T’Aint Nobody’s Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s
D. Robert Philipson
2011 / USA / 29min
English
This doc explores the hidden sexualities of black Blues divas who reigned over the nascent blues recording industries of the 20s. Unlike the male-dominated jazz scene, early blues provided a space for women to take the lead and model an autonomy remarkable for women of any colour or sexual orientation at the time. The fact that some of these women, still famous 90 years later, successfully conducted same-sex relations with friends and working partners is a tribute to their independent spirit and a marker of the relaxed mores that shaped the world of Black entertainment.
Billy & Aaron
D. Rodney Evans
/USA-Netherlands/10min
English
Renowned composer Billy “Sweet Pea” Strayhorn, and the personal and professional consequences of his decisions to live an an openly gay man within the hyper-masculine African-American jazz milieu of the 1940s, are revealed in this film.
Change
D. Melissa Osborne & Jeff McCutcheon
2010/USA/25min
English
An African-American teenager is caught in a personal conflict on the night Obama is elected president and Proposition 8 is passed.
Free Man
D. Kathryn Rotondi
2011 / USA / 15min
English
When Charlie, Michael's partner of thirteen years, dies unexpectedly, Michael is forced to plan - with his estranged mother-in-law, Celine - his partner's funeral. Michael ultimately finds himself embroiled in a power struggle. While he dissolves into grief, Celine turns to the legal system, stripping Michael of Charlie's burial rights. Michael must use music and the power of _his union with Charlie to mourn his dead lover.
A Dream
D. Francesca Nocera
2011 / Canada / Jamaica
English
The story of meeting your soul mate in a dream and waking up to find your soul mate in reality.
