Genre
Synopsis
A RAW LOVE STORY follows RAW, a joyful warrior for the gender non-binary experience who balances motherhood, a full-time job, grad school, and creative pursuits. After undergoing top surgery and preparing for a hysterectomy, Raw navigates life with their partner, Issa, and Diago, Raw’s teenage son. This hybrid film, weaving documentary and experimental cinema, artfully intertwines Raw’s current life with the vivid tapestry of their coming-of-age journey. Adopted into a devoutly Christian Black family, Raw was outed by a gay lover in high school. Bullied and rejected at school and at home, Raw drops out, runs away, and joins the military – kickstarting a colorful path of self-actualization. Issa supports Raw through surgery as they teach Diago valuable lessons in resilience and survival. A RAW LOVE STORY provides a rare and intimate glimpse into the underrepresented genderqueer family structure, demonstrating that they can be healthy, stable, and thriving in the face of societal challenges.
Bio
Maximina Juson is an award-winning filmmaker and founder of HUMovies based in Los Angeles. Her debut feature film, "One Person, One Vote?" world premiered at The 2024 Pan African Film Festival, taking home the Programmer's Award for Best Documentary Feature. Maximina Juson was Consulting Producer (and Additional Camera) for Mama Bears, a documentary exploring the transformative experience of conservative, Christian mothers who decide to accept their LGBTQ children, which premiered at SXSW in 2022 — In 2018, she produced Harlem Rising for The Harlem Children’s Zone. The documentary, drawing upon 30 years of archival footage, is a history of the organization’s efforts to “break the cycle of generational poverty” for Harlem families. Juson also shot, produced and directed a video web series for The Washtenaw ID Project, an organization that helps disenfranchised communities and individuals obtain a valid government-issued ID in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
