FILMS
UNIDAD: Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos
Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU) was founded in 1981, only a dozen years after the Stonewall Rebellion and only a couple of years before the HIV/AIDS pandemic began to ravage LGBTQ communities. GLLU was the greater Los Angeles area’s first major Queer Latin@ organization, and the film chronicles events surrounding GLLU at a pivotal time in the history of LGBTQ equality, women’s rights, and civil rights movements that shaped the destinies of GLLU’s impact on various communities for decades to come.
The film features interviews with GLLU founders and members, as well as archival footage from GLLU’s early years. The film also explores the impact of GLLU on the greater Los Angeles LGBTQ community, as well as the national and international LGBTQ movement.
L.A.: A Queer History
“L.A.: A Queer History”, is a documentary film that tells the story of LGBTQ+ people in Los Angeles. The film explores the history of the LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles, from the early days of the city to the present day. The film features interviews with LGBTQ+ people from all walks of life, including activists, artists, and politicians. Winner of the MIPCOM Diversify Award, Cannes FR, 54th Public Media Awards (NETA/PBS), Finalist for Los Angeles Press Club in two categories.
L.A.: A Queer History - Most consider the NY Stonewall Riots of 1969 to be the birth of the Gay civil rights movement. But there have been activists, artists, and innovators in L.A. since the turn of the 20th century. L.A. A Queer History is an educational, exciting, and emotional epic saga spanning nearly a century featuring artists, scholars, and first-hand accounts from LGBTQ elders who lived it.
L.A.: A Queer History By Episode
Culture & Criminalization (#101)
From artists who helped shape early Hollywood to the male/female impersonators in the "pansy clubs", early Hollywood becomes a Queer destination for people wanting a new life. Early LGBTQ culture and community begins to take shape just as the post-WWII era sparks widespread criminalization.Protests & Parades (#102)
Despite adversity, gay and lesbian organizing begins. Publications, protests, and uprisings spring up, leading to the country's first Pride Parade, LGBTQ Social Services, the first "Gay City" and an eventual national Civil Rights Movement.
L.A.: A Queer History available on PBS Streaming - Broadcast for June Pride Month on PBS SoCal & KCET
Nelly Queen:
The Life & Times of Jose Sarria
Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of Jose Sarria is a documentary film that chronicles the life and times of Jose Sarria, the first openly gay person to run for public office in the United States. Sarria was a drag queen, activist, and singer who was born in 1923 in San Francisco. He began performing in drag in the early 1950s, and in 1961 he ran for city supervisor in San Francisco. Sarria lost the election, but he gained national attention for his campaign and became a symbol of the early gay rights movement. He continued to be active in the LGBTQ+ community for many years, and he died in 2016 at the age of 93.
The film features interviews with Sarria's friends, family, and colleagues, as well as archival footage from his life and career. The film also explores the impact that Sarria had on the LGBTQ+ community and the gay rights movement.
Status: Film festival screenings
The Baby Cries
The Baby Cries - Marco is going to all lengths to unite his protective husband David, his estranged conservative parents, and his newborn daughter in a "dramedy" about love, faith, and devotion.
Status: Series in development as of May 2023
Jeanne Cordova: Butches, Lies & Feminism
Winner of several film festival awards including the GRAND JURY PRIZE at OUTFEST 2017 for BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT, this film creatively employs the few surviving archival interviews to illuminate a forthright, outspoken, dynamic, feminist, old-school butch who was unstoppable in her quest for equality & fairness for lesbians, women, and the queer community.
Gay Lay Latino Los Angeles: Coming Of Age
"Gay Lay Latino Los Angeles: Coming Of Age" - Three young Latino men come of age in Los Angeles, struggling with their sexuality, identity, and place in the world.
The film follows the stories of three young men:
Alex is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who is trying to make a life for himself in Los Angeles.
Brian is a Salvadoran activist who is struggling with his sexuality and his family's expectations.
Carlos is a Mexican American from South Central Los Angeles who is trying to escape gang life.
As the film progresses, the three men come to terms with their sexuality and identity. They also learn to embrace their culture and heritage. The film is a powerful and moving story of coming of age in the modern world. The film is interlaced with powerful visuals around Los Angeles, representing the film's themes of identity, culture, and spirituality, taking a deeper dive into the fluid and graceful, and beauty and strength of the Latino community. The film is a powerful and moving story of coming of age in the modern world. It is a story of hope, resilience, and the power of the human spirit.