Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt

Mudflat

August 1980 •English

Years ago, artists would walk around the muck at the edge of the San Francisco Bay in Emeryville, and build loads of sculptures out there on the flats, created from driftwood and found objects that drivers would enjoy as they motored south on the old Highway 17 (known in numerous radio ads as 'Highway 17, The Nimitz'). Grabbing material off someone else’s work was considered fair game and part of the fun, and contributed a kinetic dynamic to the ongoing display. Now the place is a park, and the sculptures are gone, but you can see what it used to be like in this neat and funny documentary by Ric Reynolds, augmented by Erich Seibert’s wonderful musique-concrète/time-lapse sequences. The flashback circus sequence includes Scott Beach and Bill Irwin. Sculptors interviewed include Walt Zucker, Tony Puccio, Robert Sommer, Ron & Mary Bradden, and Bob Kaminsky.

Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis

April 2007 •English

In this entrancing documentary on performance artist, photographer and underground filmmaker Jack Smith, photographs and rare clips of Smith's performances and films punctuate interviews with artists, critics, friends and foes to create an engaging portrait of the artist. Widely known for his banned queer erotica film Flaming Creatures, Smith was an innovator and firebrand who influenced artists such as Andy Warhol and John Waters.

Let There Be Colour

August 2020 •Bosnian

On 8 September 2019 Sarajevo hosted its first Pride March, and this film covers its background.

Akademija the Republic

January 1995 •Serbian

Akademija Republika shows a group of people gathered around the club from 1981 until 1995 and how it changed and influenced the cultural and night life around them.

Saudade dos Leões

November 2021 •Portuguese

In the midst of a pandemic scenario, the festive culture of Fortaleza faces obstacles to remain resplendent, which takes us to Praça dos Leões. How is the Lions Cultural Bar? How to deal with the absence of new memories? How to deal with silence? Saudades dos Leões is a documentary that seeks to invoke the memory of this space and rescue moments of joy and cultural relevance in the lives of its audience, mostly LGBTQI+. Furthermore, it talks about its silence and how the lack of this symbolic space weighs on people's history.

El laberinto de las lunas

November 2019 •Spanish

A film about Karla Ojeda and Maira Ramírez, two transvestites going through adoption, and Gabriela Mansilla, mother of a trans girl. Their stories are intertwined with songs and poems by Susy Shock, a trans artist, poet and writer.

Piss Off X

February 2021 •English

A historic underground gay document. Shocking. Intimate. Taboo. A behind-the-scenes look at the performance art of a millennial artist who travels the world performing in public spaces using the medium of piss, video and the internet to break social norms.

Once Upon a Time in the Gay Village

November 2022 •French

Once upon a time in the Gay Village is a montage of photos and music telling the story of the founding of Le Parc de l’Espoir, the AIDS memorial park in the heart of Montreal’s Gay Village.

Alexander

November 2004 •English

Alexander, the King of Macedonia, leads his legions against the giant Persian Empire. After defeating the Persians, he leads his army across the then known world, venturing farther than any westerner had ever gone, all the way to India.

Parente

March 2011 •Portuguese

Three Colors and Other More

December 2018 •Portuguese

Serginho was one of the founding members of the historic Coligay fan club, the first fan club formed exclusively by homosexuals in the history of Brazilian soccer. Here, he tells a bit about his story and also about his relationship with Magia, one of the most recent seven-a-side soccer clubs in Brazil, formed only by homosexuals, who compete in championships and tournaments exclusively for LGBT's with the goal of bringing together a space of respect and welcoming amidst the still sexist and prejudiced scenario in soccer.

From Grey to PositHIVe

August 2020 •Spanish

Autobiographical documentary by Juan De La Mar. Join me to plant myself back to live.

The Dads

March 2023 •English

On a fishing trip with Matthew Shepard's father, five disparate dads discuss their love, hopes and fears for their trans kids in this short documentary.

Hollywood Rated 'R'

June 1997 •English

A roller-coaster ride through the history of American exploitation films, ranging from Roger Corman's sci-fi and horror monster movies, 1960s beach movies, H.G. Lewis' gore-fests, William Castle's schlocky theatrical gimmicks, to 1970s blaxploitation, pre-"Deep Throat" sex tease films, Russ Meyer's bosom-heavy masterpieces, etc, etc. Over 25 interviews of the greatest purveyors of weird films of all kind from 1940 to 1975. Illustrated with dozens of films clips, trailers, extra footage, etc. This documentary as a shorter companion piece focusing on exploitation king David F. Friedman.

The Fall

July 2016 •English

The Fall tells the remarkable story of a South African barefoot runner, an American track-and-field prodigy, and the events behind one of the most memorable moments in sporting history – the 1984 LA Olympics. The film charts two journeys, from rural South Africa under apartheid and the rolling hills of Southern California, to the starting line of the women’s 3,000 metres. It uncovers a tale of betrayal and exploitation, of the blurred lines between politics, media and sport, and of the dedication and sacrifice required to compete at the highest level. It’s a story that split governments and divided nations, but at its heart is a tale of two young women who, despite the turmoil in their lives, just wanted to run.

Taiwan: The Generation After Martial Law

January 1990 •Chinese

This program illustrates how video activists have developed sophisticated use of small format video, with poetic and powerful imagery, complex mixes of sounds and scores and an effective editing style that belies the urgency under which it is being made. The video movement in Taiwan has made successful use of home cassette distribution, via both mail and street vendors. The Green Team collective has pioneered in this effort with over 100 titles in distribution, documenting the struggles of farmers, students, workers and environmentalists.

STANDSinWATER

December 2022 •English

Standsinwater Sutherland is 2Spirit Cree living in Northern Ontario. Holding her eagle feather, she sits and tells her story: her quest to identity, how teachings learned along the way took her from the concrete jungle of Toronto back to her reservation and her commitment to help her community regain their culture and traditional ways.

Charlie Wilson's War

December 2007 •English

In the 1980s U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, Texas socialite Joanne Herring and CIA agent Gust Avrakotos form an unlikely alliance to boost funding for Afghan freedom fighters in their war against invading Soviets. The trio's successful efforts to finance these covert operations contributes to the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

Trans in Trumpland

February 2021 •English

A transgender Iranian-American embarks on a road trip to discover the everyday realities of being trans in conservative states across the United States. As he travels through some of the country’s most anti-trans states, he uncovers the struggles and triumphs that define being trans in America today.

Christopher Isherwood: A Born Foreigner

November 1969 •English

Documentary about author Christopher Isherwood, in which he is interviewed about his life and work and which features extracts from films of his novels and stories.