An award winning documentary film focusing on the intimate and personal journeys of five gay, straight and transgender LGBTQ+ hate crime survivors whose lives intertwine through the brave choice to take their recovery public, inspiring the survivor in all of us.
AVAILABLE NOW IN NORTH AMERICA
Apple TV: WATCH HERE
AMAZON: WATCH HERE
DVDS AT AMAZON aND WALMART
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DISTRIBUTION: FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA MARCH 7, 2023
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“‘PIECES OF US’ IS AN UPLIFTING MESSAGE OF SURVIVING…AND THE STRUGGLE TO TURN NEGATIVITY INTO POSITIVITY. IT SPEAKS TO THE GAY AND STRAIGHT COMMUNITIES EVERYWHERE ABOUT THE BLESSING OF BEING DIFFERENT, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCEPTING THAT DIFFERENCE IN EVERYONE” - DENNIS SHEPARD (MATTHEW SHEPARD’S FATHER)
“‘PIECES OF US’ IS TOUCHING, PROFOUND, RAW, EMOTIONAL AND IMPORTANT. WE MUST CONTINUE TO EXPOSE THE TRUTH, THE PAIN, THE SCARS, SO OUR LGBTQ+ BROTHERS AND SISTERS CAN BE SAFER” - DEL SHORES (WRITER / DIRECTOR, “SORDID LIVES”)
“HEARTBREAKING YET INSPIRING STORIES…A HOPEFUL MESSAGE THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE. AN ESSENTAIL FILM ABOUT THE RESOURCES AVAIALABLE REGARDING HATE CRIME” - FILM THREAT
“ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FILMS ANYONE CAN WATCH RIGHT NOW, WHETHER YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY OR NOT” - TVBRITTANYF.COM
“A MUST WATCH DOC, SURE TO GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FILMS TO WATCH IN 2023” - FAR SIGHTED BLOG
“A POWERFUL PIECE OF WORK…EMOTIONAL, INSPIRING AND PROFOUND…TESTAMENT TO LOVE THAT ARISES LIKE A PHOENIX FROM THE VIOLENCE, GIVING VOICE TO ADVOCACY AND POSITIVENESS” - FFANZEEN BLOG
WATCH THE FILM’S OFFICIAL TRAILER
ABOUT THE FILM
Pieces of Us is an intimate look at the personal journeys of five gay, straight and transgender LGBTQ+ hate crime survivors whose lives intertwine through the brave choice to take their recovery public, inspiring the survivor in all of us.
An Indian Prince, a Gay Rapper, a Mother, a Flagger and a Stonewall Survivor. Tragedy brought them together. Love healed them.
Through these five courageous and intersecting stories, we travel to Denver, New York and India to witness how speaking your truth can turn darkness into light, create community, heal beyond expectations, and even spark global change. A Brooklyn elementary school that teaches inclusivity as their out school psychologist is attacked for holding hands with his partner. Transgender icon Victoria Cruz counseling victims of hate. PFLAG’s important work with families when a child comes out. A straight ally fighting for LGBTQ equality. The world’s first openly gay Prince showing love to an entire country that turned against him.
As these stories come together, the film culminates at New York’s World Pride in 2019, fifty years after the Stonewall Riots, at a time when anti-LGBTQ laws and rhetoric are once again on the rise - and we hear from three generations about what can happen when we chose love in the face of hate. The resilience of the film’s subjects will leave you with hope.
When we recognize a piece of ourselves in another’s experience, we connect to our shared humanity, and find our similarities as human beings are much stronger than our differences.
A mother who can respond with kindness just days after losing her nine year old son to suicide has something to teach us all.
PRINCE MANVENDRA SINGH GOHIL OF INDIA, THE ONLY OPENLY GAY ROYAL IN THE WORLD, READS THE HISTORICAL PLAQUE AT THE STONEWALL INN.
THE ICONIC VICTORIA CRUZ. TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST AND STONEWALL RIOT SURVIVOR.
MYKEL DEMONSTRATES THE ART OF FLAGGING WHILE WORKING WITH PRINCE MANVENDRA IN INDIA TO HELP THE MUCH SUPPRESSED LGBTQ+ INDIAN COMMUNITY.
PRINCE MANVENDRA SINGH GOHIL ON THE SWISH ALLY FUND FLOAT FOR THE STONEWALL 50TH ANNIVERSARY MARCH AND WORLD PRIDE PARADE IN NYC.
JIPSTA / JP MASTERSON (ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST) HUGS HIS STUDENTS, WHO RALLIED AROUND HIM AFTER HE AND HIS PARTNER WERE THE VICTIMS OF HATE CRIME IN NYC.
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST VICTORIA CRUZ REUNITES WITH MYKEL, WHO SHE COUNSELED AFTER HIS HATE CRIME ASSAULT.
LEIA PIERCE MADE NATIONAL HEADLINES WHEN HER 9 YEAR OLD SON JAMEL TOOK HIS OWN LIFE AFTER BEING BULLIED FOR COMING OUT TO HIS CLASSMATES AS GAY. HERE SHE IS READING A NOTE AND DRAWING HE LEFT FOR HER, MOMENTS BEFORE HE DIED.