Did you know there are over 10,000 conservative, Christian mothers in America who accept their LGBTQ children? Although they may have grown up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians, mama bears are willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith to keep their children safe even if it challenges their belief systems and rips their worlds apart. Spread throughout the country but connected through private Facebook groups, they call one another “mama bears” because of the ferocity with which they fight for their children’s rights in our increasingly polarized nation.
Works-in-Progress Lab / Cucalorus 2019
Bio
Daresha writes, produces, and directs film and television in Spanish and English. She is currently in post on Mama Bears, a feature documentary about how conservative, Christian mothers are transformed when they decide to accept their LGBTQ children. In 2018 she directed Texas Strong which garnered over 3 million views online, screened at SXSW, won two Webby Awards and an Emmy for “Outstanding Documentary.” In 2017 she co-directed Chavela, a multiple award-winning documentary about iconic singer Chavela Vargas. Currently a Chicken & Egg and Creative Capital fellow, this former Firelight Documentary Lab fellow has produced programming for FX, WE, AMC, Telemundo, and FUSE, among other networks.