Blood Families, Chosen Families

Presented as part of the 18th edition of the Massimadi festival.

What if the bonds that unite us went far beyond blood? This film block explores the complexity, beauty, and resilience of family ties within queer and Afro-descendant realities. Through quests for belonging, legacies, transmissions, and unconditional support, discover unique cinematic lenses that examine what truly makes a family.

3 SIBLINGS (3 IRMÃOS)

Sheena Rossiter. 2018. Brazil, Canada. 19 min. Portuguese with English and French subtitles. Three siblings in São Paulo navigate family, love, and resistance as they confront the homophobia and transphobia shaping their lives in Brazil.

SISTER (IRMÃ)

Anderson Bardot. 2026. Brazil. 25 min. Portuguese with English and French subtitles. Iara and Elisa are bound by an ancient waterfall, whose waters baptized their parents in the evangelical faith.

HOME

Donja R. Love. 2024. United States. 14 min. English with French subtitles. home follows T, a homeless queer teen, on the night he makes a life-changing decision in hopes of finding shelter.

THEM THAT’S NOT

Mekhai Lee. 2025. United States. 18 min. English and American Sign Language (ASL) with French subtitles. A sudden prison furlough unexpectedly bonds an estranged father with his emotionally avoidant daughter at their matriarch’s repass.

RIVER MAMMA

Arun K. Vir. 2025. United States. 29 min. English with French subtitles. In Jamaica, a transgender parent torn from her son faces a gut-wrenching decision after the violent death of her lover.

APOLO

Tainá Müller, Isis Broken. 2025. Brazil. 83 min. Portuguese with English and French subtitles. As we follow the pregnancy leading to Apolo’s birth, we reflect on the drama(s) of a transgender couple: Isis Broken and Lourenzo Gabriel. The father is giving birth, and society is not ready for it.