PRIDE & Equality - PRIDE 2016: P&E Picks

The Benefits of Gusbandry
Being labeled as the “more honest Will & Grace”, The Benefits of Gusbandry is becoming a new refreshing show. Inspired by real-life relationships with Portland, Oregon-based creator Alicia J. Rose’s own “Gusbands” (a.k.a: gay best friends), The Benefits of Gusbandry centers around best friends Jackie, played by Brooke Totman (MADtv, The Groundlings) and River, played by Kurt Conroyd (Birds of Neptune, Fox Searchlight’s Wild) - two one-of-a-kind characters approaching 40 and follows them as they find something special in one another, navigating the modern world with a no-punches-pulled and occasionally filthy comedic purview, finding true love in a most unexpectedly platonic way. Seeing the importance of this show, creator Alicia J. Rose has also set up a Patreon funding site to help support the series and keep it free: https://www.patreon.com/Gusbandry
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Out of Iraq
Out of Iraq is a love story of an Iraqi soldier and an Iraqi translator, both​ working with the US military and set in a war​-​torn country where their love is banned.
Ramadi in 2004 was one of the most dangerous places​ in the world and the last place one might expect to find love, but that’s what happened when Nayyef (translator) met Btoo (Iraqi soldier). Despite the war and the dangers of being gay in Iraq, their relationship blossomed until Nayyef had to flee the country for his safety in 2009.  Their separation marks the beginning of the most harrowing chapter of their love story and touches on some of the most pressing humanitarian issues still relevant today.
Out of Iraq is a World of Wonder film produced by Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato; produced by Eva Orner and Chris McKim; co-Directed by Academy Award-winner Eva Orner (“Taxi to the Dark Side”) and Chris McKim, and co-Produced by Aaron Butler.
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Kiki
Ball Culture is alive and well in this vivid documentary picking up where Paris is Burning left off. Kiki is an American-Swedish co-produced documentary film, released in 2016 directed by Sara Jordenö. The film profiles several young LGBT people of color participating in contemporary LGBT African American ball culture.
Even though Kiki is compared to Paris, the movie stands on its own. In this film collaboration between Kiki gatekeeper, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and Swedish filmmaker Sara Jordenö, viewers are granted exclusive access to this high-stakes world, where fierce Ballroom competitions serve as a gateway into conversations surrounding Black and Trans-Lives Matter movements. This new generation of Ballroom youth use the motto, “Not About Us Without Us,” and KIKI in kind has been made with extensive support and trust from the community, including an exhilarating score by renowned Ballroom and Voguing Producer Collective Qween Beat. Twiggy and Sara’s insider-outsider approach to their stories breathes fresh life into the representation of a marginalized community who demand visibility and real political power.