Marc Smolowitz

Movies

Who I Am Not
Executive Producer
What makes a male, and what makes a female? Where do we draw the line, and does it really matter? Sharon-Rose Khumalo, a South African beauty queen, plunges into an identity crisis after finding out she is intersex. In her quest to deal with gender dysphoria, she needs the guidance of somebody just like her. The only person who will help is Dimakatso Sebidi, a masculine presenting intersex activist, who turns out to be her complete opposite. The two parallel but divergent stories offer an intimate look at the struggle of living in a male-female world, when you are both or neither. For the first time in a creative documentary, Who I Am Not gives a voice to the long ignored and mostly silent two percent of the world's population: the intersex community.
Being BeBe
Producer
The intimate journey and unpublished backstory of BeBe Zahara Benet – a charismatic drag performer originally from Cameroon, and the very first winner of the culture-changing phenomenon, RuPaul’s Drag Race. With over a decade of unprecedented access, we observe BeBe’s struggles with celebrity, authenticity, success, and failure.
Baloney
Producer
BALONEY tells the surprising story of San Francisco's beloved Gay All-Male Revue of the same name, which has been delighting audiences in recent years with live performances that lovingly investigate the larger milieu of gay and queer men's experience. BALONEY's co-creators, Michael and Rory, invite their collaborators and audiences to embrace the sexualized aspects of striptease and burlesque alongside a blend of fantasy, confession, and social commentary.
Los Hermanos/The Brothers
Consulting Producer
Virtuoso Afro-Cuban-born brothers—violinist Ilmar and pianist Aldo—live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm a half-century wide. Tracking their parallel lives in New York and Havana, their poignant reunion, and their momentous first performances together, Los Hermanos/The Brothers suggests what is possible when walls come down, and borders are crossed. A nuanced, intensely moving view of nations long estranged, through the lens of music and family. Featuring an electrifying, genre-bending score composed by Cuban Aldo López-Gavilán, performed with his American brother, Ilmar, with a guest appearance by violin maestro Joshua Bell and the Harlem Quartet.
Buried Above Ground
Producer
Over six years, BURIED ABOVE GROUND tells the stories of three Americans battling the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - an Iraq War veteran; a Hurricane Katrina evacuee; and a child abuse and domestic violence survivor.
Brave Spaces: Perspectives on Faith and LGBT Justice
Director
Interviews and perspectives examining the conditions of intersectional justice from 20 leading faith and community leaders.
Keep the Promise: The Global Fight Against AIDS
Director
Narrated by Margaret Cho, "Keep The Promise: The Global Fight Against AIDS" profiles advocates from around the world who attended the "Keep The Promise Rally & March," that unfolded in Washington, DC during July 2012 as part of AIDS Healthcare Foundation's lively presence at the 19th International AIDS Conference. A dynamic stage show, rally, and march punctuate powerful personal stories of people from all walks of life who have been impacted and affected by HIV/AIDS and have decided to continue the global fight to end the AIDS Crisis.
The Power of Two
Director
A story of twin sisters, two cultures, and two new chances at life. Inspired by their 2007 memoir, “The Power Of Two” offers an intimate portrayal of the bond between half-Japanese twin sisters Anabel Stenzel and Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, their battle with the fatal genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF) and miraculous survival through double lung transplants.
Still Around
Director
A feature length short film compilation that portrays 15 people living with HIV/AIDS from the San Francisco Bay Area. 16 well known local filmmakers collaborated with 15 protagonists to create 15 pieces that run from verite doc to experimental film, dance video, spoken words piece to straight forward doc weaving a diverse slate of stories into one powerful video aids quilt of our times.
Joggernaught
Director of Photography
A queer video-diary following the ruminations of a confused twenty-nothing as he retreats from his urban woes to the pastoral jogging trails of his bucolic motherland.
Dope Queens
Consulting Producer
A fluorescent, action-packed romantic thriller where three undeniably remarkable friends move to San Francisco after meeting in protective custody. Despite being free, as a chosen family they find themselves locked in a prison of their own making.