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Mama Bears

Play trailer Mama Bears 2022 1h 31m Documentary LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 15 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
Did you know there are over 30,000 conservative, Christian mothers in America who accept their LGBTQ children? Spread across the country but connected through private Facebook groups, they help one another overcome the teachings of their churches and call themselves "mama bears"--because of how ferociously they fight for the civil rights of their children and the entire LGBTQ community. Although they may have grown up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians, mama bears are willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to keep their offspring safe--even if it challenges their belief systems and rips their worlds apart. MAMA BEARS is an intimate, thought-provoking exploration of the journeys taken by Sara Cunningham and Kimberly Shappley, two "mama bears"--conservative, Christian mothers whose profound love for their LGBTQ children has turned them into fierce advocates for the entire queer community--and Tammi Terrell Morris, a young African American lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance perfectly exemplifies why the mama bears are so vitally important.

Critics Reviews

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Jasmine Lane Austin Chronicle 03/20/2022
The lens never veers toward hate or conflict, instead keying in on connection and affirmation. Go to Full Review Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter 03/14/2022
The three families in Mama Bears provide a kaleidoscopic lens for understanding the tensions between faith, gender and sexuality. Go to Full Review Justin Charity The Ringer 06/16/2023
The romance of Jocelyn and Tedros, in this early phase, isn’t quite intriguing, just overwhelming. Before she even meets Tedros, Jocelyn is already a host to so many parasites. Go to Full Review Chase Hutchinson The Stranger (Seattle, WA) 06/12/2023
It takes a fly-on-the-wall approach to candidly observe the realities of everyday communities that strive to undo the trajectory of religiously motivated hate. Go to Full Review Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl 12/08/2022
6/10
...[these women] have things in common, including the struggle to confront and reject long-held beliefs, and the isolation that follows when relatives and fellow church members cut them off, as one woman notes, “just when you need them the most.” Go to Full Review Jennie Kermode Eye for Film 09/28/2022
4/5
Kyi has a sharp eye for the little details of people’s homes and unconscious behaviours which enrich our understanding of who they are. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Mama Bears

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Cast & Crew

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Daresha Kyi

Director

Kimberly Shappley

Self

Kai Shappley

Self

Sara Cunningham

Self

Parker Cunningham

Self

Tammi Terrell Morris

Self

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Movie Info

Synopsis Did you know there are over 30,000 conservative, Christian mothers in America who accept their LGBTQ children? Spread across the country but connected through private Facebook groups, they help one another overcome the teachings of their churches and call themselves "mama bears"--because of how ferociously they fight for the civil rights of their children and the entire LGBTQ community. Although they may have grown up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians, mama bears are willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to keep their offspring safe--even if it challenges their belief systems and rips their worlds apart. MAMA BEARS is an intimate, thought-provoking exploration of the journeys taken by Sara Cunningham and Kimberly Shappley, two "mama bears"--conservative, Christian mothers whose profound love for their LGBTQ children has turned them into fierce advocates for the entire queer community--and Tammi Terrell Morris, a young African American lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance perfectly exemplifies why the mama bears are so vitally important.
Director
Daresha Kyi
Producer
Laura Tatham, Daresha Kyi
Genre
Documentary, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 31m