Strike a Pose

Director: Ester Gould, Reijer Zwaan

Cast: Luis Camacho, Oliver S. Crumes III, Salim Gauwloos, Jose Gutierez, Kevin Stea, Carlton Wilborn and Gabriel Trupin

Genre: Documentary

83min | ½ English (2016)

When seven young men became Madonna’s backup dancers for her legendary Blond Ambition world tour in 1990, their lives changed. The mythical documentary Truth or Dare – shot as they traveled the world – contributed to cement Madonna’s status as an icon and one of that time’s most prominent voices for gay rights and AIDS-prevention. The cost for the superstar’s outspokenness and daring image was paid by those who returned to normal life once the dream was over.

Dutch documentarians, Gould and Zwaan, give voice to these men.Strike a Pose has screened at Tribeca Film Festival and Hot Docs. It won the Jury Award for Best LGBT-film at the Key West Film Festival (2016) and was the runner-up for the Panorama Audience Award at Berlin International Film Festival (2016).