountains tower over a bustling metropolis filled with steamy and romantic nightclubs where jazz flourishes on stage. JazzTown features never seen before live concert footage on historic stages that have now crumbled due to economic stresses of the Covid Pandemic. ~ Dianne Reeves, 5-time Grammy Award winner for Best Jazz Vocalist ~ US Senator John Hickenlooper (former jazz club owner) ~ Ron Miles (Colorado Music Hall of Fame, Joshua Redman, Bill Frisell, Ginger Baker) ~ Charlie Hunter (Snarky Puppy, Christian McBride, Stanton Moore) ~ Art Lande (Mark Isham, Gary Peacock) ~ Ayo Awosika (Session Singer on Soundtracks to: Wakanda Forever, Nope, Dune, The Lion King ... tours with Miley Cyrus,) and many more.
Translatina (2010)
The result of three years of production, more than 100 hours of filming, and interviews with people from 15 nationalities, Translatina paints an alarming portrait of the realities faced by transgender people in Latin America. Through a series of testimonies from civil society representatives and other stakeholders, this full-length documentary offers a realistic look at the challenges faced by transgender people in accessing education, work, justice, health care, and other services. It also shows how non-governmental organizations in Latin America are starting a dialogue with governments to demand opportunities for inclusion of transgender people, and how such initiatives may result in significant changes to ensure the rights of the population.
Amazones d’hier, lesbiennes d’aujourd’hui : 40 ans plus tard (2022)
A documentary that offers a return in images to the creation of AHLA, Amazones d'hier, Lesbiennes d'aujourd'hui, a lesbian collective at the origin of the video of the same name shot in 1979 and also the eponymous magazine published between 1982 and 2014. Based on interviews conducted in May 2021 as well as archive footage, this documentary highlights the four founding members of the collective.
Little Sister's vs. Big Brother (2002)
This documentary, filmed over a 10-year period, centers on the debate over censorship as it follows Vancouver's Little Sister's Bookstore and its 20-year struggle with Canada Customs over the seizure of books. In the face of bigotry, bombings and repeated book seizures, it wages the most important legal battle in history against Canada Customs.
to boyhood, i never knew him (2022)
Archive footage from 2006 - 2010 of a young girl growing up during the ages of four to eight. Only fragments of what is remembered exists. Words from a transgender man float to the surface as fleeting memories go on.
Better Things: The Life and Choices of Jeffrey Catherine Jones (2012)
Jeffrey Catherine Jones is one of the most revered comic book and fantasy artists of all time and a complex character with an unusual life, an ideal subject for an insightful and captivating documentary. Tracing the early history as part of The Studio with fellow artists Bernie Wrightson, Barry Windsor-Smith and Michael William Kaluta through to gender transition in later life, Maria Paz Cabardo assembles a collage of artwork and archive alongside interviews with collaborators and some touchingly intimate conversations with the artist herself shortly before she died.
Liberty: 3 Stories about Life & Death (2003)
This extraordinary film interweaves the stories of three close lesbian friends: Joyce Fulton, who died over the course of two years from a brain tumor; Mary Bell Wilson, who, with indefatigable courage, faces up to her own losing battle with lymphoma; and Nan Golub, a black-leather-jacketed, platinum-dyed New York city artist, very much alive. Liberty demystifies death, dispels misinformation about age and sexual orientation and reminds us that life is worth living, even worth celebrating.