It was Oct. 8, 1984, and Americans across the country were glued to their television sets for the premiere of "The Burning Bed." The made-for-TV movie starred Farrah Fawcett, everyone's favorite pinup girl, as a battered wife who kills her husband by burning him alive after suffering years of brutal abuse.

Based on a true story, "The Burning Bed" was an instant hit. Over 30 million households tuned in, making the drama more popular than that year’s World Series final game. Suddenly, domestic violence -- long considered a private matter that should be kept behind closed doors -- was being discussed out in the open.

"I felt the story was important and, at that point, not one we had ever seen before," said Robert Greenwald, who directed the movie. "Groups around the country used the film to mobilize and to take this issue out of the closet."

These days, Greenwald is no longer making Hollywood blockbusters, and is better known for his work as a liberal documentary filmmaker. In the past decade, he’s taken on the political influence of the Koch brothers, Walmart’s treatment of low wage workers, and how the Bush administration misled Americans on the Iraq war.

Now, thirty years after directing "The Burning Bed," he’s returning to the subject of domestic violence.

In his newest documentary, "Making A Killing: Guns, Greed & The NRA," Greenwald investigates how the lucrative firearms industry and the NRA are putting people's lives in danger by opposing common sense gun reform -- all in the name of turning a profit.

"The NRA is a lobbyist for the gun companies, and there's a significant profit motive at stake," he said. "All of us are in greater physical danger because of this."

The film pivots around five stories of gun violence: mass shootings, unintentional shootings, suicides, the impact of gun trafficking and domestic violence shootings. 

As Greenwald rightly recognizes, it's difficult to properly illustrate the impact of gun violence on Americans without grappling with domestic abuse.

To start, the majority of mass shootings in the U.S., defined as those in which four or more people are killed, are related to domestic violence. 

More often than not, when a woman is fatally shot in this country, the person wielding the firearm is someone she dated or married. Most women who die in gun homicides in the U.S. are killed by intimate partners or other family members. A U.S. woman is fatally shot by a romantic partner or ex every 16 hours, according to a recent analysis.

For every woman who is gunned down in a domestic violence homicide, countless others are seriously injured in non-fatal shootings.

One such survivor is Kate Ranta, a Florida woman featured in the film who police say was shot twice by her estranged husband in 2012. Her father was also shot multiple times, and her son William, who had just turned 4, was present in the room when the bullets began to fly.

"One day, over a year after I left him, he showed up unannounced at my new apartment while my father was visiting me. I could feel something was off and frantically tried to lock the door. He pulled out a gun... and shot me twice," she told The Huffington Post. "One bullet exploded my hand. The other went through my left breast, just missing my heart. My father was also shot twice. My son witnessed the whole thing."

Her ex has yet to stand trial. 

"Why should anybody who's been an abuser ever have access to a gun?
Robert Greenwald

In an especially emotional scene in "Making A Killing," Ranta's son recalls begging his father not to shoot his mother. Ranta said William now suffers from PTSD and anxiety. 

Greenwald said that William's testimony had a profound impact on him.

"I've filmed drone survivors in Pakistan, I've filmed in Afghanistan. ... There was something about Will's talking that had me just choking up," Greenwald said. "You feel the depth of the experience on this child, who is going to hold it forever as part of him." 

Greenwald said that when it comes to public perceptions of domestic violence, the country has come far since "The Burning Bed" premiered. 

"People accept it's a substantive problem, which I don't believe they did before," he said, "It was more like some horrible, disgusting version of she asked for it."

Yet, when it comes to guns, he said, there's still plenty of progress left to make. 

"There are many who are not taking sufficient steps to take guns away from abusers, and some of that goes back to the legislators, to the morally and financially corrupt elected officials," Greenwald said. "Women are getting killed and shot. Why should anybody who's been an abuser ever have access to a gun?" 

He said he hopes that the film will inspire people from all across the country to get involved in the anti-gun violence movement. 

"The NRA are doing enormous damage to so many people's lives around the country in the interest of a very, very small group of people's greed, and money and ideology," he said. "I hope and I sincerely believe that the tide is shifting."

"Making A Killing" will premiere the week of March 14th in cities throughout the country -- and be available to use for free for local screenings and house parties. To sign-up to screen the film, visit Brave New Films.

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Melissa Jeltsen covers domestic violence and other issues related to women's health, safety and security. Tips? Feedback? Send an email or follow her on Twitter.

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Related stories: 

• This Is Not A Love Story: Examining A Month Of Deadly Domestic Violence In America


• A Dangerous Loophole In Federal Law Is Putting Women's Lives At Risk


• Why Didn't You Just Leave? Six Domestic Violence Survivors Explain Why It's Never That Simple


• It’s Time We Listen When Women Say Their Boyfriends Are Dangerous


• This Is How A Domestic Violence Victim Falls Through The Cracks


• Men Offer Abhorrent Excuses For Killing Women. Don't Repeat Them.


• We're Missing The Big Picture On Mass Shootings


• A Legal Loophole May Have Cost This Woman Her Life

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A capella covers of Lady Gaga's "Till It Happens to You" are making their way onto YouTube as part of a contest to raise awareness about sexual assault. And we don't need to wait for a winner to be announced to start showing off how beautiful some of them are. 

The Sing for Survivors Contest, sponsored by the White House’s "It's On Us" initiative and the campus rape documentary "The Hunting Ground," is a call for college students to post videos of them performing a capella covers of "Till It Happens to You." The track was composed by Diane Warren as the theme for “The Hunting Ground” and was nominated for an Oscar for best original song.

Winners will be picked by a panel of judges and win sheet music signed by Warren and Lady Gaga, as well as a Skype session with Pentatonix. Entries are due by March 15.

We found a few this week following Lady Gaga's widely popular performance at the Oscars on Sunday, in which she invited college sexual assault survivors onstage with her, and decided to post some of the videos before a winner is picked. 

Three Miles Lost, a group from Hobart & William Smith Colleges in New York, published their version on Monday. 

The After School Specials, a group from the Claremont Colleges in California, appears to be one of the first campus clubs to upload an a capella cover of the song, putting their video online in January. 

Four clubs from the University of Illinois -- Girls Next Door A Cappella, Illinois Rip Chords, The ILL Harmonic and the Xtension Chords -- came together to produce one video that they put on YouTube on Feb. 24.

Inversion, an all-male club from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, uploaded a version last week.

Another men's club, the Singing Cardsmen from the University of Louisville in Kentucky, put their cover up last week as well. 

And the last one we'll share -- for now -- comes from SUNY Cortland A Cappella, which was also uploaded last week.

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Tyler Kingkade covers higher education and sexual violence, and is based in New York. You can contact him at tyler.kingkade@huffingtonpost.com, or on Twitter: @tylerkingkade.

Related Coverage:

• These Are Some Of The Sexual Assault Survivors Who Stood With Lady Gaga At The Oscars


• Lady Gaga Made Hollywood Cry With Powerful Oscars Performance


• Why The White House Is Asking Students To Sing A Lady Gaga Song


• New White House PSA Is A Reminder: Sex Without Consent Is Rape

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"What exactly is an 'African artist'?" curators Julia Grosse and Yvette Mutumba asked in an email to The Huffington Post. "Someone who grew up in Johannesburg, studied in London and has galleries in Italy and Germany?" 

Grosse and Mutumba are the curators of "Focus: African Perspectives," this year's rendition of "Armory Focus," which spotlights art from a specific region every year during the historic Armory Show in New York City. This year's edition will feature young contemporary artists, born between the late 1970s and early 1990s, working in the African content or diaspora. It will feature galleries from Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Nigeria, as well as those from New York.

In the past couple of years, African contemporary art has entered the art world's main stage in a big way. Thanks to fairs like 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair and the Dakar Biennale, museums like MoCADA, and exhibitions like "Disguise: Masks and Global African Art," African artists are reaching larger audiences and higher values. 

With this newfound success, however, comes misunderstandings. As Grosse and Mutumba put it: "With this rather new attention, unfortunately, too often comes an idea of 'African Art' or 'the African artist' as if a continent with 54 states was a country with a completely homogenous art scene. We advocate the idea that, as a matter of fact, there is no 'African Art' in that sense. The work of a conceptual artist in Harare is very different from what a performance artist in Nairobi or a painter in Kampala produces."

With this in mind, Grosse and Mutumba set out to curate a show that reflects the radical diversity of contemporary art from an African perspective. Visitors at "Armory Focus" are just as likely to see "an artist who has lived and worked in Dakar his whole life as much as someone who grew up in Berlin, with Nigerian parents and is now based in New York," they explained. 

"Focus" will spotlight young artists through solo presentations by the galleries that represent them, as well as through on-site special projects. The main shared characteristic of the artists on view is their youth, and the undoubtedly contemporary nature of the work. Beyond that, diversity prevails, with artists working in video, photography, installation, performance, drawing and painting in wildly different styles.

"Of course they are sometimes issues (like migration or various definitions of identities) that come up again in different works, simply because they reflect the realities of the young global contemporaries we invited," the curators said. The exhibit will also feature the work of two or three artists from an older generation, looking back at just how long the artistic conversation between the continent and the diaspora has been in place. 

Both Grosse and Mutumba hope that one day artists from Africa will not be identified specifically as such, and can freely navigate the contemporary art world without special distinction. "It of course should be normal to have artists from a 'non-Western' background included in the art world circle and not first of all defined as 'a Nigerian artist' but as 'contemporary artist.'"

However, the curators feel that ultimately, through shows like this, we're making progress, moving forward on the road to a more diverse and fluid art marketplace. "By approaching us to curate the 'Focus' section, the Armory Show is a great example of how the art market does not only allocate economic presence and value to art, but how it can also be an important, emphatic promoter and supporter of productive and creative networks and relations."

"Focus: African Perspectives" runs from March 3 to March 6 as part of the The Armory Show in New York. 

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Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera shared one of history's most torrid love affairs. Their relationship was both riddled with infidelities and bound by their endless love for one another. 

Much of their time together was spent in Kahlo's famous home, La Casa Azul in Mexico, where photographer Nikolas Muray also shot home videos of the eccentric couple.  

A Frida Kahlo fan page on Facebook posted some of Muray's footage in a rare video, which shows the two iconic artists kissing and embracing each other. 

In the video, a narrator recites an excerpt that Kahlo wrote about her love for Rivera in her diary. 

"Nobody will ever know how much I love Diego,” says the narrator reading Kahlo’s words. "I don’t want anything to hurt him, nothing to bother him and rob him of the energy he needs for living -- for living as he likes, for painting, seeing, loving, eating, sleeping, being by himself, being with someone. But I’d never want him to be sad. If I had good health, I’d give him all of it. If I had youth, he could take it all." 

Watch the rare video of Kahlo and Rivera above. 

H/T Vivala 

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Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo, Paul Rudd and Jon Stewart are among the stars who will be featured at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, which announced the first batch of its lineup on Wednesday. A third of the films are directed by women -- more than any other time in the festival's 14-year history.

Highlights include Demetri Martin's directorial debut, "Dean," starring Kevin Kline and Gillian Jacobs, as well as the anthology film "Madly," which features sections directed by Gael García Bernal, Mia Wasikowska and Sebastián Silva. As always, holdovers from previous festivals, including Toronto's polarizing "High-Rise," round out the lineup. 

The other films in Tribeca's main slate will be announced on March 8. The festival runs April 13-24. See the first batch below.

U.S. Narrative Competition

Opening Film: "Kicks," directed by Justin Tipping, written by Justin Tipping and Josh Beirne-Golden. (USA) – World Premiere. When his hard-earned kicks get snatched by a local hood, fifteen-year old Brandon and his two best friends go on an ill-advised mission across the Bay Area to retrieve the stolen sneakers. Featuring a soundtrack packed with hip-hop classics, Justin Tipping's debut feature is an urban coming-of-age tale told with grit, humor, and surprising lyricism. With Jahking Guillory, Mahershala Ali, Kofi Siriboe, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Christopher Meyer.  A Focus World release.

"Always Shine," directed by Sophia Takal, written by Lawrence Michael Levine. (USA) – World Premiere. This twisty psychological drama about obsession, fame and femininity follows two friends, both actresses (Mackenzie Davis and Caitlin FitzGerald), on a trip to Big Sur, to reconnect with one another. Once alone, the women's suppressed jealousies and deep-seated resentments begin to rise, causing them to lose their grasp on not only the true nature of their relationship, but also their identities. With Lawrence Michael Levine, Alex Koch, Jane Adams.

"AWOL," directed by Deb Shoval, written by Deb Shoval and Karolina Waclawiak. (USA) – World Premiere. Joey (Lola Kirke) is a young woman in search of direction in her small town. A visit to an army recruiting office appears to provide a path, but when she meets and falls in love with Rayna (Breeda Wool) that path diverges in ways that neither woman anticipates. Building on the award-winning short of the same name, director Deb Shoval crafts a clear-eyed love story, and an impressive feature film debut.

"Dean," directed and written by Demetri Martin. (USA) – World Premiere. In comedian Demetri Martin’s funny and heartfelt directorial debut, Martin plays an illustrator who falls hard for an LA woman (Gillian Jacobs) while trying to prevent his father (Kevin Kline) from selling the family home in the wake of his mother’s death. With Rory Scovel, Ginger Gonzaga, Reid Scott, Mary Steenburgen, Christine Woods, Beck Bennett, Briga Heelan.

"Dreamland," directed by Robert Schwartzman, written by Benjamin Font and Robert Schwartzman. (USA) – World Premiere. Robert Schwartzman makes his directorial debut with this comedy about the cost of reaching your dreams. Part-time pianist Monty Fagan (Johnny Simmons) begins a May-December romance that upends his home life. A set of perfectly cast co-stars push or manipulate Monty along the way: Amy Landecker, Frankie Shaw, Alan Ruck, Beverly D’Angelo, along with Robert’s older brother Jason Schwartzman, and their mother Talia Shire.

"The Fixer," directed by Ian Olds, written by Paul Felten and Ian Olds. (USA) – World Premiere. After an exiled Afghan journalist (Dominic Rains) arrives in a small town in Northern California, he lands a menial job as a crime reporter for the local newspaper. Restless in his new position, he teams up with an eccentric local (James Franco) to investigate the town’s peculiar subculture only to find things quickly taking a dangerous turn. With Melissa Leo, Rachel Brosnahan, Tim Kniffin, Thomas Jay Ryan

"Folk Hero & Funny Guy," directed and written by Jeff Grace. (USA) – World Premiere. Alex Karpovsky and Wyatt Russell co-headline as two artistically inclined childhood friends, a comedian and a folk-rocker respectively, who set out on a tour together in hopes of regaining their “mojo” and finding love in the process. Jeff Grace's debut film offers a fresh perspective on male friendship and a music infused spin on the classic road-trip buddy comedy. With Meredith Hagner, Michael Ian Black, Hannah Simone, Heather Morris, Melanie Lynskey, David Cross 

"Live Cargo," directed by Logan Sandler, written by Logan Sandler and Thymaya Payne. (USA, Bahamas) – World Premiere. Nadine (Dree Hemingway) and Lewis (Keith Stanfield) move to a small Bahamian island hoping to restore their relationship in the wake of a tragedy, only to find the picturesque island torn in two: on one side a dangerous human trafficker and on the other an aging patriarch, struggling to maintain order. With Leonard Earl Howze, Sam Dillon, Robert Wisdom

"The Ticket," directed by Ido Fluk, written by Ido Fluk and Sharon Mashishi. (USA) – World Premiere. When a blind man inexplicably regains his vision, he becomes possessed by a drive for a better life—a nicer home, a higher paying job—leaving little room for the people who were part of his old life. Dan Stevens, Malin Åkerman, Oliver Platt, and Kerry Bishé star in this haunting parable of desire, perception, and ambition.

"Women Who Kill," directed and written by Ingrid Jungermann. (USA) – World Premiere. Morgan and Jean work well together as true crime podcasters because they didn’t work well, at all, as a couple. When Morgan strikes up a new relationship with the mysterious Simone, their shared interest turns into suspicion, paranoia, and fear. Ingrid Jungermann’s whip smart feature debut is an adept and wry comedy on modern romance’s hollow results, set in an LGBTQ Brooklyn. With Ingrid Jungermann, Ann Carr, Sheila Vand, Shannon O'Neill, Annette O'Toole, Grace Rex.

International Narrative Competition

Opening Film: "Madly," directed and written by Gael García Bernal, Mia Wasikowska, Sebastian Silva, Anurag Kashyap, Sion Sono, and Natasha Khan. (Argentina, Australia, USA, India, Japan, UK) – World Premiere. "Madly" is an international anthology of short films exploring love in all its permutations. Directed by some of the most vibrant filmmakers working today, the six stories in "Madly" portray contemporary love in all its glorious, sad, ecstatic, empowering, and erotic manifestations. With Radhika Apte, Satyadeep Misra, Adarsh Gourav, Kathryn Beck, Lex Santos, Mariko Tsutsui, Yuki Sakurai, Ami Tomite, Justina Bustos, Pablo Seijo, Tamsin Topolski. In English, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish with subtitles.

"El Clásico," directed by Halkawt Mustafa, written by Anders Fagerholt and Halkawt Mustafa. (Norway, Iraqi Kurdistan Region) – North American Premiere. Alan and Gona are in love, but Gona's father won’t approve their union because Alan is a little person. So, Alan hits the road with his brother, traveling from their small Iraqi village to the Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid. The plan: meet Cristiano Ronaldo, and earn the blessing of Gona’s father. "El Clásico" is a distinctly cinematic road movie, brimming with warmth and humor. With Wrya Ahmed, Dana Ahmed, Rozhin Sharifi, Kamaran Raoof, Nyan Aziz.In Arabic, Kurdish with subtitles. 

"Icaros: A Vision," directed by Leonor Caraballo and Matteo Norzi, written by Leonor Caraballo, Matteo Norzi, and Abou Farman. (Peru, USA) – World Premiere. An American woman in search of a miracle embarks on an adventure in the Peruvian Amazon. At a healing center, she finds hope in the form of an ancient psychedelic plant known as ayahuasca. With her perception forever altered, she bonds with a young indigenous shaman who is treating a group of psychonauts seeking transcendence, companionship, and the secrets of life and death. With Ana Cecilia Stieglitz, Arturo Izquierdo, Filippo Timi. In English, Spanish with subtitles.

"Junction 48," directed by Udi Aloni, written by Oren Moverman and Tamer Nafar. (Israel, Germany, USA) – International Premiere. Set against a backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "Junction 48" charts the musical ambitions of Kareem, an aspiring rapper from the town of Lod. A heartbreaking portrayal of the intersection of personal and political tragedies, "Junction 48" questions to what extent music can be dissociated from politics. With Tamer Nafar, Samar Qupty, Salwa Nakkara, Ayed Fadel, Sameh "SAZ" Zakout, Saeed Dassuki. In Arabic, Hebrew with subtitles.

"Mother" (Ema), directed by Kadri Kousaar, written by Leana Jalukse and Al Wallcat. (Estonia) – International Premiere. This darkly comic, crime mystery set in small-town Estonia centers on Elsa, the full time caretaker of her comatose son, Lauri, and the locals, who are abuzz with rumors about who shot Lauri and why. But in this tight-knit town, where everyone seems to know everyone and everything except for what’s right under their nose, the world’s clumsiest crime may go unsolved. With Tiina Mälberg, Jaan Pehk, Andres Tabun, Andres Noormets, Rea Lest, Jaak Prints, Siim Maaten In Estonian with subtitles.

"Parents" (Forældre), directed and written by Christian Tafdrup. (Denmark) – World Premiere. Told with deadpan Nordic humor and a touch of surrealism, Parents follows Kjelde and Vibeke, two empty-nesters who find themselves unable to let go of the past. Stripped of their identity without their son, who recently moved away to college, they attempt to reclaim their youthful vigor by moving back into the old apartment where they first fell in love. They soon realize that everything that once defined them might no longer exist. With Søren Malling, Bodil Jørgensen, Elliott Crosset Hove, Miri-Ann Beuschel, Anton Honik In Danish with subtitles.

"Perfect Strangers" (Perfetti sconosciuti), directed by Paolo Genovese, written by Filippo Bologna, Paolo Costella, Paolo Genovese, Paola Mammini, and Rolando Ravello. (Italy) – International Premiere. Paolo Genovese's new film brings us a bitter ensemble with an all-star cast that poses the question: How well do we really know those close to us? During a dinner party, three couples and a bachelor decide to play a dangerous game with their cell phones. Brilliantly executed and scripted, "Perfect Strangers" reveals the true nature of how we connect to each other. With Marco Giallini, Kasia Smutniak, Valerio Mastandrea, Anna Foglietta, Edoardo Leo, Alba Rohrwacher, Giuseppe Battiston​ In Italian with subtitles.

"The Tenth Man" (El Rey Del Once), directed and written by Daniel Burman. (Argentina) – North American Premiere. Ariel is summoned to Buenos Aires by his distant father, who runs a Jewish aid foundation in El Once, the bustling Jewish neighborhood where he spent his youth. Writer-director Daniel Burman ("All In") returns to Tribeca with this tender exploration of community, and the intricacies of the father-son relationship. With Alan Sabbagh, Julieta Zylberberg, Usher, Elvira Onetto, Adrian Stoppelman, Elisa Carricajo. In Spanish with subtitles.

World Documentary Competition

Opening Film: "Contemporary Color," directed by Bill Ross and Turner Ross. (USA) – World Premiere. In the summer of 2015, legendary musician David Byrne staged an unprecedented event at Brooklyn's Barclays Center to celebrate the art of color guard—synchronized dance involving flags, rifles, and sabers—by pairing regional color guard teams with performers, including St. Vincent, Nelly Furtado, and Ad-Rock. More than a concert film, "Contemporary Color" is a cinematic interpretation of a one-of-a-kind live event, courtesy of visionary filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross.

"All This Panic," directed by Jenny Gage. (USA) – World Premiere. What is it like to come of age in New York City? First-time director Jenny Gage follows vivacious sisters, Ginger and Dusty, and their high school friends over the course of their crucial teen years. In this sensitive and cinematic documentary, Gage captures all the urgency, drama, and bittersweetness of girlhood as her subjects grapple with love, friendship, and what their futures hold.

"Betting on Zero," directed and written by Ted Braun. (USA) – World Premiere. Allegations of corporate criminality and high-stakes Wall Street vendettas swirl throughout this riveting financial docu-thriller. Controversial hedge fund titan Bill Ackman is on a crusade to expose global nutritional giant Herbalife as the largest pyramid scheme in history while Herbalife execs claim Ackman is a market manipulator out to bankrupt them and make a killing off his billion dollar short. 

"BUGS," directed and written by Andreas Johnsen. (Denmark) – World Premiere. Head Chef Ben Reade and Lead Researcher Josh Evans from Nordic Food Lab are on a mission to investigate the next big trend in food: edible insects. Filmmaker Andreas Johnsen follows the duo on a globe-trotting tour as they put their own haute-cuisine spin on local insect delicacies (bee larva ceviche, anyone?) in the pursuit of food diversity and deliciousness.

"Do Not Resist," directed by Craig Atkinson. (USA) – World Premiere. In "Do Not Resist," director Craig Atkinson, through keen and thoughtful observances, presents a startling and powerful exploration into the rapid militarization of police forces in the United States. Filmed over two years, in 11 states, "Do Not Resist" reveals a rare and surprising look into the increasingly disturbing realities of American police culture.

"The Happy Film: a GRAPHIC Design Experiment," directed by Stefan Sagmeister, Ben Nabors, and Hillman Curtis. (USA) – World Premiere. Designer Stefan Sagmeister takes us on a personal journey to find out what causes happiness. Experimenting with three different approaches—meditation, therapy, and drugs—Sagmeister embarks on an entertaining and introspective quest, accented with a whimsical panoply of graphics, charts, and proverbs. "The Happy Film" may not make you happier, but it will surely move you to reexamine your own pursuit of happiness.

"Keep Quiet," directed by Joseph Martin and Sam Blair. (U.K., Hungary) – World Premiere. Passionate in his anti-Semitic beliefs, Csanád Szegedi was the rising star of Hungary’s far-right party until he discovers his family’s secret—his maternal grandparents were Jewish. The revelation prompts an improbable but seemingly heartfelt conversion from anti-Semite to Orthodox Jew. This captivating and confrontational film explores the complex and contradictory character of Szegedi, prompting deep questions about Szegedi's supposed epiphany. In English, Hungarian with subtitles.

"LoveTrue," directed by Alma Har'el. (USA) – World Premiere. Alma Har’el, director and cinematographer of the 2011 TFF Best Documentary Feature "Bombay Beach," returns with "LoveTrue," a genre-bending documentary, demystifying the fantasy of true love. From an Alaskan strip club, a Hawaiian island, and the streets of NYC—revelatory stories emerge about a deeper definition of love. Set to a hypnotizing score by Flying Lotus and executive produced by Shia LaBeouf.

"Memories of a Penitent Heart," directed by Cecilia Aldarondo. (USA, Puerto Rico) – World PremiereLike many gay men in the 1980s, Miguel moved from Puerto Rico to New York City; he found a career in theater and a rewarding relationship. Yet, on his deathbed he grappled to reconcile his homosexuality with his Catholic upbringing. Now, decades after his death, his niece Cecilia locates Miguel’s estranged lover to understand the truth, and in the process opens up long-dormant family secrets. In English, Spanish with subtitles.

"The Return," directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway, written by Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway, and Greg O'Toole. (USA) – World Premiere. How does one reintegrate into society after making peace with a life sentence? California’s controversial and notoriously harsh three-strikes law was repealed in 2012, consequently releasing large numbers of convicts back into society. "The Return" presents an unbiased observation of the many issues with re-entry through the varied experiences of recently freed lifers.

"Tickling Giants," directed and written by Sara Taksler. (USA) – World Premiere. Charting Bassem Youssef’s rise as Egypt’s foremost on-screen satirist, "Tickling Giants" offers a rousing celebration of free speech and a showcase for the power of satire to speak for the people against a repressive government. Where this story differs from the familiar success of Youssef’s idol, Jon Stewart: Bassem's jokes come with serious, dangerous, and at times revolutionary consequences. In Arabic, English with subtitles.

"Untouchable," directed by David Feige. (USA) – World Premiere. When a powerful Florida lobbyist discovered his daughter was sexually abused, he launched a crusade to pass some of the strictest sex offender laws in the country. Today, 800,000 people are listed in the sex offender registry, yet the cycles of abuse continue. David Feige's enlightening documentary argues for a new understanding of how we think about and legislate sexual abuse.

Viewpoints

Opening Film: "Nerdland," directed by Chris Prynoski, written by Andy Kevin Walker. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Nerdland" is an R-rated cartoon comedy about celebrity, excess, and two showbiz nobodies, John (Paul Rudd) and Elliott (Patton Oswalt), with a plan to become famous -- or even infamous -- by the end of the night. Featuring an army of comedy cameos including Hannibal Buress, Laraine Newman, Mike Judge, Kate Micucci & Riki Lindhome, and Molly Shannon.

Abortion: "Stories Women Tell," directed by Tracy Droz Tragos. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. In 1973, the US Supreme court decision Roe v. Wade gave every woman the right to have an abortion. In 2016, abortion remains one of the most divisive issues in America, especially in Missouri. Award-winning director and Missouri native Tracy Droz Tragos sheds new light on the contentious issue by focusing on the women and their stories, rather than the debate. An HBO Documentary Film.

"Actor Martinez," directed and written by Nathan Silver and Mike Ott. (USA) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Arthur Martinez is a computer repairman and aspiring actor who commissions indie directors Mike Ott and Nathan Silver to film his life. In the directors’ first collaboration, we see them follow Arthur as he goes to work, drives around, and auditions for a love interest (Lindsay Burdge), leading them to question the meaning of the project, and ultimately that of identity and stardom.

"Adult Life Skills," directed and written by Rachel Tunnard. (U.K.) – World Premiere, Narrative. Anna (Jodie Whittaker) is stuck: she’s approaching 30, living in her mother’s shed, and spending her time making movies with her thumbs. Her mom wants her to move out; she just wants to be left alone. "Adult Life Skills" is an off-beat comedy about a woman who's lost, finding herself. With Jodie Whittaker, Brett Goldstein, Lorraine Ashbourne, Alice Lowe, Edward Hogg, Eileen Davies, Rachael Deering, Ozzy Myers.

"After Spring," directed by Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Close to 80,000 Syrian refugees live in the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan. "After Spring" immerses us in the rhythms of the camp, the role of the aid workers, and the daily lives of two families as they contemplate an uncertain future. Executive produced by Jon Stewart, this is a fascinating journey through the camp’s physical and human landscapes. In Arabic, English, Korean with subtitles.

"As I Open My Eyes" (À peine j'ouvre les yeux), directed by Leyla Bouzid, written by Leyla Bouzid and Marie-Sophie Chambon. (France, Tunisia, Belgium, United Arab Emirates) – US Premiere, Narrative. "As I Open My Eyes" depicts the clash between culture and family as seen through the eyes of a young Tunisian woman balancing the traditional expectations of her family with her creative life as the singer in a politically charged rock band. Director Leyla Bouzid’s musical feature debut offers a nuanced portrait of the individual implications of the incipient Arab Spring. With Baya Medhaffer, Ghalia Benali,  Montassar Ayari, Aymen Omrani, Lassaad Jamoussi, Deena Abdelwahed, Youssef Soltana, Marwen Soltana. In Arabic with subtitles. Presented in association with Venice Days.

"Between Us," directed and written by Rafael Palacio Illingworth. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Longtime couple Henry (Ben Feldman) and Dianne (Olivia Thirlby) are afraid that if they finally tie the knot it would mean the end of their days as free-spirited urbanites. But a whirlwind night apart involving temptations from a duo of strangers (Analeigh Tipton and Adam Goldberg) will either make them realize why they are together in the first place or finally drive them apart forever. With Scott Haze, Peter Bogdanovich, Lesley Ann Warren.

"Califórnia," directed by Marina Person, written by Marina Person, Mariana Veríssimo, and Francisco Guarnieri. (Brazil) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Nostalgic, sweet, and at moments poignantly funny, "Califórnia" is a coming-of-age tale about a high school student, Estela, growing up in São Paulo in the 1980s. Estela is doing all she can to get to California to visit her glamorous and cultured uncle. While focused on keeping her grades up, her life is complicated by romance, sex, and social pressures. With Clara Gallo, Caio Blat, and Caio Horowicz. In Portuguese with subtitles.

"The Charro of Toluquilla" (El Charro De Toluquilla), directed and written by Jose Villalobos Romero. (Mexico) – International Premiere, Documentary. Jaime García appears to be the quintessentially machismo mariachi singer, yet beneath his magnetic confidence lies a man struggling to maintain a relationship with his estranged family while living as an HIV-positive man. In Jose Villalobos Romero’s remarkable cinematic debut, he utilizes vivid tableaus and stylized perspective to paint a beautifully unique and emotional portrait of a man divided. With Analia Garcia Hernandez, Rocio Hernandez, La Paloma, Andrea Dominguez, Ventura Garcia. In Spanish with subtitles.

"Children of the Mountain," directed and written by Priscilla Anany. (USA, Ghana) – World Premiere, Narrative. When a young woman gives birth to a deformed and sickly child, she becomes the victim of cruelty and superstition in her Ghanaian community. Discarded by her lover, she is convinced she suffers from a ‘dirty womb,’ and embarks on a journey to heal her son and create a future for them both. With Rukiyat Masud, Grace Omaboe, Akofa Edjeani, Adjetey Annang, Agbeko Mortty (Bex), Dzifa Glikpo, Mynna Otoo. In Twi with subtitles.

"Detour," directed and written by Christopher Smith. (U.K.) – World Premiere, Narrative. After his mother ends up in a coma under suspicious circumstances, a law student (Tye Sheridan) decides to drown his sorrows at a seedy bar. The next morning, he wakes up to the realization that he may have hired a hitman (Emory Cohen) and his girlfriend (Bel Powley) to take out the suspected perpetrator (Stephen Moyer) of his mother’s life-threatening accident. With Theo James.

"Equals," directed by Drake Doremus, written by Nathan Parker. (USA) – US Premiere, Narrative. Set in a sleek and stylish future world, Drake Doremus’ sci-fi romance envisions an understated dystopia, where all human emotion is seen as a disease that must be treated and cured. Against this backdrop, coworkers Nia (Kristen Stewart) and Silas (Nicholas Hoult) begin to feel dangerous stirrings for one another. An A24 release.

"14 Minutes from Earth," directed and written by Jerry Kolber, Adam "Tex" Davis, Trey Nelson, and Erich Sturm. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. On Oct. 24th, 2014, a secret three-year mission by a small crew of engineers came to fruition deep in the desert of New Mexico. There, a human being (Alan Eustace) was launched higher than ever before without the aid of a spacecraft -- shattering all records. This film documents the mission and its greater implications for the scientific community and stratospheric exploration. 

"haveababy," directed by Amanda Micheli. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Amanda Micheli’s "haveababy" opens with a YouTube-based competition for a free round of in vitro fertilization, courtesy of a Las Vegas fertility clinic. Through this controversial contest, Micheli explores the complexities of America's burgeoning fertility industry and paints an intimate portrait of the many resilient couples determined to have a baby against all odds. 

"High-Rise," directed by Ben Wheatley, written by Amy Jump and Ben Wheatley. (U.K.) – New York Premiere, Narrative. Based on J.G. Ballard’s novel of the same name, "High-Rise" stars Tom Hiddleston as Dr. Robert Lang, a newcomer to a recently constructed complex in which the residents are stratified by social class. But when the power goes out, the tenuous hierarchy rapidly descends into chaos. Luke Evans, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, and Elisabeth Moss co-star. A Magnolia Pictures release.

"Houston, We Have a Problem!," directed by Žiga Virc, written by Žiga Virc and Boštjan Virc. (Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, Czech Republic, Qatar) – World Premiere. The space race and NASA’s moon landing are as much part of our national identity as they are fodder for conspiracy theories. "Houston, We Have a Problem!" adds new material to the discussion on both fronts, as filmmaker Žiga Virc investigates the myth of a secret multi-billion-dollar deal involving America’s purchase of Yugoslavia’s space program in the early 1960s.​ In Croatian, English, Serbian, Slovene with subtitles. 

"The Human Thing" (La Cosa Humana), directed by Gerardo Chijona, written by Francisco García and Gerardo Chijona. (Cuba) – International Premiere, Narrative. Gerardo Chijona’s ("Ticket to Paradise") newest film opens with a thief breaking into the home of a famous writer, and unknowingly stealing what turns out to be the only manuscript of his upcoming story. In desperate need of money, he submits it to a contest, which will see him competing with the very writer he robbed. With Héctor Medina, Enrique Molina, Carlos Enrique Almirante, Vladimir Cruz, Miriel Cejas, Amarilis Núñez, Osvaldo Doimeadiós, Mario Guerra, Alejandro Rivera. In Spanish with subtitles. Presented in association with the Havana Film Festival New York.

"Keepers of the Game," directed by Judd Ehrlich. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Lacrosse is a sacred game for Native Americans, traditionally reserved for men. When a women's varsity team forms in upstate New York, they aim to be the first Native women’s team to take the championship title away from their rivals Massena High. But when their funding is slashed, and the indigenous community is torn, they find more than just the championship is on the line.​

"The Loner," directed and written by Daniel Grove. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Daniel Grove’s neon-soaked feature debut follows reformed mobster Behrouz, who is haunted by memories of being a child soldier in Iran in the 1980s. As he pursues the American Dream in Los Angeles, Behrouz finds it increasingly difficult to stay away from the seedy underbelly of the city. Grove’s neo-noir is a smart, action-packed, and colorful thriller with an electrifying score. With Reza Sixo Safai, Helena Mattsson, Parviz Sayyad, Julian Sands, Laura Harring, Dominic Rains. In English, Farsi, Russian with subtitles.

"Night School," directed and written by Andrew Cohn. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Indianapolis has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country. For adult learners Greg, Melissa, and Shynika, a high school diploma could be a life-changing achievement. Andrew Cohn's absorbing documentary observes their individual pursuits, fraught with the challenges of daily life and also the broader systemic roadblocks faced by many low income Americans, including wages and working conditions.

"Obit," directed by Vanessa Gould. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Within the storied walls of The New York Times, a team of writers is entrusted with reflecting upon the luminaries, icons, and world leaders of our day. Vanessa Gould's fascinating documentary introduces us to those responsible for crafting the unequaled obituaries of the NYT. As we're taken through their painstaking process we learn about the pressures accompanying a career spent shaping the story of a life.

"Poor Boy," directed by Robert Scott Wildes, written by Robert Scott Wildes and Logan Antill. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Romeo and Samson Griggs, two reckless, misfit brothers living on the outskirts of town, survive by hustling, gambling, and thieving. In an attempt to leave their lot behind for good, they design their most complex and financially rewarding long con yet. With Lou Taylor Pucci, Michael Shannon, Justin Chatwin, and Amanda Crew.

"The Ride," directed and written by Stéphanie Gillard. (France) – World Premiere, Documentary. "The Ride" takes us along the annual 300-mile trek through the South Dakota Badlands. There, young men and women of the Lakota Sioux ride horseback and reflect upon the history of their ancestors. This intimate, stunningly photographed account captures the thoughts and emotions of the young riders and the adults who guide them along their journey.

"SOLITARY," directed by Kristi Jacobson. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. With unprecedented access, director Kristi Jacobson offers a deeply moving portrait of life inside solitary confinement within a supermax prison. Filmed over the course of one year, this riveting film tells the story of the complex personalities that dwell on either side of a cell door while raising provocative questions about the nature of crime and punishment in America today. An HBO Documentary Film.

"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four," directed by Deborah S. Esquenazi. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. In 1994, four women were tried and convicted of a heinous assault on two young girls in a court case that was infused with homophobic prejudice and the Satanic Panic sweeping the nation at that time. "Southwest of Salem" is a fascinating true crime story that puts the trial of the San Antonio Four in context of their ongoing search for exoneration. 

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You may have noticed a recent tweet in which her holiness, Adele, gave a surprising shoutout to a legendary visual artist named Yayoi Kusama. 

Turns out, Adele incorporated imagery of the Japanese artist's hallucinatory hall of mirrors (from her well-known "Infinity Mirror Room" installation) into her performance at the 2016 Brit Awards. 

In the song, "When We Were Young," Adele looks back on her life from childhood to present day, examining the ways she has changed and the shapes she's taken. When she discovered Yayoi Kusama's glittering installation, she couldn't help but notice a connection, seeing herself reflected in infinite angles, each capturing a different perspective.

"I definitely felt like, standing in that room for an hour, I saw things in myself and of myself that I haven’t noticed before," she says in the video below. 

Below, Adele discusses her love for Queen Kusama, who she strangely discovered through a Katy Perry Instagram, as well as Los Angeles' new free museum The Broad, where the "Infinity Mirrored Room" now resides.

She also talks about the roles art and museums have played in her life. The daughter of an aspiring artist, Adele was constantly dragged to museums as a kid, something she now associates with her desire to express creatively. 

Hear Adele wax poetic on artsy stuff below, and if you don't know about the magical being who is Yayoi Kusama, remedy the situation immediately. 

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For the past two years, Brazilian journalist Weudson Ribeiro has been documenting the beauty of Afro-Brazilian women by photographing spontaneous portraits of them in an ongoing project. The result was released this month in a photo essay called "Superafro: O poder da mulher negra" or "Superafro: BLACK GIRL POWER."

The project, which features candid portraits of black women from Brazil, seeks to highlight women who proudly stand in their own blackness as a political statement. 

Ribeiro, a 24-year-old journalist and political scientist based in Brasília, has been taking photos for nearly a decade. He is the only son of mixed-race parents, and says that for a long time he struggled with "understanding and accepting my own blackness." 

"It's a problem that affects the vast majority of Brazilians as a result of our highly mixed ethnic backgrounds," Ribeiro told The Huffington Post.

To combat this problem, he took to the streets of Brasília two years ago. He said he would strike up conversations with Afro-Brazilian women and ask to take their portraits. "[I] pretty much approach anyone who seems friendly. If they're interested, I proceed to send them copies of the material. Otherwise, I move on. The pictures on the blog are mostly of strangers I'd just met."

The series is part of a new surge in Afro-Brazilian pride, as more and more black people in the country begin to embrace their African ancestry in the face of oppression, racism, and disenfranchisement. The country's National Day Of Black Consciousness has grown more popular over the last decade, while black feminists are mobilizing and generating conversations about colorism and natural hair in the country. 

"Black lives here go through the same problems faced in the U.S., police brutality, colorism, bigger rates of poverty, social marginalization and mockery," Ribeiro says.

"But [Afro-Brazilian] women have become more politically vocal. Social media has thrived at giving minorities a medium to call out prejudice, articulate and reinforce their resistance."

In addition to the "Superafro" project, Ribeiro, who identifies as queer, also has plans to document the lives of the LGBT community in Brazil. "There's a wide range of diversity within the LGBT spectrum and I wanna explore that... the bond created between the Black and the LGBT communities in the fight for freedom and equality."

Learn more about the "Superafro: BLACK GIRL POWER" series on Ribeiro's website. 

View more photos from the project below. 

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Ohhhh, Ru-hoo!

Get ready, girls -- RuPaul is about to give new meaning to the term "March madness."

Not only is the eighth season of Ru's hit reality TV show competition, "RuPaul's Drag Race," set to premiere on Monday, March 7, but his new album, "Butch Queen," is out on Friday, March 4.

The album, which Ru told NewNowNext is his "salute to a few good men that dress like women," is also a tribute to "the spirit of the old-school ballroom scene celebrated in 'Paris is Burning.'"

“The infectious beats and relentless optimism of that music is timeless,” RuPaul said.

The first single from the album, "U Wear It Well," the video for which features every look Ru has worn on the "Drag Race" runway, certainly feels like a throwback to the housey joy of Ru's 1993 album "Supermodel Of The World" and could very well stand as the unofficial sequel to the hit "Back To My Roots."

Check out the track above and then go pre-order "Butch Queen" here.

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Six-month-old Charlie Crenshaw is a vibrant baby girl with a beautiful smile, but people don't always notice that at first. Instead, they tend to ask, "What's wrong with her face?"

According to her mom, HuffPost blogger Katie Mullis Crenshaw, Charlie was born with a capillary hemangioma (aka "strawberry mark") that doctors have deemed cosmetic. Katie told The Huffington Post that her daughter has seen specialists and takes daily medication to ensure it does not grow any larger or obstruct her vision.

With no known cause or prevention options, hemangiomas tend to "involute or disappear eventually," the mom wrote on her blog, Twelve And Six. She also shared her response to the many strangers, friends and family who are quick to mention Charlie's hemangioma. 

We don’t need to talk about it every time you look at her. We see past the color of her face. Charlie is Charlie and it’s part of who she is. It doesn’t need to be constantly commented on, critiqued, or questioned. While I don’t mind educating curious minds, I don’t need your opinion on how it its progress [sic] or the affect [sic] it may have on her. It’s a part of her unique beauty. It may never disappear, and guess what? It doesn’t have to. I would much rather chat about her latest milestone achievement, her amazing smile, or how gorgeous her eyes are.

Katie hopes her beautiful Instagram photos of her daughter will change people's perceptions of Charlie and others who look a little different.

"I would like to normalize 'differences' in appearances," the mom told HuffPost, adding, "People tend to immediately pity people who look different and I would like to change that conversation."

 Instead, Katie hopes people can get to know Charlie for who she really is. 

"Her personality is dynamic," she said. "Everyone she meets comments on her piercing eyes, or that she seems like an old soul that understands much more than we think. She is extremely motivated and is already crawling and trying to stand."

After sharing Charlie's story, Katie said she received some criticism based in misconceptions she'd like to clear up. 

"I don't feel I am doing her an injustice by not having it cosmetically removed to protect her from bullies," she explained. "As a child, I was bullied, and I had nothing wrong with me. I think to protect our children from bullies we should instill confidence and values in who they are, the way they were made."

"No one wants their child to be picked on, but children can be ruthless," she continued. "They will pick on kids for their name, their brand of shoes, or the way they talk. It's just something that may or may not happen."

Katie also wants others to know her family is open to answering questions about "the birthmark" and do understand their concern and compassion. "We just hope to educate people on our perspective and perhaps challenge them to think about the way they think and the words they say," she said.

Beyond the negative feedback, however, the mom says she received dozens of inspiring emails from parents of kids with hemangiomas and adults who had them as children. 

As the mom wrote in her blog post, "Hold the pity. She’s a healthy baby girl and we are blessed. Her hemangioma is just as insignificant to who she is as a freckle on her arm. You don’t need to mention it, and you don’t need to wish it away."

Keep scrolling for and visit Katie Mullis Crenshaw's Instagram for a look at her beautiful photos of baby Charlie.

H/T PopSugar

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How does one describe the character of George Washington?

You could use words like "powerful," "influential," "revolutionary," or "honest." But nothing beats the description Lin Manuel-Miranda's team used in an original casting notice for the hit musical "Hamilton": 

What better way to explain one of America's most beloved historical figures -- who is remembered as both sensitive and strong -- than by comparing him to an achingly soulful singer (John Legend) and the ultimate symbol of heroic leadership ("Lion Kings"'s Mufasa, obviously)?

Such was the logic of "Hamilton," as outlined in the July 2014 notice, tweeted earlier this week. The list goes on. It describes Aaron Burr as a mix between the "Les Misérables" antagonist Javert and Mos Def; Hercules Mulligan as Busta Rhymes meets 1940s film star Donald O'Connor; Peggy Schuyler as Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams. 

The notice is further proof that "Hamilton" is one of the most inventive musicals, taking inspiration from pop culture and history alike. As we've noted before, the show is full of references to Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim and "West Side Story," as well as nods to hip-hop icons: Biggie Smalls, the Fugees, even Jamie Foxx.

Last week, Miranda's father shared a photograph of the flyer used to advertise auditions for the composer's earlier musical, "In the Heights," which similarly describes a fusion of musical tastes -- from pop to salsa to hip-hop -- and cultural diversity.

In conclusion, long live Lin-Manuel Miranda.

H/T Slate

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On Wednesday, a small village in southwestern Ukraine officially changed the name of one of its streets from "Lenin Street" to "John Lennon Street." 

The news that the town, Kalyny, would honor the Beatles singer from now on instead of the Russian Communist Party founder was announced by Hennadiy Moskal, the governor of the Transcarpathia, the province where Kalyny is located. 

The move comes after Ukraine's parliament passed a number of "de-communization" laws last April banning Soviet and Nazi symbols. The legislation required the country's local authorities to rename geographic objects, such as streets, parks and bridges, whose names contained Soviet or Nazi symbols and propaganda.

Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 after an approximately 50-year-long annexation, but the Russian-Ukraine relationship remains tense today.

In March 2014, Russia formally annexed the southern Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea shortly after its troops entered the region to support pro-Russian separatists, in a move widely condemned by Western countries. Russia has also supported separatists fighting the government in Ukraine's east since early 2014, a conflict the United Nations says has left over 9,000 people on both sides dead.

Despite the tensions between Ukraine and Russia, local authorities like Moskal seem to be taking the de-communization guidelines seriously.

Moskal, who said he personally chose to rename John Lennon Street, also made a few other name changes around Transcaparthia, according to his website. Two, in particular, strongly hinted at nationalist sentiments in Ukraine.

"Collective Farm Street" was renamed "Tomas Masaryk Street," after a Czechoslovakian president believed to have sympathized with the Ukrainian independence movement.

And "Shchors Street," named after Soviet Red Army commander Nikolay Shchors, was changed to "Viktor Markus Street," to remember a Ukrainian soldier who died in the ongoing war between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The bold name changes are not just happening in Transcarpathia, but around the country.

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, an organization that helps preserve the country's history, also submitted a proposal to the Kiev city hall to rename "Moscow Avenue" to "Stepan Bandera Avenue," after a famous activist who led Ukraine's nationalist and independence movement from Russia in the early 20th century.

While Moskal didn't explain why he decided to rename the Kalyny street after John Lennon, his choice to name a public infrastructure after a pop culture figure isn't surprising. Last October, a Ukrainian artist transformed a statue of Lenin in Odessa into one of "Star Wars" villain Darth Vader.

Irina Ivanova contributed reporting.

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Your tallest TBR pile nearly collapsed on your cat the other day. You're out of both bookshelf space and space for more bookshelves. Your best friend has started meaningfully reading passages from Marie Kondo's The Magical Art of Tidying Up to you. You nearly started crying when your boyfriend suggested donating your old textbooks.

Sound familiar? You -- yes, you -- might just be a book hoarder.

But so what? Despite the minimalist craze that seems to be sweeping the country, there can be a lot of benefits attached to hanging onto all your books. If you just can't bear to clear your domicile of all but a shelf of treasured favorites (it's like picking a shelf of favorite children!), and you're worried that you're missing out on all the psychological and interpersonal benefits of embracing minimalism, just take a few deep breaths of old book-scented air and remember these 16 reasons to be proud of your book-collecting tendencies.

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In celebration of Women's History Month, cartoonist and Tumblr user Rebecca Cohen posted an illustration that remembers some of the most inspiring female trailblazers -- who you may never have heard of.

The comic features tidbits about the lives of six historical women, all of whom influenced the cultures they lived in. But it's really the last line of the comic that stands out. 

While true pioneers, many of these women are unfortunately not household names. So in the spirit of Women's History Month, we took a bit of a deeper look at their lives:

1. Fatima Al-Fihri (800 AD-880 AD)

Fatima Al-Fihri founded the oldest operating university in the world, according to Scientific American. Al Qarawiyyin, the name of the university, was founded in 859 C.E. in Fes, Morroco and has become a leading educational center in the Muslim world. 

2. Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973)

A suffragist, pacifist and congresswoman, Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress. She served two terms in the House of Representatives, and helped pass the 19th Amendment, which gave American women the right to vote.

3. Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000)

Once hailed as "the most beautiful woman in the world," Hedy Lamarr was a Hollywood star and inventor of what we now know as wi-fi. Interested in combatting the Nazis in the 1940s, she and co-inventor George Antheil developed a frequency-hopping system that prevented classified messages from being intercepted.

4. Bessie Coleman (1892-1926)

Meet Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman to earn a pilot's license. In the early 20th century, many flying schools in the United States admitted neither women nor blacks. Eager to be a pilot, Coleman moved to France to earn her license and became a pro in stunt flying. She performed her first public air show in 1922.

5. Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)

Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist whose X-ray diffraction studies led to the understanding of DNA structure. Her X-ray crystallography images of DNA led scientists Francis Crick and James Watson to develop their famous model of DNA, which they received a Nobel Prize for in 1962.

6. Ching Shih (1775-1844)

Ching Shih was a well-known Chinese prostitute who became a successful pirate lord in the early 19th century. She controlled the Red Flag Fleet, one of the most powerful pirate coalitions in China. 

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The Bard bequeathed his fans and scholars with tomes and tomes worth of questions to pick apart: Was “The Taming of the Shrew” a patriarchal play, or a criticism of the patriarchy? Should classrooms avoid “The Merchant of Venice” due to the stereotypes upheld by Shylock? Is all the world a planet, a stage, or both?

Perhaps the most pressing question Shakespeare left us to mull over: Was Lady Macbeth drunk, or what? No, not drunk on ambition -- just plain ol’ schnockered. Think about it: girl’s inhibitions were out the window, and her antics totally ruined a perfectly good dinner party.

Riffing on the idea that some of Shakespeare’s beloved characters, not to mention his captive audience, were almost definitely fans of drink, Off-Broadway theatre troupe Drunk Shakespeare performs one of his classic plays nightly, but only after one actor or actress takes a shot -- or five. 

The buzzy performance is a mix of faithful deliveries of the Bard’s powerful lines and contemporary pop culture references (when Macduff’s family is murdered, his Netflix subscription is woefully terminated along with them). The result is a show that successfully makes a rich, heavy play accessible, while retaining the air -- and language -- of the originally version.

The group has been performing their wild take on “Macbeth” since 2014, and actress Caitlin Morris will soon complete her 200^th show. Morris is a classically trained actress who recently discovered improv and other more contemporary realms of theatre; she prefers her whisky-fueled, babbling Lady Macbeth to more straight-laced takes on the character.

“People are so resistant to didactic theatre,” Morris said. “They’re like, this is a really serious play, it’s a tragedy and people die and I don’t want to go watch that. The idea of making it palatable, and fun, and interesting and sparkly, and also serving something true, and honest and weird and ephemeral ... it’s just nice to be able to combine them in this lovely mash-up."

The performance is sparkly, indeed; in a “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”-type twist, the actors call on audience members to mash-up character names with those of contemporary movie stars, and pull willing crowd members into its scenes.

Of the group’s improv-like nature, Morris said, “It’s a delightful challenge because it forces you to tune in, you can’t let your mind wander. Which is something that happens a lot, I think. It’s really easy for us to get distracted now, and so it’s nice to be in a situation where you have no option to.”

The actors also pause from their performances intermittently to explain what’s going on to less clued-in audience members. At one point, Macbeth shouts to the audience, “That was called an aside. Nailed it!” He’s also challenged by a fellow actor to perform one of his soliloquies in just two breaths, jokingly speeding up the text to a Sparknotes-length version.

“With Shakespeare I’ve always had the inclination to think, when I’m performing it, ‘I know that what I’m saying right now does not make sense in any realm to you people that I’m saying it to,’” Morris said. “There’s that instinct to want to break out and be like, 'aka ...' It’s fun to have that opportunity in the show because you’re encouraged to do that. When you have those moments that are like, ‘No one understands me!’ you can add, ‘In 2016 talk, what I’m saying is this.’”

Of course, the act of stripping Shakespeare’s original language down to more relatable dialogue has its decriers. Earlier this year, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival announced its aim to fund playwrights who will rejigger the original plays into modern English. In response, James Shapiro complained in a New York Times column that the Bard’s “bombast” has always been hard to parse out. The mood created by his soliloquies has always mattered more than clearly decipherable, extractable meaning.

Which is why Drunk Shakespeare’s choice to retain some of the original dialogue, but riff on it with contemporary references and a lively, goofy atmosphere is a great solution to the conundrum of accessibility versus the value of antiquity. When asked what Shakespeare would have thought of Drunk Shakespeare, Morris laughed.

“I think Billy would be front-row-center,” she said. “I think he’d be down to clown. The notion of what that [original] environment was ... it was so infused with pop culture and people were hammered and throwing fruit onstage. That environment feels so much more akin to Drunk Shakespeare than these fancy schmancy Broadway productions of Shakespeare that I’ve seen, where everyone has to behave and wear their finest gowns.”

You can buy tickets to Drunk Shakespeare on the group's site. Cheers.

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Today, Spotify unveiled a special new playlist created specifically for moms in labor.

According to the press release for the "Birthing Playlist," this kind of musical accompaniment is a common part of birth plans today, as there are currently over 90,000 "push playlists" on Spotify.

Spotify's official new playlist includes fitting songs like "Under Pressure," Coldplay's "Don't Panic" and Lucinda Williams' "Fruits of My Labor."

"The playlist mirrors the birthing experience, starting with songs that are slow and mellow, then transitioning into songs with a stronger beat for when it’s time to push, and concluding with Bach’s "Unaccompanied Cello Suite #1" performed by the legendary Yo-Yo Ma for the moment women first meet their newborns," states the press release.

To create the ideal "Birthing Playlist," Spotify partnered with New York City-based OB-GYN, Dr. Jacques Mortiz, who has found that around 70 percent of his patients put together playlists in preparation for their labor and delivery.

"Music strongly influences our central nervous system's limbic system which manages our memories, emotions, and how we deal with fear and pain. It makes sense that women would turn to music during childbirth as a source of comfort and strength," Dr. Moritz states in the press release, adding that a good playlist can distract mothers in labor from their pain and fear and help drown out sometimes "disconcerting" hospital noises.

Without further ado, here are the 29 songs Spotify recommends for mamas in labor:

1. Pearl Jam -- "Just Breathe"
2. James Bay -- "Let It Go"
3. Regina Spektor -- "Don’t Leave Me"
4. Sigur Rós -- "Festival"
5. Death Cab for Cutie -- "Transatlanticism"
6. The Lumineers -- "Ho Hey"
7. Norah Jones -- "Sunrise"
8. Craft Spells -- "After the Moment"
9. Xavier Rudd -- "Follow the Sun"
10. Lucinda Williams -- "Fruits of My Labor"
11. John Lennon -- "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)"
12. Colbie Caillat --" Capri"
13. D’Angelo -- "Really Love"
14. Milton Nascimento -- "Nos Bailes Da Vida"
15. Coldplay -- "Don’t Panic"
16. Fleet Foxes -- "Your Protector"
17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- "Maps"
18. Kygo, Maty Noyes -- "Stay"
19. P!nk - Try
20. Muse -- "Starlight"
21. John Legend -- "All of Me" (Tiesto’s Birthday Remix)
22. David Bowie, Queen -- "Under Pressure"
23. U2 -- "With or Without You"
24. Wilco -- "Impossible Germany"
25. Arcade Fire -- "Wake Up"
26. R.E.M. -- "Nightswimming"
27. Patty Griffin -- "Heavenly Day"
28. Iron & Wine -- "Naked As We Came"
29. Beyoncé -- "Blue"
30. Johann Sebastian Bach, Yo-Yo Ma -- "Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1"

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When packing your bags for an epic adventure, a camera is the most vital accessory.

Don't believe us? Take a look at the Travel category for the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards.

Though the overall winners of the competition won't be announced until April 21, the recently announced shortlist includes gorgeous photos from categories like Architecture, Nature & Wildlife, Candid and more. But no category captures the combination of adventure, natural beauty and culture quite like Travel.

Below, a selection of travel images with captions from photographers who submitted their work to the Sony World Photography Awards. They show a world just begging to be explored.

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The stars of the hit Broadway musical “Fun Home” performed to an audience that included Samantha Power, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and 17 U.N. ambassadors from around the world Tuesday evening.

But for all of the razzle-dazzle, it was more than just a simple night of song-and-dance for the diplomatic crowd. Based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir of the same name, “Fun Home” is a compelling look at two sides of the queer experience, pairing a young lesbian’s coming-of-age with the darker journey of her closeted gay father, who commits suicide after a string of secret affairs with men.

The show, which won five Tony Awards last year including Best Musical, was a strategic choice on Power’s behalf, as the 17 ambassadors present represented nations with varying stances on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. In attendance were ambassadors from Australia, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Russia, which has sparked international controversy for its “gay propaganda” legislation.

Calling the evening’s performance an “extraordinary event for us, and a very moving one,” Power praised the “Fun Home” cast and creative team for generating discussions around “issues that we’re dealing with every day around the world.”

“Thank you for being so amazing,” she said, “and bringing this all home in a way that resolutions and statements never can.”

Following the show, the ambassadors were treated to a special Q&A session with the show’s stars and creators, moderated by “Sex and the City” actress, Cynthia Nixon.

Lisa Kron, who penned the show’s book and co-wrote the music with composer Jeanine Tesori, said she felt the success of “Fun Home” was indicative of a very specific moment in the queer community’s fight for equality.

“This show being on Broadway, this exact show, I don’t believe that it would’ve happened even two years before it happened,” Kron told the crowd. Pointing to her early work as part of the women’s collective WOW Café Theatre in the 1980s, she added, “I think it was a particular moment, and what has made it possible has been the work of activists of all kinds.”

Both Kron and the show’s cast agreed that they felt most satisfied when the musical affected those outside of the LGBT demographic.

“That’s where change really occurs,” she said.

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You're sitting on the couch, playing a video game. Press the button on your console and you're shooting a gun. Keep on pulling the trigger and anonymous digital bodies explode and vanish on the screen before you. You're extinguishing so many you can barely keep count.

Video games, gory films, graphic images on the Internet -- much of the violent content we consume, whether for entertainment or information, is associated with effects of dehumanization, an unfeeling response in the wake of cruelty. Reading, perhaps, is one exception. Virtual reality may be another.

Nonny de la Peña is a pioneer in the field of virtual reality journalism. For years, she has used the technology to craft stories that bring the invisible into view. While that might sound like a tired platitude, de la Peña means the words quite literally. She doesn't just want you to see the dark realities that are too often hidden from view, she'll make you stand in a room with them. 

I have never been in a room with someone holding a gun. For a few minutes, however, during de la Peña's VR film "Kiya," I felt a small fraction of the panic you might expect -- the shortness of breath, the stomach drop, the waves of dizziness. While my body was in de la Peña's Los Angeles studio, I was inside a digital replication of murdered mother Zakiya Lawson's home.

"Kiya" is a computer-generated reconstruction of true events, based on 911 calls Lawson's sisters made just minutes before the mother of seven was shot. I knew her 2013 story was a story of domestic assault. I knew Kiya's former boyfriend had a gun, which he used to kill her and himself. And I knew the piece was made in her memory. But when I was standing less than a virtual foot away from her shooter, powerless to help or leave or even cover my eyes, I didn't feel like I had a technological device strapped to my head. I felt totally naked, vulnerable and scared. 

"You feel it in your whole body," de la Peña told me after the viewing, though I already knew. Minutes before I had been examining the family photos and scribbled notes on Lawson's refrigerator, all digitally reproduced to exactly mimic her real home, until one of de la Peña's staff removed my helmet and offered me a glass of water. The buzzing studio halted for a moment to give me a look of concern, like I had just been through something. 

In the United States, three women a day are killed by their husbands or boyfriends. "We've all heard that statistic plenty of times," de la Peña said, alluding to the feeble potential of even the most appalling facts and figures. Would people pay more attention if the number was four women? Five? Does it literally take putting people in the room with a gun to make them care? According to de la Peña, it may help. 

"Kiya," which de la Peña described as "strict journalism," visually resembles a video game, but the audio is all real, culled from the recorded 911 calls. De la Peña interviewed the sisters and, using their testimony and police reports, reconstructed the entire scene. As the participant, by walking around in real life you are moving freely through Lawson's home, able to notice the details on the walls or cower in the corner. 

The second piece de la Peña brought to Sundance in 2016, along with "Kiya," is called "Across the Line." In this virtual experience, the viewer walks past a picket line of verbally abusive protesters outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic. The voices you hear, calling you a wicked jezebel feminist, telling you to go to hell, are all authentic recordings from Planned Parenthoods across the country. 

While "Kiya" is based entirely on the factual events of a single occurrence, "Across the Line" is more of a truthful collage, combining snippets of sound from distinct situations to evoke a single emotional encounter. "With 'Across the Line,' I was thinking: what does a montage look like in VR?" de la Peña explained. "How do we push filmmaking potential in this new medium?" The piece also combines 360 video with computer-generated material, blurring the line between fiction and reality. 

The goal, for de la Peña, more than informative explanation, is emotional impact. After pulling up to the clinic and being bombarded by angry individuals, a person experiencing "Across the Line" must physically walk up to each protester, many of whom are yelling phrases like, "You whore, you shouldn’t be sleeping with every guy at the club."

Like "Kiya," the characters in "Across the Line" are blocky and cartoonish, resembling figures in a video game more than live action people. The authentic audio coupled with the abstracted visuals creates a jarring sensory experience. The conflicting signs of reality and unreality arguably echo the experience of a jumbled memory, or perhaps a particular scarring one. Like a nightmare, despite the inconsistencies or surreal details, it feels real. 

De la Peña, known as the "godmother of virtual reality," first brought VR to Sundance in 2012, with a piece titled "Hunger in Los Angeles." Her intern had been recording families and individuals waiting in line at a food bank in LA. One man had diabetes and, while in line, his blood sugar dropped so low he passed out and went into a coma. 

Before 2012 Sundance, "people thought I was nuts," de la Peña laughed. But after the piece showed, she knew she had tapped into something big. "Once I saw people’s reactions to that piece it became clear this was a path for telling important stories." 

Since 2012, de la Peña's pieces have taken participants to a street corner in Aleppo, Syria, when a rocket hits, to the Mexico-U.S. border while a patrol agent beats a Mexican immigrant, to the Florida neighborhood where neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman shot unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. 

"I think this is just starting," de la Peña said. Education, entertainment, journalism, games -- in the future, de la Peña predicts, VR will enhance all of them. Ands an example of how VR could enhance existing storytelling methods, she mentions the popular true crime podcast Serial. 

"What if I put you in the Best Buy parking lot?" de la Peña wondered. "You’d know where the phone booth was. You’d understand everything differently. Imagine you're in that space, but you can slow down time, freeze time, give people agency without necessarily altering the linear nature of the story." 

It makes sense for journalists and concerned citizens to want more access and more information. But when de la Peña asked: "Why would you watch the Boston Marathon bombing on a little screen?" I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Should our collective hunger to be closer to the action be satiated? Would experiencing traumatic events via VR make us understand the pain? Or would we be teetering dangerously close to voyeurism, taking false ownership of another's experience, thinking we know the feeling when in truth, reality far exceeds the imitation? 

Primarily, de la Peña has her eyes on the younger generation of digital natives, those who already feel comfortable navigating virtual spaces and creating digital identities, and in some cases, don't prioritize real world experiences over simulated ones. "We want them to be informed global citizens," she said. She doesn't want the viewing public just to know, she wants them to care.

Virtual reality has been dubbed an empathy machine, taking the old adage of walking a mile in someone else's shoes to a very literal extreme. "Are we going to be able to create the kind of change I’ve been dreaming about?" she said, eyes growing large. Clearly that's the goal, a goal that's looking more and more promising over time.

However, while understanding and awareness are the aims, attempting to evoke impassioned emotional reactions from your audience is risky. Just as strongly as the technology can conjure genuine fear, sympathy or concern, it can also brew hate. 

The Verge's Adi Robertson had such an experience. After viewing "Across the Line" at Sundance, she described her reaction as an all-encompassing hatred. "It's an inversion of what empathy VR is supposed to do for the world," she wrote, "a connection that aligns you with one person and makes another a monster. This may be what makes me suspicious of changing the world by provoking emotions: emotions are not inherently good, and they're not inherently helpful. Hate is one of the purest emotions of all."

While video games are often accused of desensitizing the youth, virtual reality faces a near opposite dilemma. Most VR users will care, they will care immensely, passionately, deliriously. But can this assembled emotion yield generative and revolutionary results?

In the words of de la Peña: "We'll see."

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There is no bad day to raise awareness about the lack of gender equality in the art world. But there are some that just particularly scream, "Celebrate the women artists in your favorite museum's collections and demand way more of them!" And those are the days in Women's History Month -- i.e., right now. 

Happy Women's History Month, by the way! 

Throughout the month of March, the National Museum of Women in the Arts will be celebrating gifted lady artists past and present with the social media campaign #5womenartists.

The digital call to arms was inspired by the sad fact that, as easy as it sounds, many people have trouble naming just five women artists, which is insane because some of us can probably name five male artists named Robert alone. (Robert Mapplethorpe, Robert Frank, Robert Therrien, Robert Heineken, Robert Irwin. Woo! Robert Longo. Robert Wilson. Ugh.) 

For centuries, women have fought the unjust limitations placed upon them as artists and creators. Denied access to training, restricted in subject matter and style, and excluded from the art market, women artists have struggled to create and receive adequate recognition for their work. Museum walls are lined with classical depictions of naked women, and yet you'll have to scour dozens of wall placards to find a single woman's name in too many collections.

In the wise words of the museum: "Art is a reflection of society. If the artistic landscape neglects women, what does that say about society as a whole?" Nothing. Good. 

Can you name #5womenartists? No judgment if not. I don't blame you, I blame the patriarchy! But if you have more trouble than you hoped, please keep an eye on the National Museum of Women in the Arts this month, who will be celebrating iconic artists including contemporary artist-performer Ingrid Mwangi, 17th century zoological illustrator Maria Sybilla Merrian and abstract expressionist Elaine de Kooning. 

With that, good Internet, get thee to social media and start sharing the women artists who move you, inspire you, put that fire under your ass and make you do your thing. Use the hashtag #5womenartists and prove to the world that you can accomplish the basic task of naming just five women artists, and challenge others in your life to do the same. 

See more women artists being rightfully revered on social media below. 

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If you’ve seen the trailers for “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” you probably think it's a rowdy caper -- a billowing war comedy set in the wacky Middle East, à la last year’s “Rock the Kasbah,” the Bill Murray vehicle that opened to critical animus and commercial defeat. 

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” is, actually, nothing like that. Whatsoever. And the fact that promotional materials are portraying the film as such is silly. It’s an insult to the movie, and it's an insult to the audiences who will pay to see something that wasn’t advertised to them.

The whole thing is especially off-putting because the “Foxtrot” trailers range from unappealing bombast to blatant mischaracterizations of the plot. If you’ve seen the TV spot that implies the story unfolds because Tina Fey’s boyfriend (played by Josh Charles) cheats on her, please know that this is categorically false.

In fact, the entire film is better than any of its previews suggest. It’s not a rowdy comedy -- it’s more of a light drama, chronicling a bored TV news writer who upends her life by accepting a role as a first-time war correspondent in Afghanistan. She escapes America in search of professional fulfillment, leaving behind a boyfriend who, several months later, sleeps with another woman. There’s a sprinkle of romantic-comedy undertones throughout “Foxtrot,” but it is not built out of a scorned-woman gimmick, nor does Fey's character allow herself to become one later in the film.

Why would the studio, Paramount, opt for such an erroneous, unappetizing marketing strategy? There’s no short answer, and in some ways, the decision to present “Foxtrot” as a bro-friendly lady farce is rational. Adult dramas -- serious-minded fare not tied to franchises or visual effects -- have routinely struggled at the box office ever since the 2008 recession took hold and television became pop culture's preferred medium. But opting for a "Rock the Kasbah” redux makes no sense, considering that movie, released by Open Road Films, topped out at a dismal $3 million. (As combat comedies go, the sharper "Charlie Wilson's War" earned $67 million in 2007, and the trailers were true to its spirit.)

If we take the magnifying glass off of “Foxtrot," it's clear that such volatility is rampant across Hollywood’s marketing campaigns. Take another Paramount release: last month's “Zoolander” sequel, which opened 15 years after the original. In various states of gestation since at least 2008, the movie began an interminable publicity blitz last March when Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson reprised their characters on a runway at Paris Fashion Week. Throughout the 11 months that followed, the "Zoolander"-verse slowly became inescapable. Paramount declared it “the most successful comedy trailer launch of all time.” Justin Bieber, who has a cameo, got involved. Stiller appeared in character alongside co-star Penelope Cruz on the cover of Vogue. Product placement went through the roof. Stiller and Wilson popped up, somewhat lifelessly, during a “Weekend Update” segment on “SNL.”

And then, when the movie finally opened on Feb. 12? A tepid $15.9 million intake relegated it to fourth place at the box office. In fact, as of this column’s publication, “Zoolander 2” seems to have stalled around $28 million in domestic grosses -- a measly figure for a heavily promoted sequel overflowing with star power. (It’s worth noting that the reviews were bleak, but negative reception didn’t prevent “Taken 3,” “Chappie” or “The Perfect Guy” from topping the box office last year.)

The “Zoolander 2” crusade leaned hard -- too hard -- on its own absurdity, assuming audiences still have the appetite for an even more bonkers version of the film they mildly enjoyed a decade and a half ago. It was like Paramount was worried no one would care and overcompensated with a media assault. I don’t think I’ve ever received more press emails about a movie.

“Deadpool,” on the other hand, is an example of a long-gestating project whose marketing became its success story. Like Paramount, Fox leaned into the silliness of its movie's humor, except here the effort didn’t feel like a mere retreading of charted territory. In hawking a known superhero amid a landscape where the recent "Fantastic Four" reboot under-performed, Fox realized it needed to remain slightly elusive in its promotions to sustain viewer interest. A tongue-in-cheek photo of a fireside Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), cryptic emoji billboards and a clip of Deadpool killing John Stamos, among other things, went viral.

Unlike the thirsty “Zoolander 2” campaign, the “Deadpool” strategy made it seem like something we had never seen before, leaving audiences wanting in on the joke. It was the antithesis of Sony’s 2014 “Amazing Spider-Man 2” blueprint, which saw an onslaught of trailers and TV spots that gave away too many spoilers. The “Spider-Man” sequel was enough of a disappointment for Sony to nix the third installment and revise its plans for the franchise. In keeping, it almost goes without saying that “Deadpool" has surpassed expectations. The "X-Men" spinoff has now spent three weekends at No. 1, and it could be on its way to becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.

And as much as the obstacles facing adult dramas have created additional challenges for the independent film market, the exceptional new spine-chiller “The Witch” is proof that, with positive and accurate buzz, target audiences will respond. The most famous campaigns associated with low-budget horror flicks -- 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project” and 2009’s “Paranormal Activity” -- relied on Internet virality to boost awareness. Instead, the trendy indie distributor A24 sold “The Witch” on its merits. The trailers represent the film well, and the closest the studio came to a stunt was creating a Twitter account for the movie’s evil goat, Black Phillip. "The Witch" opened to a respectable $8.8 million in receipts and has more than doubled that total across 11 days in theaters, even if certain mainstream audiences were reportedly disenchanted by its covert scare tactics.

Look, also, at “The Mermaid,” the Chinese behemoth that Sony acquired and quickly released on a modest 35 screens in North America last month. With no advertising whatsoever, the movie generated the weekend’s highest per-theater average in ticket sales -- more than “Deadpool,” even. That may be a rare cinephile-y case study, but it’s further evidence that audiences seeking quality cinema will find it when the marketing is authentic and subtle (or even nonexistent) enough not to become suffocating.

In that vein, Paramount (in conjunction with J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions) is employing a very different strategy for this month's spiritual successor to "Cloverfield." It was green-lit under a false title, and fans didn't even know it was being made until the first trailer hit in January. How's that for subtlety?

Which brings us back to “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.” We’ll find out just how attractive its publicity really is when the movie opens this weekend. But if Paramount, which wisely green-lit "Foxtrot" in early 2014 (under the title "The Taliban Shuffle"), doesn’t have faith in Tina Fey to fill seats, the studio could at least respect those who do show up by not embellishing the tone or plot. Surely no one is automatically assuming a female-driven film would fail, right? “Fifty Shades of Grey," "Pitch Perfect 2” and "Spy" all debuted at No. 1 last year, while “Trainwreck” and Fey’s “Sisters” probably would have followed suit had they not gone up against “Ant-Man” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” respectively.

The “Foxtrot” approach is unfair to directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (the guys behind “Crazy, Stupid, Love”), writer Robert Carlock (“30 Rock”), and Kim Barker, whose well-received memoir, The Taliban Shuffle, serves as the source material. And it’s insulting to the audiences who will pay to see a film that doesn’t mirror its trailers or who will perhaps skip the movie altogether because the promos feel stale and overcooked. If a company is going to distribute a film, it should commit to the film. That means clever, not phony, publicity strategies, especially for quality content that lacks the privilege of pre-packaged franchises. 

Finally, mark my repeated words: “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” is worth your time. It’s Fey’s best lead role, and it is nothing like “Rock the Kasbah.” You won’t laugh out loud much, and that's for the best. Carlock weaves jokes into the script in a more refined way than the promos would have you believe, and Josh Charles’ philandering subplot is a blip that occurs two-thirds of the way in. Go see it -- but not because the trailers told you to.

You can be highbrow. You can be lowbrow. But can you ever just be brow? Welcome to Middlebrow, a weekly examination of pop culture. Sign up to receive it in your inbox weekly.

Follow Matthew Jacobs on Twitter: @tarantallegra

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