Being BeBe

Jun 25, 2021

1h 34m

★ 9.0

Overview

The intimate journey and unpublished backstory of BeBe Zahara Benet – a charismatic drag performer originally from Cameroon, and the very first winner of the culture-changing phenomenon, RuPaul’s Drag Race. With over a decade of unprecedented access, we observe BeBe’s struggles with celebrity, authenticity, success, and failure.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Work and Serve Productions

Being BeBe Trailers

Cast

self

BeBe Zahara Benet

self

RuPaul

self - BeBe's youngest sister

Dimitra Ngwa

self - BeBe's eldest sister

Bernice Ngwa

self - show director, Gay 90's

Nina Diangelo

self - BeBe's brother

Vanjelis Ngwa

self - BeBe's mother

Elizabeth Ngwa

self - BeBe's father

Dr. Collins Ngwa

self - Pageant Legend, Miss Gay US of A

Tommie Ross

Three men embark on a journey in search of meaning and happiness in the autumn of their lives: Bob swaps his safe home for a camper van and tries to find himself in the barren Californian desert; Steve, drag queen and stand-up comedian, is fed up of England and makes amends with his past in Benidorm; Yamada rediscovers his smile by reading stories to children in Tokyo.

0.0

Gay March on Washington

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UCLA Student Film, Preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Documentary from Community Video Center San Diego about the Gay Rights March on Washington D.C. on October 14, 1979. Interviews include representatives from the Greater San Diego Business Association, San Diego Democratic Club, Senate for Social Services, and Gay Alliance for Equal Rights, a mother advocating her gay son's rights and creator of a parents activist group in Orange County, Allen Ginsberg, and Gay Mormons, as well as other attendees of the march. Interviewees speak about gay rights, equal protection under the law, and end to discrimination against gay people.

0.0

Living Out Loud: Reflection of Trans Visibility

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

0.0

Jordy's 65 Reasons to Live

Feb 27, 2021

A heartfelt and uplifting portrayal about one young remarkable drag queen from Leith who, despite suffering from cystic fibrosis, lives life to the max. At 24 years of age, Jordan McKinley knows he is on borrowed time. This Leith-born-and-bred drama teacher, DJ and top Edinburgh drag artist faces his medical condition head-on and lives his life at 100 miles an hour.

6.0

The Beauty President

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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

Dixie Queen

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The life of a Southern drag queen isn't all wine and roses - just ask Wilmington, NC's own Tara Nicole. Stereotypes of Southern hospitality and redneck homophobia meet in this very revealing exploration of a smalltown farm boy who's grown up to become a drag queen known as the "Bitch Goddess of the Port City." Through fabulous drag performances and interviews with family, friends, and fellow Southern drag queens like The Lady Bunny, Dixie Queen reveals gay life and culture in the South.

0.0

Trans and Pregnant

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Two men undertake a thought-provoking journey to parenthood. Not by adoption or surrogacy, but by Frankie, a trans man, carrying their baby. Made with support from NZ on Air.

0.0

Arde Lima

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Anthony Vergara, Renato Renzo, Gerson del Carpio, and Ernesto Pimentel are four gay men who defy a Lima society that is still very macho, conservative, and religious, wearing high heels, shiny dresses, and well-styled wigs.

7.0

Solidarność: How Solidarity Changed Europe

Oct 1, 2019

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10.0

Political Bodies

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At a time when the far right is ascending to power around the world, the 2020 Brazilian municipal elections saw a surprising and unprecedented record of LGBT candidates. This film follows four young queer politicians during their electoral campaigns and reveals their struggle to affirm their rights to exist and be heard.

7.3

The Times of Harvey Milk

Oct 7, 1984

Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world.

7.7

The Queens

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This documentary chronicles over two years in the heels of four of the world’s most famous drag queens including former RuPaul’s Drag Race winners Jinkx Monsoon and Sharon Needles, former All Stars champion Alaska Thunderf*ck and season 7 and All Stars 2 contestant Katya Zamolodchikova. From performing across world stages to winning (and losing) Drag Race or dealing with major tragedies, The Queens lifts the lace front, giving an insight into one of the most fascinating and quickly ascending entertainment artforms.

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0.0

La casa del Carnaval

Invalid Date

Trans and queer communities shaped carnival traditions in the Canary Islands, exploring their historical role in developing costumes, performances, and celebrations that define the region's festive identity.

5.2

Stormé: Lady of the Jewel Box

May 7, 1991

“It ain’t easy…being green” is the favorite expression of Stormé DeLarverie, a woman whose life flouted prescriptions of gender and race. During the 1950s and '60s she toured the black theater circuit as a mistress of ceremonies and the sole male impersonator of the legendary Jewel Box Revue, America’s first integrated female impersonation show and forerunner of La Cage aux Folles.

0.0

Serving in Secret: Love, Country, and Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Nov 12, 2023

Tracing the U.S. military's long history of discrimination against the gay community and one couple's personal journey for acceptance.

6.5

Jo

Jul 31, 2020

Jo is a 40-year-old transgender man addicted to cocaine. This addiction prevents him from achieving his transition in good conditions, and from maintaining fulfilling relationships. He is trying to quit drugs and to make a fresh start.

7.1

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

Jul 27, 2017

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.

0.0

The Alaska Thunderfuck Extra Special Comedy Special

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Star of stage and screen Alaska Thunderfuck proudly presents "Alaska's Extra Special Comedy Special." Featuring some of Alaska's greatest musical hits, exciting special guests, and a series of comedic jokes.

0.0

The Glitterstorm

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A documentary that chronicles the twenty years of Pride parading in Iceland. Filmmaker Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir has shot the parade from the beginning, with all its pride and power, beauty and sometimes ugliness. She mixes old material and new interviews with activists who reminisce about their participation in the parade, it’s impact on society in general, and what Pride means for the LGBTQ+ community.

8.0

Paris Is Burning

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Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.