Joe Balass

Birth : , Baghdad, Iraq

Movies

The Affairs of Lidia
Producer
In this erotic comedy set in the world of fashion, Lidia discovers that her boxer husband has an affair with a photographer, and so she astutely plots her revenge.
Venus
Producer
When Sid comes out as a woman, a 14 year old boy named RALPH literally shows up at her door announcing that Sid is his dad. Ralph is surprised to discover that his father is now a woman, but thinks having a transgender dad is pretty cool. But Ralph hasn't told his mother and step dad that he’s tracked down his biological father. And then there is Sid’s boyfriend DANIEL, who has yet to tell his family of his relationship with Sid. Daniel is nowhere near ready to accept Ralph as a step son and complicate his life further. Sid’s coming out has a snowball effect that forces everyone out of the closet and become real. What happens when gender, generations and cultures collide to create a truly modern family?
Joy! Portrait of a Nun
Director
Spiritual sanctuary, sex, sisterhood and a gathering of faeries. A bearded nun. Through an intimate lens, this feature documentary takes us on a journey with Sister Missionary P. Delight, one of the founders of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. In 1979, Mish, as he is affectionately known by his friends, created an Order of gay male nuns to promote a philosophy of promulgating universal joy and expiating guilt. Both he and the Order have come a long way since then. Today, the Sisters are spread out across the globe, and Mish lives in the middle of the woods of the Deep South, in a community of Radical Faeries. JOY! follows Mish and his community over a seven year period, along the way we discover the history of the movement and the highs and lows of his own personal journey.
Baghdad Twist
Director
A visual memoir of one family's life in Iraq before escaping to a new home in Canada in the fall of 1970. Featuring a never-before-seen collection of archival images, home movies, and family photographs from Baghdad, the film pulls back the curtain on Iraq's once-thriving Jewish community, its perilous final years, and its remarkable ability to find solace in the shadow of fear.
The Devil in the Holy Water
Director
In 2000, the Vatican prepares to hold its first Jubilee year in 50 years, a celebration of the Catholic faith. Meanwhile, gay rights organizers prepare for a simultaneous parade in Rome -- alarming the church, which views the event as a threat. Documentarian Joe Balass interviews activists on both sides as preparations for the dual festivities advance. When Rome's mayor, Francesco Rutelli, withdraws his support for the gay event, the organizers worry their parade will be derailed.
Nana, George and Me
Director
What do you get when you ask your 92-year old devout Jewish Nana and a 72-year old gay stranger questions you've only dared to dream of?