S1.E30 ∙ Drag Queens

He stood up to the mob, feuded with Sinatra, and sold out every show. He's the greatest voice you've never heard.

The Cuban Dream is a feature-­length documentary that takes viewers to the country of Cuba, following the journey of Cuban-­American baseball player Luke Salas. Luke sets out to use baseball as a way to connect the people of Cuba with the people of the United States by playing in La Serie Nacional - Cuba's version of Major League Baseball. Since Fidel Castro seized power, no foreigner, let alone American, has played in Cuba's system of baseball since 1961. Through the lens of baseball, the film captures the reality and truth of Cuba, exposing the struggle of the Cuban people -­ specifically, the difficulty that Cubans are faced with everyday known as "La Lucha". The Cuban Dream is a testament to the power of the human spirit, while recognizing the reality of Cuba's vast political and social issues; and the stifling effect they have on the development of Cuba's future generations.

Vancouver's Downtown East side is home to thousands of drug addicts, prostitutes, and the mentally ill. Amateur cameraman K.R.T. spent one summer on these mean streets getting to know longtime homeless drug addicts Ken and Lisa. This seemingly random footage was given to first time writer/director Josh Laner who found a story of people trying to connect in an area where no one seems connected to much of anything. An intimate and surreal look at life on the streets in Canada's most impoverished postal code. This is Josh Laner's first film.

An exploration of the act of eating, both as an interaction among people and between people and nature.

Mariano Cruz Ordoñez is a bullfighter who is living the middle of his life and the end of his artistic career. He was a figure of bullfighting in Ecuador and has performed in the most important venues of his country and the world, he lived the glory. The years have passed and prohibitions have arisen regarding bullfighting, the successes have already been consumed and he only has left to fight against several adverse circumstances. Now he has three daughters, who are his reason to be, his energy, his motor of life and now he is forced to separate from them with the objective of moving forward.

Myth of Father is a video documentary about acceptance. My father, Jodie, is a transgender woman. She came out to me a few years ago and I've since begun a journey to discover who my father really is. Upon learning of my father's gender dysphoria, I've had to rewind, review, then reposition the puzzle pieces of the past to try to figure out who my father is, not only for myself but for my family as well. In the film I contrast my relationship with my father with the relationship between my father and her own dad. I interview my father, as well as other family members who relate their remembrances of Jodie's youth: "She seemed to live the normal life. She was into cars, she was into rock bands, she went into the Army...married...child..." But no one really knew Jodie, as she explains, "No one knew who I was. I trashed relationships with everyone I knew, including my own son." My family tries to understand who Jodie has become in relation to the person they knew as Bruce. I took my father's news as an opportunity to give my family a chance to express themselves about each other in an attempt to re-establish a bond within our family. My journey culminates in a family reunion, where many of the family members meet Jodie for the first time. Ultimately this documentary is an exploration of the struggle of family members reuniting while going through a change in their relationships.