Indie Film Review: Born This Way (2025)

Directed by: Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard

I WAS BORN THIS WAY

Genre: Documentary

Minutes: 100 minutes

Produced by: Wellington Love, Daniel Junge, Jed Alan

Executive Producer: Questlove, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Billy Porter

I WAS BORN THIS WAY opened exclusively on October 30th at Laemmle North Hollywood Cinemas tells of the trailblazing life of Carl Bean from his traumatic childhood on the streets of Baltimore, knowing at an early age he is different, to an inspired music career to then starting a diverse church that he built where everyone was embraced and loved, regardless of race, sexuality or gender identity. Becoming Archbishop Bean, Carl Bean was ahead of his time as he practiced and preached radical love. Directed by Academy Award® winner Daniel Junge and Academy Award® nominee Sam Pollard and produced by Wellington Love and Jed Alan, and utilizing never-before-seen archival footage, rotoscope animation, and intimate interviews, the film becomes a moving and insightful testament to the amazing legacy of Archbishop Carl Bean.

REVIEW

Lady Gaga was not the first. It was Carl Bean who sang” I Was Born This Way.” First starting out with the Harlem’s Christian Tabernacle Choir, he then formed his…