Licensed Streaming Videos: LGBTQ+
Tongues Untied
Marlon Riggs' essay film TONGUES UNTIED gives voice to communities of black gay men, presenting their cultures and perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia, and marginalization. It broke new artistic ground by mixing poetry, music, performance and Riggs' autobiographical revelations. The film was embraced by black gay audiences for its authentic representation of style, and culture, as well its fierce response to oppression. It opened up opportunities for dialogue among and across communities. TONGUES UNTIED has been lauded by critics for its vision and its bold aesthetic advances, and vilified by anti-gay forces who used it to condemn government funding of the arts.It was even denounced from the floor of Congress. Winner of Best Documentary Film at the **Berlin International Film Festival**.
Tom of Finland
The proudly erotic drawings of artist Touko Laaksonen, known to the world as Tom of Finland, shaped the fantasies of a generation of gay men, influencing art and fashion before crossing over into the wider cultural consciousness. But who was the man behind the leather? Dome Karukoski's stirring biopic follows his life from the trenches of WWII and repressive Finnish society of the 1950s through his struggle to get his work published in California, where he and his art were finally embraced amid the sexual revolution of the 1970s. Tom's story is one of love, courage and perseverance, mirroring the gay liberation movement for which his leather-clad studs served as a defiant emblem.
Edge of Seventeen (1998)
Called ‘a classic gay coming of age story’ by The Los Angeles Times, EDGE OF SEVENTEEN is now remastered and re-released in a new director-approved HD restoration. Set in the summer of 1984 in Sandusky, Ohio, teenager Eric Hunter is terrified and exhilarated by his sexual attraction to Rod, a college student and co-worker at a local fast food joint. But, Eric’s sexual awakening is complicated by his new romance with his best friend Maggie. Featuring Lea DeLaria (*Orange is the New Black*) and an upbeat 80’s soundtrack that includes the Eurythmics and Bronski Beat, this critically acclaimed film continues to set the standard for all generations.
BPM
In Paris in the early 1990s, members of the activist group ACT UP battle for those stricken with HIV/AIDS, taking on sluggish government agencies and major pharmaceutical companies in bold, invasive actions. Amid rallies, protests, fierce debates and ecstatic dance parties, newcomer to the group Nathan falls in love with Sean, the ACT UP's radical firebrand, and their passion sparks against the shadow of mortality as the activists fight for a breakthrough.
Tropical Malady
"Tropical malady" is two distinct halves, divided into two complementary and wholly necessary pieces. The first half is a love story. A young soldier, Keng (Banlop L̨ōmn̨ōi), is assigned to patrol the Thai forests, and he falls for a country boy, Tong (Sakdā K̄æobūadī), a worker in a rural Thai village's ice plant. In the second half, that love story has been swallowed by a folk tale, in which the spirit of a man has found its way into the body of a tiger. A soldier patrols the forest, looking for a villager who has disappeared while a voice-over relates the story of a shaman who has the power to turn himself into a tiger. Is the soldier Keng? Is the missing villager--or, stranger yet, the tiger--Tong?
Laurence Anyways
Laurence Anyways tells the story of an impossible love between Frederique and her long-term boyfriend Laurence, a man who reveals his inner desire to become his true self: a woman. Set during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the story spans a decade, chronicling the doomed love of Fred and Laurence, as well as the trials and tribulations that they face. It charts ten years in the relationship of a male-to-female transsexual's relationship with her lover. Reviews: Laurence Anyways is as much a portrait of a loving if dysfunctional couple as it is an examination of identity. Without belittling the challenges and prejudices Laurence faces, Dolan places her story into larger contexts, posing questions about conformity, heartbreak, love and self-fulfillment.
Desert Hearts
Donna Deitch's swooning and sensual first narrative feature, DESERT HEARTS, was groundbreaking upon its release in 1985: a love story about two women, made entirely independently, on a shoestring budget, by a woman. In this 1959-set film, adapted from a beloved novel by Jane Rule, straitlaced East Coast professor Vivian Bell arrives in Reno to file for divorce but winds up catching the eye of someone new, the free-spirited young Cay, touching off a slow seduction that unfolds against a breathtaking desert landscape. With undeniable chemistry between its two leads, an evocative jukebox soundtrack, and vivid cinematography by Robert Elswit, DESERT HEARTS beautifully exudes a sense of tender yearning and emotional candor. Winner of a Special Jury Prize at the **Sundance Film Festival**. Nominated for Best Female Lead at the **Film Independent Spirit Awards**.
Call Her Ganda
When Jennifer Laude, a Filipina transwoman, is brutally murdered by a U.S. Marine, three women intimately invested in the case; an activist attorney, a transgender journalist, and Jennifer’s mother, galvanize a political uprising, pursuing justice and taking on hardened histories of U.S. imperialism. Nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the **Tribeca Film Festival**. Nominated for Outstanding Documentary at the **GLAAD Media Awards**.
Saint-Narcisse
Set in 1972 Canada, SAINT-NARCISSE follows Dominic, a handsome narcissistic young man who discovers the existence of his twin brother, living in a remote monastery led by a depraved priest. Dominic sets out to save him and reunite once and for all. The two beautiful, identical brothers are soon embroiled in a strange web of sex, revenge and redemption.
Thelma
A shy young student leaves her small town and religious family to study at a university in Oslo, but once on campus she experiences what appears to be a violent, unexpected seizure. Overwhelmed by the increasing intensity of the mystifying episodes and her powerful feelings for a beautiful classmate, THELMA struggles to control her supernatural abilities.
Edward II
In this new restoration of the iconic New Queer Cinema classic, Derek Jarman offers a postmodern take on Christopher Marlowe’s Elizabethan drama. Pleasure-seeking King Edward II sets the stage for a palace revolt by taking as a lover the ambitious Piers Gaveston - who uses his favor in bed to wield political influence - sending the gay pair from the throne to a terminal torture dungeon. This landmark of gay cinema features an incredible performance from Jarman muse and **Oscar**-winner Tilda Swinton as Edward's spurned Queen Isabella and a rare film appearance by singer Annie Lennox. Winner of the FIPRESCI, Teddy and Best Picture Award at the **Berlin International Film Festival.** Winner of the the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the **Venice International Film Festival.** Official Selection at the **Sundance Film Festival**.
After Stonewall
In 1969 the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village, leading to three nights of rioting by the city's gay community. With this outpouring of courage and unity the Gay Liberation Movement had begun.
After Stonewall, the sequel to Before Stonewall, chronicles the history of lesbian and gay life from the riots at Stonewall to the end of the century. It captures the hard work, struggles, tragic defeats and exciting victories experienced since them. It explores how AIDS literally changed the direction of the movement.
Ma Vie en Rose
| Ludovic is waiting for a miracle. With seven-year-old certainty, he believes he was meant to be a little girl - and that the mistake will soon be corrected. But where he expects the miraculous, Ludo finds only rejection, isolation and guilty - as the intense reactions of family, friends, and neighbors strip away every innocent lace and bauble. As suburban prejudices close around them, family loves and loyalties are tested in the ever-escalating dramatic turns of Alain Berliner's critically acclaimed first feature. Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and a favorite at festivals around the world, this unique film experience delivers magic of the rarest sort through a story of difference, rejection, and childlike faith in miracles. |
Red, White & Royal Blue
The son of the American President sparks a feud with Britain's prince.
Tangerine
A prostitute returns to L.A. after a prison stint to seek out her cheating pimp boyfriend and the other woman.
But I'm a Cheerleader
Megan's super normal suburban existence is filled with friends, pom-poms and rah-rah enthusiasm until her parents suspect that she may be showing deviant tendencies.
The Wedding Banquet
A Taiwanese gay man living in Manhattan agrees to a marriage of convenience with a mainland Chinese woman in need of a green card. His parents are thrilled, and fly to the States to help him plan a lavish wedding banquet.
The Queen
More than 40 years before *RuPaul's Drag Race*, this ground-breaking documentary about the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant introduced audiences to the world of competitive drag. The film takes us backstage to kiki with the contestants as they rehearse, throw shade, and transform into their drag personas in the lead-up to the big event. Organized by LGBTQ icon and activist Flawless Sabrina, the competition boasted a star-studded panel of judges including Andy Warhol, Larry Rivers, and Terry Southern...But perhaps most memorable is an epic diatribe calling out the pageant's bias delivered by Crystal LaBeija, who would go on to form the influential House of LaBeija, heavily featured in *Paris Is Burning* (1990). A vibrant piece of queer history, THE QUEEN can now be seen in full resplendence thanks to a new restoration from the original camera negative.
Paris Is Burning
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women--including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza--PARIS IS BURNING brings it, celebrating the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community provider's description.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
One of the best reviewed films of the year and winner of the coveted Best Screenplay and Queer Palm awards at the Cannes Film Festival, Portrait of a lady on fire is an intimate and deeply affecting period drama about freedom, love and desire. Marianne is a young painter in 18th-Century France, commissioned to paint a wedding portrait of Héloïse without her knowing. Marianne disguises herself as her companion to get closer to her subject - observing by day and secretly painting at night. Intimacy and attraction grow between the two women as they share Héloïse's first and last moments of freedom. The portrait soon becomes a collaborative act and a testament to their love.
Moonlight
Oscar-winner for Best Picture, MOONLIGHT is a moving and transcendent look at three defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young man growing up in Miami. His epic journey to adulthood, as a shy outsider dealing with difficult circumstances, is guided by support, empathy and love from the most unexpected places.
Disarm Hate
Nine LGBTQs come together after the Pulse Massacre to join one man, a hairdresser and activist from New Jersey without political experience, as he builds a national rally to demand LGBTQIA equal rights, fight the NRA and challenge America's obsession with gun violence.
VITO
On June 27, 1969, a police raid on a Greenwich Village gay bar took a surprising turn when patrons decided it was time to fight back. As a riot erupted outside the Stonewall Inn, a new era in the Gay Rights Movement was born. Vito Russo, a 23-year-old film student, was among the crowd. Over the next twenty years until his death from AIDS in 1990, Vito would go on to become one of the most outspoken and inspiring activists in the LGBT community’s fight for equal rights.
Gen Silent
The generation that fought hardest to come out of the closet is going back in to survive.
What would you do if you were old, disabled or ill – and the person feeding you put down the spoon and said that you are going to hell unless you change your sexual preference?
Sound absurd? Social workers around the world say it’s happening every day.
Gen Silent is the critically acclaimed documentary from filmmaker Stu Maddux that asks six LGBT seniors if they will hide their friends, their spouses- their entire lives in order to survive in the care system.