Independent film often veers into the controversial, but this week we have an even edgier, more important selection than usual of new favorites to tell you about. In this episode we have a movie from a banned director, two films on racism in America, a documentary on being transgender, and... a Polish goth mermaid musical?

You've probably heard more about The Salesman than you might normally hear about the Foreign Language Oscar nominees, but it's from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (A Separation), who will not attend the ceremony this year due to the recent ban on citizens from Iran. Host Alicia Malone also talks about The Lure, about two vampirish mermaids who become nightclub singers, and This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous, which chronicles the life of YouTube star and transgender female Gigi Gorgeous. There's more, too, so go catch up now.