British Documentary: World Congress Of Families And NOM Are Fomenting Anti-Gay Violence Across Africa

Last night Britain's Channel 4 aired Hunted: Gay And Afraid, which points to US-based Christian groups such as the World Congress Of Families and NOM as fomenting anti-LGBT violence across Africa. The Independent reviews:

MacKean's film focused not on the victims but on the "villains", specifically the World Congress of Families, an organisation which, though based in the US, has tentacles stretching into Europe, Africa and beyond. View footage of any high-level meeting to draft draconian, homophobic legislation, anywhere in the world, and it seems you'll find a WCF member or affiliate lurking in the corner of the frame. Figures such as the WCF managing director, Pastor Larry Jacobs, and Brian Brown, president of the National Organisation for Marriage, were tracked down by MacKean and confronted with the accusation that the effect of their lobbying can be to legitimise violence. This isn't news to viewers of the above-mentioned documentaries. It was striking to note how the same lobbying tactics have been replicated from country to country: First, select a biddable local politician as a frontman, then falsely conflate homosexuality with child abuse, spuriously blame gay people for public health issues and repeat as necessary.

Earlier this week the World Congress of Families issued a press release denouncing the show:

The documentary-produced by the British TV current affairs documentary series, "Dispatches" -claims to "expose the backlash against gay rights and to shed light on WCF." From its early promotional material, it appears that the documentary is filled with misinformation, intentional or otherwise, thus failing to acknowledge that WCF is not a lobbying group and has never advocated for laws that would harm, harass, or disparage those choosing an LGBT lifestyle. WCF does, however, support policies and legislation that strengthen the welfare of the natural family and protects human rights for all consistent with The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  "Reputable journalists and documentarians strive to present the truth. We ask that the producers of this documentary get correct information and not tarnish their reputation by airing falsehoods about our organization for the sole purpose of promoting a particular agenda," said Janice Shaw Crouse, a member of the Board of Directors of WCF and Executive Director of the World Congress on Families IX. "At the very least, they should seek comment or reaction from official representatives of WCF about the information they have collected."

The press release goes on to blame the SPLC and the HRC for promulgating "negative and unwarranted attacks" against them. The WCF has also issued a lengthy "Call For Civil Dialogue" which purports to contradict the charges against them. See that message, but read it carefully and you'll see that the WCF basically admits most of the claims made by the SPLC and HRC.

VIDEO: The full Channel 4 documentary has been posted online, but I'm unable to make to video player work at this writing.

RELATED: Last September Brian Brown and representatives from the World Congress of Families attended a Kremlin summit which concluded with a formal written call for more nations to enact brutal anti-LGBT laws.

TRAILER: History In The Making

Clip recap:

This feature-length documentary, History In The Making: The Marriage Equality New York Archives 2007-2015, follows an all-grassroots organization, Marriage Equality New York (or MENY) from the NYC streets to Albany and eventually to the Supreme Court. Directed & edited by Fred Anguera. Filmed by Cristina Wolff, Rob Martin, Reed Davis, Fred Anguera, Emmanuel Migrino, Carmine Nicholas Tzavis. Appearances by Cathy Marino-Thomas, Edie Windsor, Brendan Fay, Margaret Cho, Maggie Gallagher, Sen. Thomas Duane, Christine Quinn, Danny O'Donnell, Candy Samples, Gilbert Baker, Chic, Ann Northrop, Gov. David Paterson, Sassy, Ron Zacchi, Fred Anguera, Sheila & Jackie Marino-Thomas, Cynthia Nixon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Kate & Darcy Tuscano and more.

Get tickets to the screening.

Trailer: Matt Shepard Is A Friend Of Mine

Premiering Monday on Logo at 9PM.

TRAILER: White People

Judging by the highest-rated comments at YouTube, the wingnuts are very upset about this movie.

TRAILER: Larry Kramer In Love & Anger

Kramer tells TIME: "I don’t regret anything I’ve done or said. No matter what you say, some people are going to like it and some people aren’t. So it hasn’t shut me up at all. Inside I’m just as tempestuous."  The documentary debuts on June 29th at 9PM. Set the DVR now.

Yahoo News Documentary: Uniquely Nasty: The US Government's War On Gays

Via press release:

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to rule on same-sex marriage, Yahoo News presents a new 30-minute documentary, “Uniquely Nasty: The U.S. Government’s War on Gays,” reported and narrated by chief investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff. The film explores a dark and little-known chapter in America’s recent political past, when gays and lesbians were barred from working for the federal government and the FBI, through its“sex deviates” program, secretly collected hundreds of thousands of files on the sex lives of American citizens. “Uniquely Nasty” includes never-before-seen government memos by legendary FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (read by George Takei) and John Steele, a top lawyer for the U.S. Civil Service Commission (read by Matt Bomer) asserting that gays were “not suitable” for federal employment. “Uniquely Nasty” is divided into three chapters.

The beginning of the film deals with George W. Bush.

Fame Or Shame: A Short Documentary About Harlem Hate Pastor James Manning

TRAILER: Desert Migration

About the documentary:

The spotlight shining on the fight against HIV has dimmed in recent years. The virus itself has been downgraded to a ‘chronic condition’. The elderly are, to a certain extent, shuffled into a corner. Aging people with HIV even more so, ignored and forgotten. But they are a reminder not to be complacent. A reminder that HIV is still a big deal. It’s not a case of just taking a few pills and you’ll be fine. These survivors are a reminder of that, but they are also a testament to strength, resilience, and endurance. Using these individuals, "Desert Migration" discusses subjects that relate to us all; HIV positive or negative, young or old. How do we approach our own aging, and the notion of mortality? What gives us the will to create, to achieve, and even to live at all, as our minds and bodies deteriorate? How resilient is the the human spirit?

TRAILER: Do I Sound Gay?

TRAILER: Batkid Begins

TRAILER: Being Canadian

Now playing on VOD.

TRAILER: What Happened, Miss Simone?

TRAILER: Folsom Forever

Clip recap:

In 1984, a scrappy little neighborhood in San Francisco – home to many low-income tenants and the heart of the gay male leather scene – faced destruction from the bulldozers of redevelopment and the AIDS crisis. The Folsom Street Fair was started to call attention to gentrification and raise money for AIDS charities. Folsom Forever tells the story of how this small street fair grew into the biggest outdoor kink and fetish event in the world, and managed to do a lot of good along the way. Coming to DVD and VOD June 9, 2015.

Possibly not work-friendly.

TRAILER: A Sinner In Mecca

Plot recap:

For a gay filmmaker, filming in Saudi Arabia presents two serious challenges: filming is forbidden in the country and homosexuality is punishable by death. For filmmaker Parvez Sharma, however, these were risks he had to assume as he embarked on his Hajj pilgrimage, a journey considered the greatest accomplishment and aspiration within Islam, his religion. He brings back the story of the religion like it has never been told before, having endured the biggest Jihad there is: the struggle with the self.

An interview with the director is here. The film's world premiere will be on Wednesday at Toronto's Hot Docs Film Festival.

(Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

TRAILER: Tab Hunter Confidential

The documentary is making its debut at SXSW and Hunter, 83, spoke to Yahoo about his love affair with late actor Anthony Perkins:

Tony was a very fine young actor, and I respected him tremendously. He was just a very intelligent man. Everybody hopefully makes the right choices in life, and he made the choice to marry this wonderful woman [photographer and actress Berry Berenson] and they had two lovely children. And I respect him tremendously for having done that, because I’m sure it was a very difficult decision for him. But it’s something that he wanted to do. And people should not sit in judgment in any way, shape or form of another human being. Unfortunately, in our society today, so often people don’t want to hear the positive, they only want to hear the negative. I just push that aside. I don’t want to hear that. [People are] too quick to condemn.

(Tipped by JMG reader Chris)

TRAILER: I Am Santa Claus

Catholic League blowhard Bill Donohue is very angry about this documentary.

CNN executives are very excited that one of their own, Morgan Spurlock, is the man behind “I Am Santa Claus.” To prove how happy they are, they are flagging a supremely positive article about the flick by one of their online columnists, John D. Sutter. The source of their ebullience has nothing to do with the artistic quality of the documentary: it has everything to do with Santa’s homosexuality. They like that a lot. How do we know that Santa is a homosexual? Not by his dress—he looks like a regular Santa. It’s by his behavior: he likes to kiss men and boasts about his job working in a strip joint. Reference is made, of course, to male genitilia [sic]. But at least Santa is prudent: he points to a sign above a food station that warns homosexuals to keep their pants on. This reminds me of San Francisco where homosexuals are told to put a towel below their bottom before sitting down in a restaurant. Warning signs are a thoughtful, if regrettable, gesture. We will know the day when homosexuals are just like the rest of us when they stop stereotyping themselves. Until then, play it safe and “make the yuletide” straight.

TRAILER: Banksy Does New York

Debuting on HBO tomorrow night.

Over the course of a month-long residency in New York, Banksy and his team took to the streets – secretly creating a variety of public work ranging from elaborate conceptual stunts to traditional graffiti art. Constructed under the dark of night, each new piece was then announced daily on his #BANKSYNY Instagram account and chronicled on his pop-up website creating a community wide scavenger hunt. Constantly evading a citywide search by the NYPD, Banksy’s work created a public response that was an equal mix of reverence and derision, with some of the more controversial statements sending waves of reaction throughout the city. From a Central Park stand where priceless original works were anonymously sold for $60 to a mural on the entrance to the Hustler strip club, to a junkyard in Willets Point, Queens; New York City served as the canvas for this street art vigilante.

TRAILER: 808

The machine that moved your feet.

More than 30 years ago, Afrika Bambaataa’s Arthur Baker-produced “Planet Rock” changed the music industry forever, thanks in part to its use of the revolutionary 808 drum machine. The 808 created a beat no one had ever experienced before, and eventually gave birth to genres such as EDM, synthpop, dubstep, and countless others. Now, Atlantic Films, You Know Films, and Arthur Baker have announced the 2015 release of 808, a documentary telling the story of the seminal machine. The film features commentary and contributions from artists including Pharrell Williams, Afrika Bambaataa, Questlove, Damon Albarn, David Guetta, Phil Collins, Diplo, New Order, and Rick Rubin

TRAILER: Citizenfour

TRAILER: To Russia With Love

From the press materials:

To Russia With Love, an EPIX Original Documentary about two generations of Olympic LGBT athletes, will make its world premiere on Wednesday, October 29 at 8PM ET. To Russia With Love examines human rights through the lens of LGBT athletes, with iconoclastic athlete and commentator Johnny Weir serving as the viewers’ guide into this world. The documentary examines the experiences of Olympic legends Billie Jean King and Greg Louganis as well as the next generation of LGBT athletes who participated in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Shooting worldwide in locations as diverse as Sochi, New York City, Calgary, Toronto, St. Petersburg and Moscow, the film follows these athletes from the ice to the slopes as they bear the brunt of constant media questioning about Russia’s anti-gay laws.