The Times of Harvey Milk - A Sunday Documentary

Human rights work is something that can never stop or be taken for granted. We are all resposible for the well-being of our fellow humans and that the people around us are treated fair and equal. Be that in school, at work or just passing by on the street. Obviously the world is not an ideal place - hence why it's so important to stand up if we see any injustice. Around the world people are denied employment because of sexuality, skin colour and gender to name but a few examples. Regularly we hear about hate crimes and people being killed for being LGBT. Our native Sweden was the first country in the world to remove homosexuality as an illness in 1979 - and as of 2009 has a gender- neutral marriage law. When President Obama last month publicly started endorsing gay-marriage - we know it sends a powerful message around the world about human rights. And the foundation Obama stands on in this issue was built by the man on the poster above - Harvey Milk, the first openly gay to be elected into public office in America. This week's documentary is the Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature in 1984 - 6 years after Harvey was assassinated. The film is a powerful message where we human rights defenders come from. If you haven't watched it we won't give too much away. But it blows our mind watching it thinking that it was made so close in time to the murder. The raw emotions in the interviews are incredibly powerful. Further reading about Dan White can be found here. As always we love to hear your thoughts, so comment or Facebook us! Below is the full documentary! 

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Billie Holiday - Sensational Lady - A Sunday Documentary

Words cannot even describe how we feel about Billie Holiday. No words are even necessary - it's pure feeling it. We listen to her all the time, and she had a magical, otherworldly way of taking words and infuse them with a raw, pure emotion. You feel her when you listen. It's like she sings directly to you. Born in 1915 to teenage parents - with her mother only 13 we can't even begin to fathom the start of her life. A victim of rape when she was a child - she herself was sent away to a correctional facility like it was her fault. Then later working in a brothel with her own mother. Billie prevailed and began her career in music. Living in heavily segregated times and really before the civil rights movement her story is also a grim document of racism in America and the oppression of women. In this BBC documentary from 2001 we get to hear amazing stories from people who knew her directly. They together paint a portrait of the genius that she was, but also the person behind the music, who wanted to be loved and free and longing to have a family. We also get to hear what a badass she was - she managed to squeeze an awful lot of living in those 44 years she was here on this earth. The songs she wrote are legendary - God Bless The Child, Don't Explain, Lady Sings The Blues. Not to mention her version of Strange Fruit - in our book the definitive protest song against racism. The world is a much better place because of her legacy. 

As always we can't wait to hear your thoughts - comment below or Facebook us! 

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I Am Because We Are - A Sunday Documentary

Last week we presented Paris Is Burning - and the similarities to I Am Because We Are are striking. Living with HIV/AIDS, poverty, homelessness, murder. But also warmth and some happiness amongst all the sadness and trying to take care of each other. The first time we saw I Am Because...we were absolutely shattered afterwards. Simply because we know that it's not unique events that are displayed in the film - cases like this exists all over the world really. Malawi is hit the hardest though as it ranks among the world's most densely populated and least developed countries. Out of a population of 15.4 million, almost one million people in Malawi are living with HIV. AIDS is the leading cause of death amongst adults in Malawi, and is a major factor in the country’s low life expectancy of just 54.2 years.

It's very easy to forget just how privileged we all are if you have had access to sanitation, a safe home environment, health care and education growing up - and just how important that is for your self-worth. We too lost a parent at a very young age, and we know how that sadness tugs at your inner core. We donate time working with a sanitation and safe sex project in India and give money to Amnesty every month - anything to try and be part of the solution. 

This documentary came out in 2008 and is written, produced and narrated by Madonna - one of the world's most recognized. But the events in it are really of concern to us all because the title says it all. I Am Because We Are. The player for some reason states that it's the trailer - but it is in fact the whole film. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts after watching it! Comment below or Facebook us! 

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Donna Summer - I Feel Love Documentary (Narrated by Alison Goldfrapp)

One of the most important artists in the world of music as we know it died today. Donna Summer died of cancer at the age of 63. Much too soon. Such a super sad day for us music lovers. Without a doubt the work she did with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte was forever game changing and pushed any boundaries out of the way for good. Love To Love You Baby with its 15 min of pure pleasure, the electronic masterpiece I Feel Love and iconic heartache song On The Radio to name but a few. We can honestly say we listen to I Feel Love on a weekly basis and can never ever get enough. Like never - ever. Those vocals - that sickening beat. Argh! A lot can be said about Donna's career, but instead of going on and on - we remembered we had this awesome radio documentary from BBC Radio 2 narrated by Alison Goldfrapp - with frickin' Giorgio himself and sound bites from Ana Matronic, Jimmy Somerville and Debbie Harry. Fascinating stuff! We're listening tonight and remembering the amazing legacy Donna has left behind. Rest in peace, dear Donna. 

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Paris Is Burning - A Sunday Documentary

Starting today we will show full documentaries on the blog as a Sunday treat. We thought it'd be an awesome experience showcasing ones we love + finding new amazing stuff. Let us know if you have tips!

First up is one of our all time favourites - Jenny Livingston's iconic Paris Is Burning from 1990. Sooo much can be said about this one - we'd need hours talking about it. It stands as an important time capsule regarding equality, gender and social structures. Not to mention showing the end of the golden age of ball culture with its art of voguing and the amazing and intimate portraits of the different families. We wish we could teleport us back in time and visit all of them. Willi Ninja, Angie & Venus Xtravaganza, Octavia St. Laurent... It's simply a must watch! The scenes that gets us every time are the ones with the small kids in Harlem, they are so young and seem so protective of each other. Also, one of the queens who after her death was discovered having had a dead body stuffed in her closet makes for a chilling and insane read. If you wanna watch for the first time, or re-watch the full documentary is below. Let us know your thoughts and memories. Enjoy! Further reading: New York Times 1993 article Paris Has Burned.