Chocolate Babies

Set against the height of the 1990s AIDS epidemic in New York City, Chocolate Babies centers on an underground cell of radical, HIV-positive Black and queer drag queens and community activists. Determined to expose government neglect and political corruption, the collective stages a series of bold, theatrical guerrilla actions targeting conservative politicians. Balancing fierce camp, biting political satire, and unapologetic rage, director Stephen Winter crafts an anarchic urban fairy tale rooted in the lived realities of queer survival, direct action, and mutual defense.

An essential and groundbreaking entry in New Queer Cinema, the film operates far outside traditional assimilationist narratives. Winter weaponizes humor and militant spectacle to confront institutional violence head-on, creating an enduring, crowd-igniting portrait of Black queer resilience, collective power, and radical solidarity that refuses to compromise.