Independent Movies

2 Beetches: Jill-Michele Meleán & Jenica Bergere

2 Beetches: Jill-Michele Meleán & Jenica Bergere

Independent

2 Beetches is a high-energy, no-filter comedy special starring longtime friends and stand-up powerhouses Jenica Bergere and Jill-Michele Meleán. With decades of experience on stage and in life, these two bring their wildly different worlds together for raw, unfiltered hilarity. Jenica, a mother of three with a chef husband, juggles the chaos of family life while trying to maintain her sanity. Meanwhile, Jilly, a single White Latina and recovering Catholic, navigates the absurdity of dating, societal expectations, and figuring out what life’s supposed to be about when there’s no roadmap (or confessional). From the insanity of pandemics to the unconditional love (and attitude) of dogs, the inevitability of death, the unpredictability of love, and the unbreakable bond of friendship, 2 Beetches is a fast-paced, brutally honest, and ridiculously funny celebration of the beautiful mess that is life.

Conversion (2024)

Conversion (2024)

Independent

A story by survivors, “Conversion” takes us on a personal and cinematic journey as a filmmaker, an ex-mormon mom, and a famous drag queen unite to overcome the mental and physical impacts of enduring conversion “therapy”. When filmmaker Zach Meiners discovered that his former conversion “therapist” was still active, he began an endeavor to amplify and empower the voices of survivors, and expose the secretive and often deadly industry. With interviews from doctors, experts, and the founder of one of the most expansive conversion “therapy” networks in the US, “Conversion” is a thought provoking insight into a dangerous underground industry that is constantly rebranding, adapting and growing to this day. Ultimately a film about strength and hope, “Conversion” aims to give a voice to survivors of conversion “therapy,” who are often left out of the conversation, and speak to the next generation who may not have a voice, choice or pathway out of the trauma being inflicted on them.

Les Nôtres

Les Nôtres

Independent

To the tight-knit community of Sainte-Adeline, Quebec, Magalie appears as a normal suburban high school sophomore surrounded by friends. But this popular teenage girl is harboring a shocking secret: she’s pregnant. When Magalie refuses to identify the father, suspicions among the townsfolk come to a boiling point and the layers of a carefully maintained social varnish eventually crack.

Circus Without Borders

Circus Without Borders

Independent

One is from a remote Inuit community in the Arctic Tundra. The other is from the bustling but poverty-stricken capital of Guinea, West Africa. But Guillaume Saladin and Yamoussa Bangoura share a dream, to take circus to the youth in their communities. Filmed between two locations at the opposite ends of the world, Circus Without Borders introduces two figures committed to change, with the talent to achieve it.

Welcome to the Machine

Welcome to the Machine

Independent

After three years of trying to have a child, filmmaker Avi Zev Weider and his wife Alexandra tried IVF and immediately became pregnant, with triplets.In grappling with this life-changing experience, it was evident that technology was having a real effect on Avi’s life; his babies were conceived via a technical process, born in a high-tech neo-natal intensive care unit and kept alive inside a series of machines. In short, Avi’s children came into this world and were made viable thanks to technology. But beyond that, the way in which Avi found himself relating to his newborn children, even this was colored by a relationship to technology. And so, much bigger questions, ones difficult to even formulate, loomed large as the triplets came home.In seeking to clarify these questions, and deal with his new and difficult reality, the filmmaker engages futurists, scientists, scholars, anti-technology advocates and even Ted Kaczynski, aka the ‘Unabomber,’ to uncover a big-picture view of our ongoing relationship to technology. These interviews explore issues like: What is the origin of technology?Is technology ‘neutral’ or does is have an ‘intent?’In a world of high technology, what is the value of living things?Intertwined with these interviews are two stories that explore how technology is literally changing our worldviews and physical reach. In one, the audience gets up close to US Army pilots training to remotely command unmanned aerial vehicles - ‘drones’ – by sitting for long stretches inside a machine. In the second story we meet Dean Lloyd, who at age 68, is one of only a handful of people implanted with the Argus II artificial retina. Blinded at age 24, Dean now has a microchip directly attached to his optic nerve and can once again ‘see’ the world with the help of a machine inside of him.Continually circling back to his own story, the filmmaker leads the audience through what is, in essence, a ‘theological’ discussion of technology. Using his own life as a focal point, Avi Zev Weider weaves 'Welcome to The Machine' into an experience that begins as an abstract intellectual discussion about technology, but ends up being a very human and emotional journey for himself as well as the audience.

Stay Then Go

Stay Then Go

Independent

As STAY THEN GO begins, Marion (Janel Maloney, “The West Wing”) awaits her only son Eddie (rising British star Matt Kane, THE LAST OF ROBIN HOOD) in the Emergency Room after a rollerblading tumble. Marion has always taken charge with Eddie, been there to protect him no matter what. But today, as a series of unusual events keep her frustratingly isolated from him, she is left alone to try to comprehend the twists and turns that brought her to this juncture. Once Marion had been a young mother, in love with her husband Dick (Nicholas Baird, “Body of Proof”). But when Eddie received the dismaying diagnosis of autism, Marion’s life suddenly veered in an unimagined direction. Determined to give her son the best possible chance, Marion transformed herself into a kind of 24-7 guide and interpreter for Eddie, mapping out step-by-step instructions for him to approach this beautiful, dangerous, and mysterious world and its routines that seemed to elude him. Unremitting, even obsessive, in her commitment to Eddie, who needed her so fully, she sacrificed almost everything else – her career, ultimately her marriage, and at times it seemed her every waking moment. But just as it seemed Eddie was finally turning a corner – becoming an artistically perceptive teenager grasping in his own way for independence – a sudden incident changed everything for mother and son. Now, as Marion waits in anxious limbo for Eddie, she begins to see that she is the one who has to make the next move and reconcile with the unpredictable future.

Cupcakes

Cupcakes

Independent

From Eytan Fox the director of YOSSI, comes this extravagant and unashamedly entertaining Eurovision parody featuring a feel-good soundtrack provided by Babydaddy from the Scissor Sisters. Set in contemporary Tel Aviv, six diverse best friends gather to watch the wildly popular UniverSong competition. Appalled by the Israeli entry, they decide to create their own and record it on a mobile phone. Unbeknownst to them, their performance is seen by the UniverSong judges and selected as Israel's entry for next year's competition. With bright, Almodóvar-esque styling, irresistibly catchy tunes and a gloriously uplifting storyline, this laugh-out-loud comedy is a refreshing ode to music, friendship and romance.

Wild Men

Wild Men

Independent

The inept cast and crew of a surprise hit reality-TV show travel deep into the Adirondack mountains for their second season to find proof that Bigfoot exists. Any remaining skepticism they have is ripped to pieces.

Tangled 8

Tangled 8

Independent

Originally conceived as a single short film, director John E. Seymore re-imagined the piece as an anthology feature, based partly on the musical concept of variations on a theme. The script remains largely the same, but the action, visualization, situation and sound vary greatly with each new vignette. Finally, Tangled 8 is a film about film. It pays homage to John Ford, Woody Allen, Peter Greenaway and other filmmakers who have created the visual and thematic language of modern cinema.

Jim Gaffigan: Obsessed

Jim Gaffigan: Obsessed

Independent

Jim Gaffigan bursts back on the scene with this eagerly anticipated fourth comedy special. Dubbed the "King of Clean Comedy" by The Wall Street Journal, Jim’s obsession with all things food comes to fruition on "Obsessed", as he tackles a cornucopia of new food topics from fruit to seafood to donuts. Get ready for non-stop laughs at Jim’s twisted-yet-enlightened observations on the seemingly mundane topics that have made him a fixture in the comedy world for audiences of all ages.

Sunny in the Dark

Sunny in the Dark

Independent

Jonah Bock, a marriage and family therapist, moves into a new exclusive loft only to find that he is not the only person living in the same space. Homeless Sunny, living in the crawlspace above him, watches his every move in order to survive.

Baldknobber

Baldknobber

Independent

The true story of an 1880s vigilante group and their efforts to thwart the lawlessness following the end of the Civil War.

Saturday Night at the Baths

Saturday Night at the Baths

Independent

Newly restored in high definition, David Buckley's landmark excursion into bisexuality, 70s relationship politics, and the historical importance of gay bathhouse culture is celebrated in his 1975 film Saturday Night at the Baths. When struggling pianist Michael (Robert Aberdeen) lands a job at the legendary Continental Baths in NYC, his wife Tracy (Ellen Sheppard) encourages him, even emphasizes how special this institution is. Michael however struggles with his own homophobia yet at the same time starts developing feelings for his confident and sexually free co-worker Scotti (Don Scotti). Shot on-location inside the famous Continental Baths and featuring an unforgettable 12-minute scene of the actual entertainment, both musical and sensual alike, Saturday Night at the Baths is a sublime example of the compelling and sensual queer cinema of one of the most groundbreaking periods in gay and bisexual film history.

Kept Boy

Kept Boy

Independent

Interior designer/reality show star Farleigh Knock has a knack for keeping beautiful things around his home -- like Dennis. So when Fairleigh gives him an ultimatum for his 30th birthday to get a job or get out, Dennis goes from Kept Boy to Lost Man. Based on a novel by Robert Rodi, who specializes in gay satires on queer archetypes, George Bamber directs this dark gay comedy that shows life with a sugar daddy is bittersweet and poses the question, what is love and what is the price to keep it?