The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

Jul 27, 2017

1h 45m

★ 7.1

A life that launched a revolution, a death that remains a mystery.

Overview

Describing herself as a 'street queen,' Johnson was a legendary fixture in New York City’s gay ghetto and a tireless voice for LGBT pride since the days of Stonewall, who along with fellow trans icon Sylvia Rivera, founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), a trans activist group based in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Her death in 1992 was declared a suicide by the NYPD, but friends never accepted that version of events. Structured as a whodunit, with activist Victoria Cruz cast as detective and audience surrogate, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson celebrates the lasting political legacy of Johnson, while seeking to finally solve the mystery of her unexplained death.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Terasem Media & Films

Faliro House Productions

Race Point Films

Ninety Thousand Words

Public Square Films

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson Trailers

Cast

Self (archive footage)

Marsha P. Johnson

Self

Victoria Cruz

Self (archive footage)

Sylvia Rivera

Self (archive footage)

Taylor Mead

Self (archive footage)

Pat Bumgardner

Self (archive footage)

Vito Russo

Emerging from the Detroit music scene of the 1970s in a flurry of long hair and sequins, Alice Cooper restored hard rock with a sense of showmanship, while simultaneously striking fear into the hearts of Middle America with the chicken-slaughtering, dead-baby-eating theatrics that would cement his identity as a glam metal icon. Meticulously crafted from rare archival footage, Super Duper Alice Cooper tells the story of the man behind the makeup, Vincent Furnier, the son of a preacher, who got caught in the grip of his own monster.

0.0

Slumlord Millionaire

Jun 6, 2025

This documentary exposes housing injustice in New York City, following the David-and-Goliath battles between ordinary renters and powerful developers. Through stories from neighborhoods across the boroughs, the film reveals the harsh realities of unsafe housing, unethical landlords, and an overwhelmed housing court system.

No Image

8.0

Don Emilio and His Little Doctors

Jan 1, 1982

Don Emilio is a humble, 63-year-old man who lives in the Amazon rainforest, seven miles from the city of Iquitos, Peru. For all of his adult life he has worked as a curandero and vegetalista, a traditional healer. He estimates that in his career he has treated more than 2,500 clients. Through the camera lens of anthropologist Luis Eduardo Luna, Don Emilio tells us about his practice, his beliefs, his community, and his life. He shows us how he prepares ayahuasca and other herbal medicines. Finally, we see Don Emilio treat a man who has come to him for help, and hear from a poor woman who has brought her infant son for medical care.

0.5

1:1 Thierry Henry

Nov 13, 2011

Global soccer hero Thierry Henry stars in this up-close sports documentary that covers his 2010 move from Barcelona to the New York Red Bulls.

6.0

The Beauty President

Mar 20, 2021

In 1992, at the height of the AIDS pandemic, activist Terence Alan Smith made a historic bid for president of the United States as his drag queen persona Joan Jett Blakk. Today, Smith reflects back on his seminal civil rights campaign and its place in American history.

7.0

The Comeback

May 12, 1980

After an absence of five years, six times Mr Olympia winner Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a comeback and attempts to take the World Body Building Championship for the 7th time.

0.0

The Three Failures

Jan 1, 2006

A fairy tale about communism, social-democracy, and capitalism. (The sequel to Wandering Marxwards)

8.0

The Other 300: Army of Lovers

Jun 12, 2025

A documentary that brings to light the extraordinary story of the Sacred Band of Thebes – an elite military unit composed of 150 pairs of male lovers that became one of the most formidable forces of the ancient world. It delves into the history of this little-known chapter of classical antiquity through forensic archaeology, rare archival material, ancient art, and animation. It explores how the Sacred Band rose to prominence, met its tragic end, and continues to resonate in modern discussions of identity, heroism, and love.

No Image

7.0

Stranger with a Camera

Jul 11, 2000

In 1967 Canadian filmmaker Hugh O'Connor came with a crew to eastern Kentucky to make a film showing people from all walks of life in the United States. They finished the day by filming coal miners and their families in rental houses. As the filmmakers were leaving, Hobart Ison, the owner of the property, drove up and fired three shots, killing Hugh O'Connor. Elizabeth Barrett, from Kentucky herself, explores why this happened by trying to understand the people and culture of eastern Kentucky.

7.3

Lady Gaga - Encore

May 12, 2020

Gaga has travelled through time with her ever changing sound, reinventing herself for every album, award ceremony and red carpet. With a strong fan base behind her, she continues to reign as one of the biggest pop stars of the industry.

No Image

0.0

Uncharted Waters

Oct 9, 2024

This film explores what life was like for LGBTQ+ Royal Navy personnel serving under the ban on homosexuality in the military and how things have changed since the ban was lifted in 2000. We speak to Duncan who led the fight to overturn the ban; Ann who served during and after the ban was lifted; and Danny and Cole who both served after the ban was lifted. This collaboration was between filmmaker David Graham, the National Museum of the Royal Navy and the Royal Navy LGBTQ+ Network. The National Museum of the Royal Navy commissioned the film.

6.0

Rikers

Nov 12, 2016

This film from Bill Moyers is the first documentary to focus exclusively on people formerly detained in New York City’s notorious Rikers Island Jail. They tell their compelling stories direct to the camera, revealing the violent arc of the Rikers experience – from the trauma of entry to extortion and control by inmates, to oppressive corrections officers, violence and solitary confinement.

10.0

Papa Césaire

Nov 19, 2009

Shortly after his death in 2008, Maldoror made this film about her longtime friend and collaborator, the Négritude poet Aimé Césaire. In this film, she retraces the steps of Césaire’s travels across the globe — particularly back to his hometown in Martinique, where Maldoror interviews his relatives about his life — and her working relationship with Césaire, including fragments of her previous films about him, Un homme, une terre (1976) and Le masque des mots (1987).

0.0

Living Out Loud: Reflection of Trans Visibility

Dec 12, 2024

Facing the backlash on Transgender Day of Visibility, two transgender advocates, Josh and Riley, risk their safety to promote transgender visibility and welfare.

4.0

Enchanted

Jun 30, 1993

Stories of 12 gay and lesbian survivors of Nazism and the Holocaust.

10.0

Marilyn vs Marilyn

Aug 1, 2002

“Marilyn vs. Marilyn” tells the story of a little-known period of Marilyn’s life – the years she spent in New York, trying to became a ‘serious”’ actress, taking lessons with Lee Strasberg and setting up a production company with her photographer and trusted friend, Milton Green. Based on hitherto unpublished – and magical - photos from the Greene archives, the film focuses on the photographic image of a woman who remains one of the greatest legends in the history of cinema… and an enduring enigma.

7.0

Le steak

May 1, 1992

The documentary is a portrait of former Canadian boxing champion Gaétan Hart, profiling both the ups and downs of his career in the 1970s and 1980s and his attempt to return to the sport in a 1990 fight. The film's title was inspired by "A Piece of Steak", Jack London's 1909 short story about a retired boxer struggling with poverty.