Theme: Legends of Documentary
Date: 30th July 2019, Starts at 8:30pm
Venue: Backlot Cinemas, 65 Haig St, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia

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Title: Shelina
Directed by: Zach Jama

Description: Shelina Merani is an artist, an activist and a mom. Now that her kids are old enough to take care of themselves, she’s turning her attention to the stage — and using stand-upcomedy to build bridges between communities and find common ground.

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Title: New Homeland
Directed by: Barbara Kopple

Description: Filmmaker Barbara Kopple chronicles the experiences of five refugee children from war-torn Syria and Iraq whose families have resettled in Canada.

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Title: The Queens
Directed by: Mark Saxenmeyer

Description: Part documentary classic ‘Paris is Burning’, part current FX hit drama ‘Pose’, part reality show phenom ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ and part traditional beauty pageant like Miss America, ‘The Queens’ explores the transgender subculture of competitive female impersonation. Along the way, this feature-length documentary delves into the rich history of Chicago’s iconic female illusion show lounge, The Baton (entering its 50th year in 2019 at the same location), and the club's legendary offspring, the Miss Continental beauty pageant (an annual competition that has drawn transgender contestants from around the globe since 1980). The entertainers immersed in this fascinating close-knit community share the highs and lows of their lives as they compete for the coveted crown.

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