gay male stories
The films on this page explicitly center and highlight stories of gay-identified men.
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!
Act of Faith. Dir. Daniel Bree, 2006. 7 minutes
This very short film examines three very different Muslim men’s relationships with their Muslim faith and how they’ve struggled to live as openly gay men because of the cultural and religious disapproval. One has given up his faith altogether, as he was unable to reconcile faith and sexuality. The others have complicated relationships with both. The film doesn’t provide and answers to this dissonance – indeed, no film of any length likely ever could. Instead, this short production functions as a firm “we are here” announcement and a powerful encouragement to the religious establishment to modernize its thinking on contemporary issues.
Affirmations. Dir. Marlon Riggs, 1990. 10 minutes
In another under-seen, uplifting gem from Marlon Riggs, this short seeks to celebrate the experience of being gay and Black in America. Despite the constant threats of racism and homophobia, HIV/AIDS, depression, and general persecution, gay, Black men have survived and find love, peace, and happiness in a hostile world. In this film, Riggs focuses on the positive aspects of being “in the life” and how those aspects help the community thrive. Like all of Marlon Riggs’s films, exponentially more ideas and content are explored than should even be possible in the runtime.
All In My Family. Dir. Hao Wu, 2018. 46 minutes
In this intimate and endearing short documentary, director Hao Wu, an immigrant to the United States from China, explores the fallout in his eccentric but loving family when he and his partner choose to have two children via surrogacy. Hao’s coming out has caused some conflict in his family before and, as a result, he is not out to his grandfather. However, suddenly showing up in China with two children raises many questions and Hao must decide whether to tell his grandfather the whole truth. Despite its short runtime, this delightful film provides meaningful insights on culture clash, family expectations, maturation, and the upsides and pitfalls of the truth.
Anthem. Dir. Marlon Riggs, 1991. 9 minutes
This infectiously pulse-pounding long-form music video/experimental film audaciously combines music, poetry, provocative imagery, and myriad dance styles to ruminate on, critique, challenge, celebrate, and otherwise delve into contemporary Black, gay culture. Sly but insightful critiques are also directed at the derision of queer people in Black popular culture and the simultaneous disrespect of Black people in the gay community. Characteristically thought-provoking for documentarian Marlon Riggs, this short film is evocative, erotic, illuminating, upsetting and, ultimately, endlessly rewatchable. It highlights the enormity of the loss of Riggs as a filmmaker and the crushing void he left behind.
Black is…Black Ain’t. Dir. Marlon Riggs, 1994. 87 minutes
In Marlon Riggs’s final film, he deeply and insightfully explores toxic masculinity, long before that phrase had entered the mainstream, and how it interacts with historical oppression, internalized racism, misogyny and homophobia in the Black community in tremendously destructive ways. Angela Davis, bell hooks, Cornel West and other impressively prominent Black thinkers and activists discuss a whole array of hot topics that have and continue to galvanize Black people, while challenging assumptions within the Black community that have problematic elements, such as organized religion, Afrocentrism and perceptions of the Black body. Marlon Riggs’s own body, ravaged by AIDS during the production of the film also becomes part of the focus and discourse in truly touching and profound ways. This is the kind of animating doc that has you talking back to the screen. A feat of all-time, top-notch documentary filmmaking, this film punctuates what a tremendous loss Marlon Riggs was to the LGBT, QPOC and “mainstream” artistic communities.
Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin. Dir. Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer, 2002. 83 minutes
A respectful, often reverent retrospective on the life of Bayard Rustin, one of the most important civil rights activists in American history. This film was influential in re-shining the spotlight on Rustin who was a pivotal force in organizing many of the most impactful demonstrations of the Civil Rights Movement, including the 1963 March on Washington. Despite his contributions, his career and his legacy have both been severely compromised by the homophobia inherent in all corners of American society, as well as his adamant espousal of nonviolent principles as well as his embrace of aspects of neo-conservatism, both of which were not in sync with his contemporary activists. Rustin’s influence and impact on the successes of the Civil Rights Movement are undeniable, however, and this film goes a long way toward correcting the historical record. Its efforts occasionally veer towards heroification of its subject, but this film remains a fantastic examination of the complex life of a crucial, outspoken activist, who was ahead of his time.
Brother to Brother. Dir. Rodney Evans, 2004. 94 minutes
This moody and ambitious drama breathlessly explores a number of intersectional issues facing Black gay men historically and in the modern day. In his breakthrough performance, Anthony Mackie plays a college student struggling with homophobia from the Black community and racism from other gay men. He befriends a transient man who turns out to be Bruce Nugent, a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance. They discover the same kinds of prejudice and inequity in the early twentieth century are mirrored in the modern Black gay experience. This film’s effortless employment of interweaving flashbacks make for a uniquely insightful meditation on how some intersectional concerns are more readily renewed than resolved.
Check It. Dir. Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer, 2016. 91 minutes
This wildly provocative documentary focuses on members of the Check It gang, a group of mostly Black LGBT youths in the Washington D.C. area who got together for protection and eventually grew into a violent, feared, and dominant force in the region. LGBT hate crimes are disproportionately high in the D.C. area and, instead of being picked off as targets, Check It seeks to turn the tables on homophobic criminals. The aspirations, hopes, and dreams of these gang members are explored, as well as the innumerable barriers to escaping the tumultuous perils of gang life in D.C. A subplot of the film, for example, involves many of gang members gaining to opportunity to channel their unique perspectives and fashion sense into a chance at putting on a polished fashion show, with an opportunity to progress to an internship and perhaps a new lease on life. Alternately scary, sad, and hilarious, this film documents the lives of QPOC who have been forced to fight for their place and for their space in a society that has abandoned and targeted them for extinction. One may disagree with their methods but their stories are of perseverance, self-respect, and gritty determination.
Front Cover. Dir. Ray Yeung, 2015. 87 minutes
A strong cast and disarmingly heartfelt moments propel this fast-paced comedy about Ryan, a gay fashion designer struggling with internalized racism about his Chinese heritage, so much so that he is far more comfortable around white people, despite the constant microaggressions he endures from them. He is paired with a flippant and homophobic Beijing superstar actor looking for a makeover ahead of his big Western crossover however the two bond in many surprising ways, helping them both to grow. This film offers a unique examination of characters who haven’t sought to find balance in the intersections they live in, instead only making peace with one aspect of themselves. That the profound unhappiness the results from that can be explored so well in a film so cheerful makes this a real gem.
In the Family. Dir. Patrick Wang, 2011. 169 minutes
Patrick Wang’s utterly absorbing, quiet, humanist masterstroke is an essential queer film that, despite being the longest film in this canon, earns every minute of its runtime and even leaves you wishing you could spend more time with these characters. Wang himself plays Joey, a Chinese-American contractor who lives with his partner Cody and co-parents Cody’s son, Chip, from a previous marriage. They seem to have found peace and happiness as a family unit, even with Cody’s extended family, until Cody dies in an accident. Chip, whose mother died in childbirth, continues to live with Joey and they grow and recover together from this trauma, until the extended family contests custody, throwing all lives into turmoil. This uniquely astute character study examines what happens next when all parties, who clearly want the best for Chip, try to find a way to navigate to the best possible solution. Joey’s ethnicity and his sexuality are not always explicitly centered, but they are clearly undercurrents, gently affecting characters’ motivations. The subtlety and wisdom of this film are truly something to behold, all the way up to its emotional, pitch-perfect final shot. A must-see.
Kiki. Dir. Sara Jordeño, 2016. 96 minutes
This deeply affecting spiritual sequel to the classic Paris is Burning closely examines Ball and Drag culture almost 30 years later, specifically focusing on a number of mostly Black and Latinx queer and trans performers trying to learn, survive and thrive in sometimes very harsh realities. Though Kiki is clearly channeling and building on its predecessor, its artistic ambition and intense interest in painting deeply human portraits of its subject are simply remarkable. Kiki also zooms out beyond just the ballroom scene and focuses on several issues including the continued devastation of homophobia, transphobia, and HIV/AIDS despite years of ostensible progress, as well as the complex reasons people choose to transition and, fascinatingly, what life after retiring from drag looks like. This is a must-see.
Milind Soman Made Me Gay. Dir. Harjant Gill, 2002. 26 minutes
A collection of queer men from Indian and Pakistani backgrounds, and many different cultural and family traditions, describe how the intersections of their identities lead to unique and fascinating experiences in America, especially after Matthew Shepard’s murder and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This short film manages to touch on homophobia, islamophobia, alienation, and navigating dating, often interracial dating, in the 21st century. Its strengths are not necessarily in focusing on the difficult issues facing these men but in how they find inspiration, what keeps them motivated and what they want for their futures. This film fills an important gap with perspectives that have been alarmingly absent from the body of films giving voice to QPOC.
La Mission. Dir. Peter Bratt, 2009. 117 minutes
Benjamin Bratt stars as a tough-as-nails Che Rivera, respected in his mostly Latinx community for his strength, his mechanical know-how and his perseverance in overcoming a past that included alcoholism and time in prison. However, when he discovers his son Jes (fiercely played by Jeremy Ray Valdez) is gay, the tension between them explodes and Che realizes there are limits to what his hypermasculinity has prepared him for in life. Though one wishes Jes’s story was a little more fleshed out, this film crafts a fascinating narrative about the internal duel of love and hate and the devastation that can arise from letting hatred guide one’s actions.
Moonlight. Dir. Barry Jenkins, 2016. 111 minutes
At long last, QPOC coming-of-age stories went mainstream with this artistically-daring, barrier-smashing, Academy Award-winning drama following the sensitive and withdrawn Chiron through three difficult stages of his life. With uncommon compassion, Moonlight traces Chiron’s slow, tumultuous journey towards emotional and sexual maturity in an unforgiving and cruel world. The quality, importance, impact and aesthetic triumph of this film simply cannot be overstated. QPOC and African-American gay men especially have been invisible, peripheral, tragic, pathologized, feared, mocked and otherwise discounted for most of cinema history. This film’s beautifully sympathetic portrayal of Chiron is the largest blow yet struck against the shortchanging of QPOC lives on the big screen. This quintessential film is required viewing.
No Regret (Non, Je Ne Regretted Rien). Dir. Marlon Riggs, 1993. 38 minutes
Perhaps Marlon Riggs’s most rare and underseen classic, this moving documentary short features interviews with five HIV-positive Black men facing mortality and ostracization. Despite the sadness of the topic, this film sings with hope instead of despair, disclosure and sex positivity instead of shame, and power and resilience instead of depression. The defiant courage and optimism of the film’s subjects inspire us to move past the toxicity of regret towards hope for the future, even against the toughest odds.
Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom. Dir. Patrik Ian-Polk, 2008. 101 minutes
Patrik Ian-Polk has long been an expert at incorporating serious and important issues into wildly farcical situational comedy. In this much-anticipated follow-up film to his groundbreaking QPOC-focused television show, Noah’s Arc, he crafts a hilarious soap opera that could easily be dismissed if one focuses too hard on the absurdist humor, risible plot twists, catty friendships, petty betrayals and umpteen examples of men having badly. What makes this film important is how Polk is able to use these situations to springboard into serious conversations about crucial issues facing Queer people of color. These conversations ran the gamut from the HIV crisis, to domestic violence in queer relationships, to commitment, to coming out, to the perils of promiscuity, to varying generational attitudes towards relationships to, importantly, how to give the kind of love that hasn’t necessarily been modeled for our communities. This film is easy to dismiss as little more than a piece of entertainment, but it’s truly impressive just how much this film has to say.
Paris is Burning. Dir. Jennie Livingston, 1990. 78 minutes
There isn’t much more to write about this barnstorming, iconic, groundbreaking, barrier-destroying, seminal documentary about drag and ball culture in New York in the 1980s. Still routinely shown 30 years later, this documentary shed light on an innovative and endlessly creative group of performers and their culture that the world still cannot get enough of. More than perhaps any other film on this list, Paris is Burning is absolutely essential viewing for QTPOC and, one might argue, the world. With equal parts humor, suspense, and tragedy, this film still stands as a testament to the power of documentary filmmaking. It simply must be seen.
Saturday Church. Dir. Damon Cardasis, 2018. 83 minutes
This disarming coming-of-age story follows the tumultuous story of the aptly-named Ulysses, a queer Black teenager, bullied by his classmates and by his strict, religious aunt who comes to live with him after the death of his father. During this traumatic time, he finds refuge in a group of gay, trans, and drag queen friends, who initiate him into the world of the ballroom circuit. This film’s fusion of music and narrative storytelling results in some of the most heartwarming and exhilarating shots in recent queer cinema.
The Skinny. Dir. Patrik-Ian Polk, 2012. 99 minutes
Patrik Ian-Polk’s wild, raunchy, explicit dramedy shines a light on modern concerns facing queer Black people, mostly men, such as exploitation, the thrills and perils of promiscuity, the vital importance of friendship, and the continuing, insidious specter of HIV/AIDS in the community. Continuing the unflinching, camaraderie-focused legacy of Polk’s legendary TV show Noah’s ARC, this presentation quickly initiates us into a group of hilarious friends who reunite a year after college for NYC Pride Weekend. Revelations and grudges, however, cause their rapport to fray over the course of the trip. This film is a wild ride that successfully walks the tightrope: bawdy but not repellant, surprisingly educational but not didactic, fun but never frivolous. Recommended for mature audiences.
South Beach on Heels. Dir. Dmitry Zhitov, 2014. 80 minutes
This warm and empathetic documentary focuses on the lives, trials and tribulations of professional drag queens, mostly of color, working in the South Beach area of Florida. Some of the featured queens, such as luminous and enchanting Latrice Royale, have achieved much exposure and mainstream success, and some still work tirelessly at their craft with a much lower profile and no guarantee of fame or even a steady paycheck. Deeply personal and heartfelt moments and insights into the lives of these drag performers set this documentary apart from the rest in this increasingly popular subgenre of drag documentaries.
Spa Night. Dir. Andrew Ahn, 2016. 96 minutes
Andrew Ahn’s contemplative, melancholy, and sensually shot drama focuses on a Korean immigrant family struggling to survive the broken promises of the “American Dream.” David, the son, is fiercely loyal to his parents, but seems overcome by both isolation and fear. His parents gave up everything to migrate to America so David could attend a good college, get married, and have children, but David is mortified to tell them that not only does college seem unattractive, but he’s been acknowledging his attraction to other men more and more consciously. When the family’s business fails, David gets a job at the local spa, which is a cultural hub of sorts but also, as he discovers, a cruising spot for the men who frequent it. What sets Spa Night apart from other LGBT coming-of-age stories is that the focus is on the internal rather than actions. Ahn wisely trusts the viewer to read between the lines, rather than overtly stating the cascading emotions of sorrow, longing, alienation, disappointment, and regret. Even when events climax, the understatement of the moment is more powerful than anything more overt could ever be. This understated, mature film is gloomier than many other narrative films on this list, but it’s one of the truest and most enriching.
Tongues Untied. Dir. Marlon Riggs, 1989. 55 minutes
Simultaneously perhaps the most controversial, infamous, and influential queer film of the 20th century, Marlon Riggs’s seminal and nonconformist documentary shattered the plague of silence around race and sexuality. With never-before-seen candor and boundless energy, Riggs savagely attacks the homophobia in the Black community and the racism of the gay community while simultaneously extolling the beauty of the Black body that has been so maligned and fetishized in culture. Despite being openly reviled and condemned by social conservatives upon its release, this documentary endured and changed the entire landscape of QTPOC representation on television and film forever. This is essential viewing.
Voguing: The Message. Dir. Dorothy Low, 1989. 13 minutes
This fast-paced introduction to the origins and culture of voguing and ball culture has perhaps been overshadowed a bit by Paris is Burning, which was released around the same time, but is nonetheless and excellent companion piece. As a primer, it very quickly orients the viewer to the terminology and the basic infrastructure of the NYC ball scene. In addition to this whirlwind introduction to the culture and how it adds value and meaning to the lives of its participants, we also get to see virtuoso performers like the legendary Willi Ninja practice their craft. This is an excellent addition to the canon, especially for those in a hurry.
The Wedding Banquet. Dir. Ang Lee, 1993. 107 minutes
Ang Lee’s groundbreaking classic is half farce, half touching family character study. The Wedding Banquet tells the story of Wai-Tung, a Taiwanese immigrant, whose parents constantly pressure him to find a wife and settle down. Unbeknownst to them, Wai-Tung is both gay and in a happy, long-term relationship with Simon, a Caucasian man. They hatch a plan to get Wai-Tung’s parents’ off his back by entering into a sham marriage with one of his poorer tenants, which backfires in routinely hilarious ways. This film explores both the gay immigrant experience in America and how intersectional issues of culture, generational differences, and family expectations can disrupt QPOC’s lives by pulling them in far too many directions at once, while also providing well-earned hope that the experiences and expectations can be reconciled. This film might seem jarringly dated at times to younger viewers (obviously, marriage equality was 20 years away and the scene where a character receives a first-generation cell phone as a gift is unintentionally hilarious in modern times), but this film was and is an astonishing achievement and a surprisingly mainstream critical and commercial success, proving that there was an audience for stories like this. P.S. - The long scene of the titular wedding banquet is one of the most joyously entertaining celebrations ever captured on film.