Vibrance: LGBTQIA+ short films from Firelight Media
Sunday, Jun 7, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.
Location: Redstone Theater
Museum of the Moving Image
Astoria, Queens, NY
Part of Open Worlds 2026
In this showcase of five short non-fiction films centered on LGBTQIA+ liberation, love is the galvanizing force that activates each character’s journey. Dance becomes a way for a man to reconnect with his heritage; the sanctuary of home allows two queer womxn to attune to one another; a trans elder rediscovers the warmth of the community he left 40 years ago; a queer bookstore owner learns to lean on the support of others to find fresh hope; and the trust of a performance artist transforms their personal story into a visual poem. The series is programmed in partnership with Firelight Media; all five filmmakers in the program are alumnae of their programs. Firelight Media is a local nonprofit organization that supports the creation, distribution, and impact of documentary media by and about communities of color, in all their vibrance and complexity.
Filmmakers in person.
Dir. Gisela Rosario Ramos, 2014. 15 mins. Puerto Rico. Spanish with English subtitles. Lío returns to the neighborhoods his father once moved through, tracing those steps through bomba — Puerto Rico’s oldest living tradition, born from African roots and kept alive through generations of resistance and joy.
Aurora Brachman, 2025. 19 mins. USA. A chronicle of the power and complexity of the relationship between Corinne and Tiana, two Queer Black womxn who experience cycles of life’s joys and pains together in the home they share.
Mars Verrone, 2023. 18 mins. USA, Cambodia. Khmer with English subtitles. Forty years after the Cambodian genocide, a transgender man returns to the village where he not only survived, but miraculously found queer and transgender community, including the love of his life.
Unspoken
Dir. Patrick Lee, 2020, 17 minutes, USA. Through letter-writing, a community discussion, and a drag performance, six queer and trans Asian Americans grapple with their queerness and consider what family acceptance might look like.
Tiare Ribeaux, 2025. 11 mins. USA. Queer performance artist and musician Saturn Risin9 returns home to the Bay Area to share their journey of perseverance centering self discovery, healing and creative expansion, poetically told through documentary, dance, visual narrative, and performance.
RSVP recommended. Seating is first come, first served.
The (Un)Documented Lens | Beyond Resilience
Conversations on representation, labor, and equity featuring the work and perspectives of Undocumented storytellers.
The Black Gaze | Beyond Resilience
A conversation with Black filmmakers on how they are navigating the ubiquitous images of Black trauma in this moment, documenting Black life, and forging new cinematic languages, practices, and formal approaches.
After the Call Out | Beyond Resilience
The recent announcement that golfing icon Tiger Woods would be the subject of a two-part HBO documentary series set in motion a heated debate in the documentary industry about equity, power, and BIPOC filmmakers' demands for structural change.
The Life and Legacy of John Lewis | Beyond Resilience
A conversation to lift up the life and legacy of the former Congressman with inside stories and reflections on his leadership.
The Liberatory Canon | Beyond Resilience x IDA's Getting Real '20
Tuesday, September 29, 2020, presented at the International Documentary Association’s (IDA) Getting Real conference.
Beyond Inclusion | Beyond Resilience x DOC NYC
On November 17, 2020, as part of DOC NYC Live, Firelight Media presented a special edition of its Beyond Resilience Series.
Creating & Commissioning Art in Times of Crisis | Beyond Resilience x Sundance Film Festival
"On Friday, January 29 at 3pm ET, Firelight Media presented a special edition of the Beyond Resilience Series at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, “Creating & Commissioning Art In Times of Crisis.” Throughout the past year, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) artists have been commissioned by institutions to perform cultural work from their position at the epicenter of interlocking systems of oppression – racial and economic inequality, police violence, and a global pandemic that disproportionately impacts communities of color."
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy | Beyond Resilience
On Thursday, February 25 at 3pm ET, Firelight Media presented a Beyond Resilience panel discussion centered around Firelight Founder Stanley Nelson’s documentary Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy, now streaming globally on Netflix.
STAY CONNECTED
