Father Ray Comes Out – Documentary
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/father-ray-comes-out/4od
Father Ray is a warm, gregarious vicar who has been leading his central London parish for three years.
He has transformed his parish, building a community in central London, where many struggle with feelings of anonymity. Ray and the parishioners have had their ups and downs but have built a warm and loving church.
Now Ray is prepared to jeopardise all his work for the truth, and share a very personal secret with them: he is gay. He’s decided that in order to be a good minister he must be honest with his parish.
But admitting homosexuality as a vicar is not straightforward. Ray knows his news is unlikely to be welcomed by an Anglican Church that projects an ambivalent view of homosexuality. And it could be challenging to some of his more conservative parishioners. He risks alienating some of the people he considers his friends.
Anna Llewellyn’s First Cut film observes Ray as he deals with the fallout from his sermon and discovers whether or not his words have sown the seeds for a greater understanding and tolerance he dearly hopes for.
First Cut showcases the best in bold, bright and original documentaries by up-and-coming filmmakers.
Queer as Folk – Documentary
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/queer-as-folk/4od
Vince’s love for Stuart remains unrequited, but the sexual buzz between them is becoming irresistible. Will they get it together? Meanwhile, Nathan reappears to celebrate his return from London.
SERIES SYNOPSIS
The two-part sequel to the groundbreaking first series of Queer as Folk blows television off the straight and narrow to report the further misadventures of Stuart, Vince and Nathan – revealing more about their colourful lives, loves and dangerous liaisons.
The boy who was born a girl – Documentary
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-boy-who-was-born-a-girl/4od
Jon is a typical teenage boy in all respects except one: he was born a girl.
Brought up as Natasha for 15 years, Jon can remember feeling male since he was only five years old. Having grown up always feeling different to the girls in school, it was impossible to identify as female.
Jon eventually confided in his mother Luisa, who supported him in seeking help from his GP and subsequently a gender specialist. He has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a condition that affects over 100 British children every year, and is embarking on an extraordinary journey of transition.
Director Julia Moon follows mother and son through the first three months of Jon’s life-changing treatment as the testosterone pushes his female body into male puberty.
For Jon the changes that follow are things he’s always wanted. But for Luisa, this means coming to terms with the enormous loss of her daughter.
Transgender: Pakistan’s open secret – Documentary
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/transgenders-pakistans-open-secret/4od
Many among Pakistan’s transgender community scrape a living through dancing, singing and begging on the streets of Karachi. Others earn money catering for the sexual needs of men in the city’s seedier districts.
Thrown out by their families as children, they usually find their way to the tougher parts of the city where, hidden from the conservative mainstream, groups of outcast transsexuals have come together to create underground communities or ‘families’.
This film follows the stories of three transgender people, each of whom represents a different way of life in the country.
Maggie is a prostitute who dreams of becoming an air hostess, while Chahat was abandoned to the streets by her middle-class family for her feminine ways. Sana is Karachi’s most sought-after transgender dancer, who wants to give up the profession after a gruesome gang rape.
Transgenders were until very recently not entitled to Pakistani nationality. They still have scant access to education, employment or state protection, and are frequently victims of violence, although most of Karachi’s population tolerate them, partly due to beliefs that they can give blessings towards a happy and successful life and, equally, the threat that they may curse those who treat them badly.
The film also reflects the guru system within the transgender community where young novices are bought and sold, and forced to make money for their elders. Some outsiders consider this to be a form of slavery but this is disputed by the elders who say it’s part of their custom and not slavery.
But there is hope: the local tax office has advertised for transgenders to work as tax collectors. Clever government officials have realised that the embarrassment factor of a group of encountering a multi-coloured singing she-males is enough to make even the most stubborn tax evaders pay up.
Can Sana get one of those jobs? Will Chahat ever escape the desperate poverty she faces on a daily basis? And will Maggie fulfil her dream to fly away?
True Stories commissions and showcases the best international feature documentaries.
Taboo: Transgender – Documentary
In the west, our gender defines us as individuals and as a society. It influences how we act and interact, even our characteristics.
Strength and aggression are seen as masculine, sensitivity and insight are feminine – so when you can’t tell who’s male and who’s female, it can be confusing, disturbing and at times; frightening.
This is the story of America’s post-operative transmen, Thailand’s kathoeys, the Fa’afafine of Samoa, the sex-reassignment surgery capital of the world, Trinidad, Colorado, USA and a couple in a long-term relationship in which both partners are transgender.
Around the world, customs differ, but almost every society shares one thing the concept of gender. Many believe that there are only two: man and woman. But in India, transgender women who cut off their genitals live as women and form a third gender.
In Indonesia, hermaphrodite priests lead a society that recognizes five genders. And in rural Albania, women swap one gender for another to gain equality. Sometimes even the most conservative cultures must make room for those who challenge convention. But for many, embracing additional genders is still taboo.
Fagbug – Documentry
Erin Davies was attending an event in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-gender rights when she walked back to her car and discovered her Volkswagen Beetle had been vandalized – someone had spray painted FAG across one side and U R GAY on the other.
Davies was shocked and angered, but rather than simply have her car repainted, she chose to use the event to raise public awareness of hate crimes against the LGBT community. Davies mapped out a road trip visiting 58 cities across the United States, some with supportive LGBT communities and others in locations where anti-gay hate crimes had occurred in the past.
Davies brought along a small camera crew to document the reactions to her defaced automobile, and Fagbug is a documentary that charts the progress of Davies’ trip across the country, as well as recording how people responded, both positively and negatively, to the provocative statement presented by her car. Fagbug was an official selection at the 2009 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.
Me My Sex and I – Documentary
This documentary is about people who are born 2 different genders. They have the looks of one gender but have the internal organs and hormones of the opposite sex. It is a fantastic program. But with in watching it i cant help but feel that maybe this can explain some transgender cases. it seems worth looking into.
I Am Who I Am 