Enlightening Documentaries

In Hawaiian there is a word called Mahu, which means the middle. It is the middle between a man a woman. Not neither man nor woman, but both man and woman. That is Kumu Hina, or Teacher Hina. During a momentous year in her life in Honolulu, Hina Wong-Kalu, a native Hawaiian Mahu, uses traditional culture to inspire a student to claim her place as leader of the school’s all-male hula troupe. But despite her success as a teacher, Hina longs for love and a committed relationship. Will her marriage to a headstrong (and jealous) Tongan man fulfill her dreams? Kumu Hina reveals a side of Hawaii rarely seen.

Tulsa, Oklahoma is a city in the midst of the US’s Bible Belt with almost 400,000 inhabitants, over 4,000 churches and just one gay and lesbian youth centre. This is the meeting place for Larissa, Ben, D and other youths who, because of their decision to live gay, lesbian and transgender lives, are either not accepted or, on the contrary, have received strong support and unconditional love from their families. They try to find their gender identities, love and be loved in an environment pervaded by religious fundamentalism.

In the 70s and 80s, Chuck Holmes’ Falcon Studios was synonymous with gay pornography. Chuck begins his career in San Francisco in 1971 when most gay men are still in the closet. By bursting out of the closet and pushing sex all the way to the forefront, he quickly gains attention. Vice squads and the FBI find their way to his door, and fellow porn makers land in prison, but he fights on. As his wealth grows, he turns his attention to gay rights. He soon finds out, however, that with Falcon and gay sex behind his name, where his money is welcome, he often is not.