
Independent Lens
Two Gods
The story of Hanif, a Muslim casket maker and ritual body washer who takes two young men under his wing to teach them how to live better lives.
Conservative, Christian beliefs have defined their entire lives, but now they’re championing their LGBTQ children. A mama bear's love is ferocious.
Daresha Kyi: Daresha writes, produces, and directs film and television in Spanish and English. In 2018 she directed "Trans In America: Texas Strong" as part of an ACLU web series on transgender rights, which won two Webbys, garnered over 2 million views on YouTube, and premiered at SXSW in 2019. She also directed a series of shorts for the Family… Show more
Since making the move to film production, Laura has worked on a number of social justice projects. She served as the associate producer for two feature-length documentaries—“Chavela”(which had its world premiere at the 2017 Berlinale) and “Dispatches from Cleveland” (which partnered with Color of Change for their 2016 #VotingWhileBlack viral… Show more
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Mama Bears explores how the lives of conservative, Christian mothers are utterly transformed when they decide to accept their LGBTQ children. Spread throughout the country but connected through private Facebook groups, they call one another “mama bears” because of the ferocity with which they fight for their children’s rights and those of the entire LGBTQ community. Although they grew up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians praying for the souls of LGTBQ people, these mama bears are now willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to keep their children safe—even if it challenges their belief systems and rips apart their worlds. Along the way they struggle through grief, denial, anger, and deep depression. Mama Bears takes us inside their journey to becoming LGBTQ allies, following a few of the 8,000 dedicated moms across the United States who have connected at a complicated juncture to create a network of love and conviction.
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