***Full series tickets are currently live, a la carte session tickets will be released in the coming weeks***

We are so excited to launch our first ever movie club series: Contemporary Queer Migrations. Over the next 6 months, join us for this 6-part series as we view and discuss 13 films from across the globe that explore the complex relationship between queerness and migration, queer diasporic families, the power of queer cinema beyond LGBTQ representation, and so much more.

This extended series will explore one social justice topic - in this case, queer migration - from multiple angles, drawing a clear thread from one conversation to the next. Sign up for the entire series and learn alongside a tight-knit community of socially conscious cinephiles, paired with curated readings, asynchronous discussions, and exclusive events.

These films reject both the invisibility and the anonymity of queer migrants. In the global and aesthetic diversity represented in these movies, we realize there is no huddled mass, no monolith — but dreamers of all colors fighting against multiple systems of oppression and imagining something more. The films we will be watching are below (subject to change):

Theme: Seeking Asylum While Queer

Discussion Date: 3/6 - 3pm ET

Welcome to Chechnya (2020) - HBO

LGBTQ+ activists work undercover to confront anti-LGBTQ persecution in the repressive and closed Russian republic of Chechnya, and to support victims in their flight from the country

Short: Marco (2019) - YouTube

When a banker invites a sex worker to his London apartment, he finds himself coming face to face with both his own past, and one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.

Theme: Queer Citizenship + Belonging

Discussion Date: 3/20 - 3pm ET

Tinta Bruta (2018) - Amazon Rental

Pedro, a socially repressed young gay man, transforms himself at night into sexually provocative webcam performer ‘NeonBoy’, whose online act involves him smearing himself in fluorescent paint.

Short: Ìfé (2020) - Rental Link

"Love" in Yoruba; a story about two women falling in love as they spend three days together. They then have their love tested by the realities of being in a same-sex relationship in a country like Nigeria.

Theme: The Queer Diasporic Family

Discussion Date: 4/10 - 3pm ET

A Dog Barking at the Moon (2019) - Vimeo

Decades of open secrets and resentment create chaos within a Chinese family, beginning with the discovery that the patriarch is gay

Short: Halwa (2018) - HBO

A middle-aged Indian woman rekindles her relationship with a childhood sweetheart through Facebook messages, but her loveless, abusive husband takes notice.

Short: Sambal Belacan in SF (1997)

Three immigrant Southeast Asian lesbians in the U.S. grapple with home and belonging. At 23, Madeleine Lim escaped persecution by the Singapore government for her work as a lesbian artist-activist.

Theme: Queerness Beyond Visibility

Discussion Date: 5/1 - 3pm ET

The River (1997) - Prime

A young man develops severe neck pain after swimming in a polluted river; his dysfunctional parents are unable to provide any relief for him or themselves.

Invisible Life (2019) - Prime

Kept apart by a terrible lie, years pass as two sisters forge their respective paths through their city's teeming bustle, each believing the other to be half a world away.

Theme: Love & Loss: The Trans Migrant

Discussion Date: 5/22 - 3pm ET

Kelet (2020) - Prime

A young Somali trans woman returns to her childhood home in Finland to pursue her dreams of becoming a Vogue model.

Call Her Ganda (2019) - Prime

When Jennifer Laude, a Filipina trans woman, is brutally murdered by a U.S. Marine, three women galvanize a political uprising, pursuing justice and taking on histories of U.S. imperialism.

Theme: The Queer Migrant's Liberation

Discussion Date: 6/12 - 3pm ET

No Hard Feelings (2020) - Vimeo

Second-generation Irani-German Parvis works at a refugee shelter where he meets brother and sister Irani refugees and develops a tenuous romance with Amon.

Short: She’s Not a Boy (2019) - YouTube

The story of Tatenda Ngwaru, an asylum-seeking intersex woman who fled Zimbabwe with sixty dollars and the hope that she would finally find a place where she belonged.

***In addition to our scheduled discussions, look out for exciting Q&As & public events with filmmakers, activists, academics, and others thinking about queerness, migration, and filmmaking!***

Q: What's the format of this movie discussion club?
A: We will have a Discord channel for everyone interested in engage virtually, in addition to specific movie discussions (see above) that will be held virtually via Zoom.

Q: How do I join the Discord channel?
A: Select the "Donate & Tickets" option on this page, and add the ticket for "Discord Community". You’ll receive an email from one of our Movie Club moderators with a private link within a few days of checking out. (The ticket is free, although we do encourage a $10 donation if you are able to help us offset some of the costs of managing the channel.)

Q: Do I have to sign up for the whole series?
A: You can sign up for the whole series OR for a la carte sessions. Those who sign up for the whole series will have priority access to all the discussion sessions; extra spots at those sessions will be made available a la carte on an as-available basis to everyone on the Discord channel, then to the general public.

Q: What happens after I sign up?
A: One of our movie moderators will be in touch via email with more details on the movies, the narrative arc, as well as a calendar invite + Zoom link to the discussion(s) you signed up for!

Q: Is movie access included in the price of tickets?
A: No, unfortunately movie access is not included. However, most films are available on major streaming platforms such as HBO and Amazon Prime, and we will do our best to send along free public viewing options when available.

Q: When are the movie discussions taking place?
A: Please see either above for a list of dates/times or within the ticket details for the dates of the movie discussions.

Q: Are we watching the movies together during the discussions?
A: No, everyone is responsible for watching the movies prior to the discussions taking place.

Q: I can't afford this right now, are there discounted options?
A: We always offer discounted and free options to those who need it, no questions asked. Please just email us directly at hello@studioatao.org.

Contemporary Queer Migrations

By Studio ATAO

Contemporary Queer Migrations

A movie discussion series

Team Members