Viva Ruiz invites transgender AIDS activist, artist, and beloved friend Chloe Dzubilo (1960–2011) to speak via never before seen Hi-8 footage filmed by Chloe's then-partner Kelly McGowan in the 1990s. The process triangulates mother (Chloe), lover (Kelly), and child (Viva) in a deliberate ritual to uplift the spirit and legacy of an ancestral teacher. Through artifacts from the moment when video first became accessible and before mobile phone cameras became ubiquitous, we witness Chloe declare herself and her sisters as leaders in art, advocacy and culture for evermore. Commissioned by Visual AIDS in 2019 as part of STILL BEGINNING, a program of seven short videos responding to the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic.
New York, post 9/11: Armed with a home video camera and no script, the director delves into the private lives of four women artists and transgender activists from the city’s underground subculture, filming their lives over a period of 10 years. Little by little, their testimonies reveal fragments of their pasts, their experiences and their struggles for an identity of their own. A series of revelations transform the viewer from feeling like an intruder to being invested in their destinies.
Gang Girls 2000 neatly parodies the tough girl roughie genre of the 60's and 70's. When a legendary Brooklyn gang, the Sluts, invade their turf, the Lower East Side Glitter Girls are hell-bent for revenge. But a clandestine visit to Chinatown for supplies runs them afoul of the Blades. Next thing they know, things escalate into an all-out rumble at Coney Island!
Sitter
Complete strangers meet in a room to act out their sexual desires.
Self
The three-decade-old annual Manhattan gathering of drag queens and their fans is portrayed in this colorful documentary. The film concentrates on the spectacle of the event, providing abundant examples of the elaborate costumes, flamboyant wigs, and campy musical performances that characterize the event.
