Cobrainey Media Partners

In January of 2016, a dozen members of the Memphis transgender community began meeting for a weekly story circle facilitated by Elaine Blanchard. The program, based on the format of her award winning Prison Stories series, was a time for sharing, healing and enlightenment. Thanks to the generosity of The California Institute for the Contemporary Arts, filmmaker Shelby Fuller Elwood documented their journey. All people have a story to tell, and all people long to be heard, respected and valued for who they are, and what they have experienced in life.

Multi-sport athlete Kelly Vilarino found the challenge of kickboxing to be her next sport, after retiring from professional MMA boxing. With her twin sister Nicole, she teaches a weekly women's kickboxing class in Chandler, Arizona. Together, they teach healthy ways of stress relief and self-defense, while getting a full-body workout and building camaraderie. Women in the class tell a bit of their personal reasons for choosing kickboxing, in this uplifting, inspirational short documentary.