Lesbian stories

The films on this page explicitly center and highlight stories of lesbian-identified women.

To find these resources through your local library, please use the invaluable Worldcat.org and search by Title or Director or use the search box below!

Black/Womyn: Conversations with Lesbians of African Descent. Dir. Tiona McLodden, 2008. 90 minutes

In this engrossing and deeply human documentary, dozens of Black-identified lesbian women share observations on myriad facets of life, including love, labels, religion, personal fulfillment, and all manner of adversities. Some anecdotes are hilarious, others are tearjerkers, but all are full of refreshing and beautiful insight. What makes this film so indispensable is the unbelievably wide range of lived experience discussed. Women of different faiths, shades, classes, education levels, and ages all illuminate the unbounded of diversity of those living at these intersections. This is an endlessly enlightening film – one you almost wish was longer.

Body of a Poet. Dir Sonali Fernando, 1995. 29 minutes

A haunting, lush and moving examination of the complex and powerful work and life of the legendary poet Audre Lorde. This film explores its subject with gratitude and respect for her tremendous contributions, but instead of pure adulation, it instead opts to examine the often difficult and subjective nature of Lorde’s tremendous contributions with maturity, intelligence, and propulsive vitality. Interweaving dramatic reenactments, passionate discussion, and performance art, this vivacious film breathes life into Lorde’s life and work and accentuates their importance with the magnificent imagery and the thoughtfulness they deserve.

Chutney Popcorn. Dir. Nisha Ganatra, 1999. 91 minutes

In this delightful and well-observed comedy, Sarita and Reena, two sisters with a devout and pious Indian mother, navigate the struggles of not following the cultural and religious expectations of them. Sarita is a newlywed, to her mother’s great satisfaction, but discovers she is medically unable to conceive. Reena is the black sheep of the family – a family that has never come to terms with the fact that she’s a lesbian, happily living with her Caucasian girlfriend, Lisa. An unlikely solution, with unforeseen complications and turmoil, arises when Reena offers to carry Sarita and her husband’s child to term. With a keen eye for family and relationship dynamics, this funny, wise film presents a crowd-pleasing story of an Indian family marrying tradition and modern life to reinvent itself stronger than ever.

Desi’s Looking For a New Girl. Dir. Mary Guzman, 2000. 71 minutes

In this groundbreaking comedy, widely acknowledged as the first feature film in America centering on Latinx lesbians, Desi is reeling from a devastating breakup and her close-knit circle of family and friends make it their mission to help her get back on her feet again. Through charmingly rendered scenes of warm and energetic friendship, bold artistic choices like occasional animated interludes, and hilarious dating mishaps, this film draws the viewer in to its characters’ lives. This genuinely heartwarming film is a joy to watch.

Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project. Dir. Charles B. Brack, 2008. 54 minutes

This infuriating and powerful documentary examines the aftermath of the brutal murder of a 15-year-old African-American girl in Newark in 2003. Sakia Gunn and her friends were propositioned by two men at a bus stop. Gunn turned them down, boldly identifying herself as a lesbian, which prompted the men to attack and subsequently kill her. This film explores the brutal impact of this killing on Gunn’s family, friends and community while also ambitiously zooming out to examine a number of related issues including pockets of homophobia in the Black community, stud culture in lesbian communities, and the wide disparity in the coverage of this crime compared to Matthew Shepard’s murder and the racism and classism inherent in that disparity. This film’s ability to juggle all of its topics in its short run time while always managing to center Sakia Gunn and her family, both blood and chosen, is truly impressive.

Greetings from Africa. Dir. Cheryl Dunye, 1994. 9 minutes

A gorgeous, wryly hilarious, quietly revolutionary slice of life. Cheryl Dunye’s penchant for storytelling, which made another of her short films, Janine, so excellent, is once again on display. She becomes romantically entangled with a woman known only as L, who is endlessly intriguing, but clearly nothing but trouble. Up to this point, this was Dunye’s most polished film by far, and seeing such an early example of a film this well produced exploring a type of relationship mostly unseen before that time is quite a revelation. Her effortless interweaving of black-and-white and color, and her narrative skill are an exciting predictor of her future success with The Watermelon Woman. Watch for the cameo by young future-legend Jacqueline Woodson.

Janine. Dir. Cheryl Dunye, 1991. 9 minutes

Quietly, concisely and powerfully, this early film of Cheryl Dunye’s spins a riveting story of her teenage friendship with an upper-class, very different, Caucasian classmate, the titular Janine.  There’s a bittersweet tinge to her riveting monologue as Dunye takes us through her idolization and tenuous attraction to Janine. This is only to discover her positive feelings toward Janine morphing, almost curdling as Dunye begins to become more true to herself and gains a more mature understanding of her identities as an African-American woman and a lesbian woman, as well as Janine’s hopeless lack of understanding of either. The staging and editing techniques, such as a motif involving two candles and the interjection of on-screen text at a couple of key moments could come across as amateurish by a lesser filmmaker but here they breathe even more life into a fascinating anecdote of coming-of-age. Dunye’s casual skill at storytelling and the chance to witness the early seeds of a great filmmaker make this a must-see. It’s a true gem.

Mosquita y Mari. Dir. Aurora Guerrero, 2012. 85 minutes

One of the most endearing cinematic female friendships is at the center of this warm and empathetic coming-of-age tale. Mosquita is a driven straight-A high schooler with strict parents who hold fast to the idea that education is her ladder out of the poverty that has devastated their mostly Latinx community. When hard-edged Mari joins the school, they feel an unexpected magnetism for each other. The film wisely does not apply too many labels to the protagonists’ romantic friendship, but the two young women learn a great deal about themselves and each other as this beautifully shot exploration of young attraction unfolds.

Pariah. Dir. Dee Rees, 2011. 86 minutes

Adepero Oduye commands the screen as 17-year-old Alike, a burgeoning young poet whose gender non-conformity alarms her devoutly religious mother (a career-best performance by Kim Wayans), causing family tension, as her father is far more permissive and supportive. Alike has increasingly begun embracing and living her identity as a more butch lesbian, but isn’t quite ready to come out. This film’s authenticity, lived-in characters and relationships, and powerfully poetic artistry (highly characteristic of veteran lesbian filmmaker Dee Rees) make it one of the most impactful QTPOC narrative films ever released. Consider it essential viewing.

Saving Face. Dir. Alice Wu, 2004. 97 minutes

The romantic farce is a very difficult subgenre to execute well, but Alice Wu’s beloved comedy manages to knock it out of the park. Wilhelmina “Wil” Pang, a skilled Chinese-American surgeon but closeted lesbian, is constantly pressured by her more traditional mother to settle down with a man. Wil has grown used to living with this pressure, but her life is turned upside down when, in quick succession, she is charmed and romanced by gorgeous dancer Vivian (Lynn Chen) and her mother scandalizes her community by becoming pregnant out of wedlock at age 48. Despite the madcap hijinks that follow, this film succeeds in its clever and lived-in depictions of a close-knit Chinese-American community (indeed, at least half of the dialogue is in Mandarin) and the infectiously warm romance at its center.

Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four. Dir. Deborah Esquenazi, 2016. 91 minutes

This Peabody Award-winning documentary shines a spotlight on an infuriating miscarriage of justice involving 4 Latinx lesbian women accused of sexually assaulting a child. The jury, clouded by homophobia, racism, and an absurd fit of Satanic Panic, derailed these women’s lives by sentencing them to long jail sentences, despite the lack of any credible evidence. Along with the tireless efforts of family, activists, lawyers and a key witness who recanted their false testimony, this film was instrumental in their eventual release after more than a decade of jail time. In addition to telling the story of these remarkable, determined women, this documentary also serves as an exploration of how insidious racism and homophobia can trump the truth and justice in America’s criminal justice system.

Speak Easy, B. Dir. Becca Park, 2018. 15 minutes

Becca Park’s surreal, lush, and funny short film examines themes of depression, abandonment, and cultural alienation. Becca Park herself plays the title character, attempting to find a way to explain the complexity of these feelings to a white therapist who may not be equipped to understand. We follow her on a metaphorical journey to vast deserts, kitschy diners, and a hilarious interaction with her own inner child. Rarely has a film packed so many complex ideas surrounding intersectional identities into such a short and aesthetically daring film.

U People. Dir. Hanifah Walida, 2009. 75 minutes

This self-styled “rockumentary” is an amazing curiosity in the best sense of the word. A group of queer Black and Latinx women come together to film a short film and music video, but Walida keeps the camera going beyond this project and catches a series of profoundly engaging conversations amongst the cast about the intersectionalities of living life as a Black lesbian in America. These discussions range from topics of privilege, being ignored by white LGBT activism, gender expression and quality of life, heteronormativity, and difficulty defining oneself when different identities and labels (bisexual, trans, lesbian, butch, femme, etc.) only partially apply to one’s experience. As these women express engagingly diverse opinions, the filming of the short film within this film provides an excellent narrative structure that grounds and focuses the film. Though they differ and disagree, they’re all working hard toward a meaningful end goal and it’s beautiful to behold.

The Watermelon Woman. Dir. Cheryl Dunye, 1997. 90 minutes

Writer/director Cheryl Dunye changed the entire landscape of queer cinema with this monumentally influential and uproarious comedy about an aspiring Black documentarian (played by Dunye herself) who seeks to make a film about an elusive Black, lesbian actress from Hollywood’s Golden Age. The film uses that actress, dubbed “the watermelon woman” as a jumping off point to discuss Hollywood’s paradoxical obsessions with both fetishizing Black people and erasing them from view. Along the way, Dunye sharply skewers open-minded but feckless white “allies,” the idiosyncrasies of Black lesbian communities, the chaotic research process, and the craft of filmmaking itself. This film, the first feature directed by an out Black lesbian, is essential viewing – a prerequisite for any deep understanding of the history of queer filmmakers of color.

The Worlds of Bernice Bing. Dir. Madeleine Lim, 2013. 35 minutes

This lean, brisk, and loving exploration of influential Chinese-American lesbian artist and activist Bernice Bing is an expertly crafted retrospective on her life and works. Bing’s tumultuous personal life, prolific artistic contributions, and intersectional issues in the art world are explored in surprising depth for a film of this runtime. This is a profound and emotional paean to one of art’s most unfairly overlooked pioneers is a worthy and eye-opening tribute.