Gay/Queer Cinema


1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted Culture

The word “homosexual” did not appear in the Bible until 1946. Scholars, linguists, theologians and others have concluded it was a mistranslation, one that has had deadly consequences for the LGBTQ community. Sight unseen, this revelatory film has already been fiercely attacked by Christian conservatives. Read More

Running Time: 92


Casa Susanna

Tucked away in the Catskills, Casa Susanna was a secretive, summertime oasis for crossdressing men and trans women in the 1950s and early ‘60s. With fabulous interviews and a treasure trove of archival photos, this lovely, often surprising salute to these genderbending pioneers unearths a delicious hidden corner of queer... Read More

Running Time: 98


Eismayer

Hyper-macho Sergeant Major Eismayer is the most feared instructor in the Austrian Armed Forces. His fierce masculinity, however, is a protective shell that hides his true nature. When he falls for the the openly gay recruit Mario, his carefully constructed world is shattered. Read More

Running Time: 87


Esther Newton Made Me Gay

Cultural anthropologist and proud lesbian Esther Newton was years ahead of her time when she studied Midwestern drag shows in the 1960s, back when academia turned its back on her. Now an icon who has inspired legions of activists and scholars, Newton reflects on her life in this warm, saucy tribute. Read More

Running Time: 90


God Save the Queens

Featuring a glittering constellation of Los Angeles drag stars, this audacious and candy-colored comedy follows a quartet of down-on-their-luck queens who end up stuck at the same therapy retreat. Together they face their respective plights with rapid-fire wit, unexpected poignancy, and a dash of the divine. Read More

Running Time: 87


Mama Bears

In this soul-warming documentary, we meet the brave Christian mothers – indoctrinated by anti-gay bias in their fundamentalist and Evangelical churches – who band together to protect their queer and trans children. At risk of losing their friends and communities, they make the grand leap from prejudice to Pride protests. Read More

Running Time: 90


My Emptiness and I

In this searingly honest and emotionally raw coming-of-age story, French millennial dreamer Raphi struggles to find love, acceptance and her place in the world as she begins her gender transition in Barcelona. Read More

Running Time: 98


Nelly & Nadine

Nelly and Nadine fell in love on Christmas Eve in 1944, when they were prisoners in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Miraculously reunited after the war, they went on to spend a rich but hidden life together in Venezuela – a life revealed in diaries and home movies discovered by Nelly’s granddaughter. Read More

Running Time: 92


Punch

Trained by his demanding, alcoholic father (Tim Roth), 17-year-old Jim is a small-town boxing hero training for his first pro fight. But his deepening friendship with schoolmate Whetu, a gay Maori loner, forces him to rethink his sexuality and future in his New Zealand town where homophobia is rampant. Read More

Running Time: 98


Winter Boy

After a sudden death in the family shatters the well-ordered life of 17-year-old Lucas (Paul Kircher in a starmaking debut), the teen flees to Paris. Full of lust and rage, Lucas hurls himself into sex with older men to process his grief. Read More

Running Time: 122



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Film Festival 2023