Fighting Real Life Hate and Fear

Three new documentaries look in depth at a drive to the outermost states to combat hate, travel to a dangerous foreign country seeking Olympic gold, and attempt to bring to light the real person behind the horrific headlines from the past.

  MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE

On October 7, 1998, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die because he was gay. Years later, Michele Josue, a close friend of Matt’s, revisits the shocking case with never-before-seen photos, rare video footage, as Matt’s all-too-brief life is remembered through the vivid testimonies of those whose lives he touched, from the friends and family who knew him best to the bartender who saw him on the night of the attack. This film does a great job in humanizing the “Matthew Shepard” of the news and breathing new life into an old story while touching on issues of homophobia and depression. You might think you know everything about Shepard, but this film helps you actually get to know the person behind the headlines.

Limited theatrical screenings nationwide. For a listing of where you can see this film go to mattshepardisafriendofmine.com/screenings.

TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE

In 2014 Russia had become, and still is, a place where gay people were publicly harassed, beaten, arrested, and sometimes tortured just for being out. That same year Russia hosted the Winter Olympics. Directed by Canadian filmmaker and activist Noam Gonick, TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE at first appears to center around outspoken U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir’s experience at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, but while Weir does narrate parts of the film, the real story comes from the other LBGT athletes and local Russian queer activists. Canadian speed skater Anastasia Bucsis, New Zealand speed skater Blake Skjellerup, Australian snowboarder Belle Brockhoff, along with Billie Jean King, Greg Louganis, and Mark Tewksbury share their experiences in Sochi. The real stars of this film though are the Russian activists such as 17-year-old gay teen Vlad who use the attention of the games to not only try to better their lives but even form their own mini Russian gay games.

Available on Epix, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.

FAGBUG NATION

In the 2009 film FAGBUG, Erin Davies’ VW Beetle was spray painted with the words “fag” and “U are gay” while at a pride event. Rather than be ashamed of what happened, she drove around with the word on her car for a year before getting it completely remodeled as the Fagbug, rainbow colored and covered in pride. The film FAGBUG was a queer film hit propelling Davies from a mild mannered art teacher to full blown gay rights activist, FAGBUG NATION picks up where the first film ended with the rainbow bug having been in all 48 contiguous states, and Davies beginning her trek to reach Hawaii and Alaska–which took 5 boats and 14 plane trips. While the first film centered mostly on Davies’ person story of growth into activism owning a hate crime and using it to meet and educate people nationwide, FAGBUG NATION wisely uses her travels as more of a framing device for powerful stories of people met along the journey. From casual conversations with people at gas stations who have no problem admitting their homophobia, to a visit to the Equality House, and to moving exploration of queer kids and bullying the Fagbug brings out stories and emotions in everyone who sees it.

Available at Amazon and iTunes.