Queer Cinema

People in vintage military and civilian clothing, some wearing glasses, indoors in a dimly-lit setting.
Queer Cinema

A new film season is championing queer stories from the 1990s

by Robyn Quick

This Pride Month, Barbican Cinema will showcase eight films celebrating LGBTQ+ lives.
Two men in suits seated at a table, a group of people in the background, and a courtroom setting.
In Praise Of

Why Philadelphia remains a flawed but vital portrayal of the AIDS crisis

by Adam Solomons

Jonathan Demme’s 1993 drama played an important role in bringing straight audiences up to speed with the epidemic.
Two people in black and white costumes, one female with cat-like features, kissing an older male character with dishevelled hair and facial features.
Queer Cinema

The Penguin is an empowering anti-hero for trans people like me

by Ian Thomas Malone

Danny DeVito’s portrayal of Oswald Cobblepot in Batman Returns shows the importance of embracing your differences.
Crowd of people holding umbrellas, with a woman in the centre wearing sunglasses and a bright pink umbrella.
In Praise Of

Hedwig and the Angry Inch remains a testament to self-acceptance

by Gina Tonic

John Cameron Mitchell’s cult 2001 musical drama is a poignant reminder of the power of being yourself.
Two individuals, a man and a woman, sitting in a car at night.
In Praise Of

20 years on, Lan Yu remains the pinnacle of Chinese queer cinema

by Weiting Liu

Though never released in mainland china Stanley Kwan’s cult 2001 melodrama fully deserves its cult status.
Two people walking together, a man and a woman, in a dark, moody setting with warm lighting.
Queer Cinema

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was an escape for queer teens like me

by Samuel Sims

Through its rejection of gender stereotypes, the 2001 video game adaptation helped me realise the power of my own identity.
Two men in red shirts and a woman sitting on a pier, with buildings and a boat in the background.
In Praise Of

In praise of Beautiful Thing, a quintessentially British coming out movie

by Emily Maskell

Hettie Macdonald’s 1996 film contains a beautiful message of queer acceptance and togetherness.
Two women in black coats walking down a tree-lined path.
Queer Cinema

In praise of Shiva Baby and the Messy Bisexual

by Anna Bogutskaya

Emma Seligman’s growing pains comedy ushers in a new era for bi characters who are not judged on their sexuality.
Two shirtless men in an arid, dusty setting, one holding a bottle.
In Praise Of

Homoeroticism and sexual repression in Wake in Fright

by Patrick Sproull

Ted Kotcheff’s visceral, queer-coded descent into one man’s personal hell refuses to adhere to expectations.
Young person with short brown hair wearing a white vest, standing in front of a floral curtain background.
Queer Cinema

The radical queer politics and bittersweet legacy of Tomboy

by Ariel Klinghoffer

Céline Sciamma’s LGBTQ+ themed second feature found itself at the centre of a political storm in France.
Two people walking on a forest path, one wearing a checked shirt and the other a purple top.
Queer Cinema

A new film explores what it means to be queer in Kenya today

by Yassine Senghor

Director Peter Murimi discusses capturing the experience of a young gay man in I Am Samuel.
Two men in dark clothes, one with long hair and a beard, leaning towards each other over a table.
In Praise Of

How Derek Jarman’s films queer the narrative of history

by Sam Moore

In 1976’s Sebastiane and 1986’s Caravaggio, the director refuses to relegate homosexuality to the subtext.

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