Films / Programs

Game Changers: Sexuality & Sports

Whatever your team and whatever your game, when it comes to LGBTQ acceptance in the wide world of sports, the momentum is shifting. While the taboos of the “gay athlete” and the proverbial “sports closet”—as well as the utterly lazy and homophobic “locker room panic” defense—have existed for decades, recent events and expanded dialogue have changed the conversations around sports, sexuality, and gender identity.

From professional and collegiate athletes coming out as LGBTQ while actively playing, to straight athlete-allies being vocal advocates for equality, and from discussions around trans-inclusive policies for gender variant players, to sports organizations affirming the existence of all their “athletic supporters” with LGBTQ Pride nights—we’re hearing a fearless new fight song ring through a global stadium of change-makers.

Join us for six knockout programs featuring diverse representations of LGBTQ competitors from all walks of life who find affirmation being their authentic selves on and off the courts: Centerpiece documentary Out to Win; an account of the controversial Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in To Russia With Love; poignant parallel coming-out stories in Game Face; Aussie ruggers getting down and dirty in Scrum; an exploration of mental health and redemption in Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw; and an entertaining program of sporty shorts in Score! Queers in Sports.

Game Face

USA, 2015, 95M

This forthright and sincere doc tracks the parallel stories of the first transgender pro mixed martial arts fighter, Fallon Fox, and a gay college hoops player who is cautiously planning his coming out, as they struggle for acceptance within their sports and society.

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Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw

62M

Women’s basketball superstar Chamique Holdsclaw seemed destined for a spectacular career when a long-suppressed struggle with mental illness threatened to derail her life. This intimate portrait by two-time Oscar nominee Rick Goldsmith charts Holdsclaw’s ongoing battle for recovery and redemption.

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Out to Win

Canada, 2014, 100M

Featuring interviews with trailblazing sports legends Martina Navratilova, David Kopay, Jason Collins, Brittney Griner, and many others, this inspiring doc takes a powerful look at the struggles and triumphs of LGBT athletes in professional sports and leaves everyone cheering.

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Score! Queers in Sports

81M

Uniquely queer takes on tennis, track and field, soccer, basketball, and even women’s arm wrestling are all packed tightly into this shorts program.

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Scrum

62M

Three gay rugby athletes are vying for a spot on the elite Sydney Convicts team, competing for the 7th Annual Bingham Cup. Can they put behind their past struggles and win the prize? This is a steamy, pulsating documentary about acceptance, sportsmanship, and male camaraderie.

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To Russia with Love

USA, 2014, 80M

As the 2014 Olympics in Sochi approached, LGBT athletes and broadcasters had to choose whether to protest Russia’s anti-gay legislation. This fast-moving, entertaining documentary follows skater-broadcaster Johnny Weir, Billie Jean King, and Olympic hopefuls as they navigate the choppy waters where sports and human rights intersect.

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