Pride in Cinema

MARIN COUNTY SPECIAL SCREENING + Q&A
IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SPAHR CENTER

Website: thespahrcenter.org

In-Person Guest Speakers:
Janna Barkins. The Spahr Center’s Family Programs Manager
Dominic Lauren, The Spahr Center

Did you know there are more than 32,000 mothers in America — many from conservative, Christian backgrounds — who fully accept their LGBTQ+ children?

Spread across the country but connected through private Facebook groups, they call themselves “mama bears” because while their love is warm and fuzzy, they fight ferociously to make the world kinder and safer for all LGBTQ+ people. Although some may have grown up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians, mama bears are willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to keep their offspring safe—even if it challenges their belief systems and rips their worlds apart.

MAMA BEARS is an intimate, thought-provoking exploration of the journeys taken by Sara Cunningham and Kimberly Shappley, two “mama bears” —whose profound love for their LGBTQ children has turned them into fierce advocates for the entire queer community — and Tammi Terrell Morris, a young African American lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance perfectly exemplifies why the mama bears are so vitally important.

“If all you know about Voguing comes from Madonna, this spirited and heartbreaking documentary from first-time filmmaker Jennie Livingston will be an eyeopener.”
– Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“Wildly entertaining, deeply humanitarian and fundamentally educational.”
– Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times

Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag ball scene. Made over seven years, Paris Is Burning offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion “houses,” from fierce contests for trophies, to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia and transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women—including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza—Paris Is Burning brings it, celebrating the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community..

“What makes BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER so emotionally affecting is that despite the cotton-candy exterior, the film never lets its audience forget that these are people undergoing a traumatic experience.”
– Anne Cohen, Refinery29

“A plea for tolerance which embraces the need for self-expression, and the idiocy of denying it.”
– Michael Thomson, BBC.com

This whimsically edgy comedy follows teenager Megan (Natasha Lyonne), whose suburban existence filled with friends, cheerleading, and all-American fun is upended when her straight-laced parents suspect she may be a lesbian.

In a panic, they send her to True Directions, a “rehabilitation” camp run by the strict and prudish Mary (Cathy Moriarty), to mount an intervention led by counselor Mike (RuPaul Charles). Megan dutifully follows the program — until she develops feelings for another camper in this timeless, satirical romantic-comedy about self-acceptance and love, costarring Michelle Williams, Clea DuVall, and Julie Delpy.

“It is funny and compassionate, silly and sweet.”
– Clifford Terry, Chicago Tribune

“It’s a road movie that’s anything but typical or traditional.”
– James Berardinelli, ReelViews

“The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert presents a defiant culture clash in generous, warmly entertaining ways. For all its glitter, this is the sort of film in which everyone becomes happier and nicer by the final reel.”
– Janet Maslin, New York Times

When drag queen Anthony (Hugo Weaving) agrees to take his act on the road, he invites fellow drag performer Adam (Guy Pearce) and trans woman Bernadette (Terence Stamp) to come along. In their colorful bus, named Priscilla, the three performers travel across the Australian desert performing for enthusiastic crowds and homophobic locals. But when the other two performers learn the truth about why Anthony took the job, it threatens their act and their friendship.