J.J. is an aspiring M.C. who’s taken London’s outlaw urban music scene by storm. He’s got the skills, the rhymes, and the drive. But he may run into a few hurdles on his reach for greatness; he’s white, he’s from the sticks, and he’s gay. J.J.’s resolved to come out onstage at the Urban Slam Finals, bringing his boyfriend Orlando along as moral support. While J.J. is onstage, the frustrated competing band, Illmanics, take out their rage on Orlando, beating him so badly that he suffers permanent brain damage. A victim reconciliation program brings J.J. face to face with Orlando’s attackers. (Description courtesy of Trista Kendall, Frameline International LGBT Film Festival.)

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Danger! The ozone layer of planet Zots is disappearing due to an overabundance of emotion! What can a lesbian space alien do to save her world? Well, board a flying saucer of course, and take a trip to New York City (it’s on planet Earth), where hearts will be broken and “big feelings” will be overcome. From the out-of-this-world people who brought you the wonderful shorts Dyke Dollar, Countertransference, and Hold Up comes the tale of codependent Barr, promiscuous Zylar, and sweet Zoinx, three shiny-headed space aliens on a mission of heartbreak. Can love survive the trials and tribulations of intergalactic romance? With the low-fi kitsch of 50s B movies, director Madeleine Olnek embraces what sci-fi fans have known for years—outer space is the perfect setting for the final frontier of relationship drama. Soup up your cardboard spaceship, put on your tinfoil hat, and find the nearest wormhole to claim your seats for the hilarious Sundance hit Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same. (Description courtesy of Alexis Whitham, Frameline International LGBT Film Festival.)

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In June 2003, the Episcopal Church in New Hampshire came under fire when it became the first to elect an openly gay man, Gene Robinson, as a bishop. Since that flash point, Robinson has been at the center of the contentious battle for LGBT people to receive full acceptance in the faith. Director Macky Alston (whose film, Family Name, won the Freedom of Expression Award at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival) follows Robinson into the breach in the struggle for equality. While resolute in his calling, Robinson grows increasingly critical of the central role that religious institutions have played in fostering homophobia and hatred. He is pointedly not invited to a once-a-decade convocation of bishops and courts controversy by attending. His presence the next year for the Episcopal General Convention underscores the impact of its impending decisions about the church’s stance on the consecration of future gay bishops and the performance of same-sex marriage ceremonies. While Robinson never intended to be the poster boy for gay bishops, Love Free or Die demonstrates that he has become a beacon of hope for millions. His history-making church provides a model for other communities of faith to treat all people with dignity and respect, regardless of their sexuality. (Description courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival.) Winner, U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for An Agent of Change, Sundance Film Festival.

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