Gay Documentary, a list by Jef Westerveld

7.0

/92/

68

/7/

3.4

/275/

92

/12/

Having grown up on a famr in Kenya, Samuel dreams of another life, one that would take him far away from his village where people give too much importance to tradition. The young man moves to Nairobi where he finds a community of queer men. It is there that he meets Alex, who he falls in love with. But coming out to his family is far from easy, particularly given the Kenyan Law which continues to criminalise homosexual relationships.

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7.9

/12/

Every year, thousands of visitors make the pilgrimage to Antwerp for the largest indoor gay fetish event in the world. Through the eyes of the Jeroen, and his sister, straight Nathalie, both of the masterminds behind the event, this sensitive documentary offers an unprecedented account of a journey that sees taboos challenged and leaves audiences enthralled. In "Darklands", sensitive topics like sexual identity and fetishism are approached in a poignant and non-explicit way, while tantalising secrets behind the festival's genesis are revealed.

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100

/1/

In 1970, an eccentric young stripper named Shelly Baumann loses her leg in a freak parade canon accident, then uses her settlement money to open 'Shelly's Leg' disco - one of the nation's first and most consequential openly gay spaces.

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In electric, personal, and historical ways, this riveting documentary explores whether there is, or ever was, a home for Queer in the hyper-masculine, black painted worlds of heavy metal, punk and rock & roll. Excavating the often-veiled queer lives of some of the greatest culture-defining disruptors and masterminds of music in the 1960s and 70s, Rock Out demands to know what unique value ‘gay’ brought to creating and revolutionising rock, punk, and metal – from the perspective of managers, producers, artists and fans – and why those contributions have been left buried for so long.

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8.1

/10/

In 1970s Britain, Tony Powell was a star defender for Norwich City Football Club — until one day he disappeared from the public eye without a word to family or friends. Decades and seemingly a lifetime later, Tony now quietly resides at the Holloway Motel in the heart of West Hollywood as its manager and sole resident (apart from his dog Samantha). However, after he learns the motel is shuttering and he'll soon be evicted, Tony must finally reconcile his past and present in order to survive and come to terms with the multifaceted relationships of his life: those he's found, lost and abandoned.

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9.4

/8/

A short verbatim documentary that tells the story of how the Isle of Man came to decriminalise homosexual acts in 1992. The film follows the parliamentary debates around changing the law, the febrile atmosphere on the island as activists protested at Tynwald Day, the 1991 general election campaign where gay sex seemed to be on the ballot, and the police raids of public toilets where gay men would meet. The film specially explores ideas around social shame and the media as an extra-judicial mechanism for social control in small communities.

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7.3

/10/

Forty years after a gay Apache man is framed for the brutal murder of a closeted Catholic priest, a police chief uncovers long-buried evidence that shakes up the small, oil-rich West Texas town that imprisoned him.

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7.8

/68/

26

/3/

Jimmy in Saigon is a documentary exploring the mysterious death of Peter McDowell's eldest brother, James, who died age 24 in Saigon. The film explores unspoken grief and family secrets, while honoring those lost long ago.

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A raw, gripping documentary on Deuntay Diggs' journey from hardship to triumph, tackling abuse, faith, love, sexuality, and race.

56

18

7.0

/180/

65

/6/

60

/1/

3.7

/1285/

50

/6/

22

/2/

Since the 1970s, lesbians from around the world have been drawn to the island of Lesvos, the birthplace of the ancient Greek poet Sappho. When they find paradise in a local village and carve out their own queer lesbian community, tensions simmer with the local residents. With both groups claiming ownership of lesbian identity, filmmaker Tzeli Hadjidimitriou—a native and lesbian herself—is caught in the middle and chronicles 40+ years of love, community, conflict, and what it means to feel accepted.

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6.2

/54/

68

/6/

"Brother Orange" follows the story of Matt Stopera, a BuzzFeed founding editor, whose life takes an unexpected turn when his stolen phone, lost in a New York City bar, becomes the catalyst for a viral BuzzFeed article a year later. The article launched a viral feel-good story about a lasting friendship that transcends language and culture and has captivated the world with over 100 million views on social media, including over 70 million shares on Weibo, and traditional media such as NPR, Rachel Maddow, and Ellen while propelling Matt into instant celebrity status. As their 10-year friendship anniversary nears, this extraordinary true story showcases the power of personal connection between two ordinary people-one American and one Chinese-who look beyond political tensions to form a profound bond.

66

?

7.7

/117/

60

/4/

60

/4/

3.5

/203/

Hard to imagine, but true: According to current estimates, out of 500,000 active male football professionals worldwide, under ten (10) are openly homosexual. While homosexuality hardly plays a role in other areas of life today, the topic seems to be completely taboo in professional football. The feature-length documentary THE LAST TABOO lets those who broke exactly this taboo tell their very personal stories alongside Thomas Hitzlsperger. Like the British professional footballer Justin Fashanu (*1961 in London; † 1998 in London), who broke this taboo for the first time in 1990 and paid for it with his life. His niece Amal tells his story. Marcus Urban, on the other hand, was about to make the jump to the Bundesliga as a teenager and, by deciding to come out, he also went against his big dream. The stories of the US professional Collin Martin and the British player-coach Matt Morton, on the other hand, suggest that normality is not far away.

82

43

8.0

/445/

83

/111/

83

/21/

4.2

/3333/

Features live performances of Dua Lipa's greatest hits accompanied by the Heritage Orchestra, as well as personal reflections on her career.

74

72

6.4

/3272/

69

/489/

68

/73/

3.7

/145316/

100

/7/

71

/53/

Pop icon Sabrina Carpenter jingles all the bells in her first-ever variety music special full of holiday hits, unexpected duets and comedic cameos.

66

6.6

/2245/

70

/253/

65

/43/

3.2

/10476/

76

/45/

70

/32/

61

/12/

2.5

age 13+

Sir Elton John looks back on his life and the astonishing early days of his 50-year career in this emotionally charged, full-circle journey. As he prepares for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium, Elton takes us back in time and recounts his struggles with adversity, abuse, and addiction, and how he overcame them to become the icon he is today.

85

61

8.1

/1062/

83

/95/

80

/10/

3.8

/3414/

98

/41/

98

/92/

83

/10/

Luther Vandross started his career supporting David Bowie, Roberta Flack, Bette Midler, and more. His undeniable talent earned platinum records and accolades, but he struggled to break out beyond the R&B charts. Intensely driven, he overcame personal and professional challenges to secure his place amongst the greatest vocalists in history.

75

?

7.7

/137/

70

/5/

78

/5/

A documentary film about Studio One which, from 1974 to 1994, was the center of queer nightlife in West Hollywood as well as the staging ground for the rise of the LGBTQ rights movement and fight against the AIDS crisis.

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6.2

/21/

60

/1/

In November 1948, James Baldwin left New York and, thanks to a fellowship grant, relocated to Paris. The 24-year-old writer would spend most of the next decade there, escaping American racism and his own social alienation, ensconcing himself in the city’s Algerian quarters and the community of Left Bank artists in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and writing his first books. In his first feature, photographer and filmmaker Yashaddai Owens imagines Baldwin’s first experiences in Paris in impressionistic fashion. Shooting in black-and-white on 16mm film, Owens conveys a subjective feeling of wonder and freedom as Baldwin (Benny O. Arthur) observes and absorbs his new environment, and experiences newfound individuality and erotic liberation. A work of exhilaration, set to a lush original score by Paco Andreo, Jimmy is a portrait of the artist reconnecting with the world.

63

?

5.5

/207/

70

/1/

3.3

/488/

An examination of the intimate life of America's most consequential president, Abraham Lincoln. As told by preeminent Lincoln scholars and never before seen photographs and letters, Lincoln's romantic relationships with men is detailed. The lens is widened into the history of human sexual fluidity and focuses on the profound differences between sexual mores of the 19th century and those we hold today.

75

7.5

/355/

70

/4/

77

/3/

3.5

/878/

96

/47/

68

/10/

3.0

The first definitive feature documentary to lend new and compelling perspectives on the partnership, both professional and personal, of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, and their primary associates, writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and composer Richard Robbins. Footage from more than fifty interviews, clips, and archival material gives voice to the family of actors and technicians who helped define Merchant Ivory’s Academy Award-winning work of consummate quality and intelligence. With six Oscar winners among the notable artists participating, these close and often long-term collaborators intimately detail the transformational cinematic creativity and personal and professional drama of the wandering company that left an indelible impact on film culture.

67

?

6.9

/73/

61

/5/

70

/1/

3.5

/435/

At the height of the AIDS crisis, many gay men sold their life insurance policies to investors for quick cash. This documentary charts the rise and fall of the hundred-million-dollar “gay-death-profiteering” industry that grew out of their desperation, and spotlights one of its earliest investors: the filmmaker’s father.

36

?

2.4

/228/

32

/13/

38

/5/

2.5

/237/

Call him Diddy, Puff Daddy, or Brother Love. No alias can mask the flood of sexual abuse lawsuits levied against music mogul Sean Combs. Will 3 decades of bad boy behavior be his swan song?

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6.2

/50/

A documentary that looks into the LBGTQ+ community and specifically, transgender men and women. It examines how they survive and even flourish in today's extremely divided America.

71

?

7.6

/80/

65

/2/

3.7

/479/

Sabbath Queen is a remarkable 20 year journey in the life of Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, a 39th generation Orthodox rabbi — and drag queen.

71

?

7.5

/120/

70

/2/

3.5

/354/

An intimate look at pioneering artist George Platt Lynes, who took radically explicit photographs of the male nude. The documentary reveals Lynes’ gifted eye for the male form, his long-term friendships with Gertrude Stein and Alfred Kinsey, and his lasting influence as one of the first openly gay American artists.

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7.1

/24/

50

/1/

From their iconic house and studio in London’s Brick Lane, Gilbert & George have been at the forefront of British art for over half a century. Their unmistakable art is stark, urban, poetic, profoundly romantic, brutally realistic, and wholly visionary. It has captivated mainstream audiences around the globe. By unpacking their long and literal walk through life – repeatedly likened to a Pilgrimage – substantially with their voices, and few other commentators, the film offers a rare, deep, and captivating insight into their personal philosophy.

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4.5

/32/

Nine diverse LGBTQ+ comics each perform a short set connected by a hostess with the mostest in an orgiastic one-night stand starring fresh comics to veteran comic Jason Stuart and the world's first intersex comic 7G.

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8.6

/17/

60

/1/

Deaf gay parents Alan and Brian brought their hearing twin children home from India to NYC in 2011 after a long difficult surrogacy process. While expanding their sign language teaching business and maneuvering their relationship, the couple need to cope with their increasingly rambunctious kids who start shrieking "you don't understand me" to their fathers. "Loud Love" is their story, a documentary about parenting, growth and its occasional hurdles.

77

?

7.6

/72/

70

/4/

3.6

/308/

93

/15/

Simon Chambers is shooting a film in India when his uncle David calls him with a message of doom: “I think I may be dying.” What the viewer doesn’t yet know is that David, an eccentric gay actor, is a total drama queen, and a Shakespeare-lover who has grown old on a diet of attention and applause. Chambers returns to London to look after his uncle and capture his final stages of life on camera.

82

36

7.7

/540/

82

/82/

72

/23/

4.2

/20359/

97

/5/

From casting to the final scene, this special shows how the cast and crew of "Young Royals" brought Wilhelm and Simon's heartwarming journey to life.

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7.1

/69/

53

/3/

70

/6/

Two young actors are exploring the topic of representation of LGBTI people through the history of Yugoslav cinema and social circumstances that have resulted in different treatment of these characters.

72

?

7.2

/34/

75

/2/

3.5

/238/

A House Is Not A Disco peers with empathy and curiosity into the present-day life experiences of those who live, work, and pursue a season of pleasure in the world's most radically queer, "homo-normative" community: Fire Island Pines.

70

7.1

/1420/

70

/53/

61

/14/

3.5

/12633/

87

/39/

73

/4/

58

/14/

3.0

Fashion designer John Galliano was widely recognized as one of the most successful names in 1990s and 2000s couture, until his career abruptly ended when he was caught on camera in 2011 hurling antisemitic and racist insults at bystanders in Paris.

75

65

7.4

/3197/

74

/233/

74

/41/

3.9

/17822/

In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.

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7.2

/23/

45

/2/

60

/1/

Sites like OnlyFans, Flirt4Free, and JustforFans have destabilized the traditional production, distribution, and monetization of X-rated entertainment. The potential and risk to make the big bucks, along with all the headaches of running a business, is now in the hands of porn stars and starry-eyed newcomers working from home. Performers have become their own studios, producing, shooting, and casting their own work - often from their homes. And just like a Netflix account - people pay to watch. Sure, porn is still popular but it’s a one-way experience and guys don’t want to pay for it. They want the opportunity to get to know somebody they’ve seen in a magazine, on TV, or on social media. Meet your roster of online boyfriends.

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8.9

/17/

70

/4/

For the last quarter century, Houston native Arden Eversmeyer journeyed across the country to record hundreds of oral "herstories" with a mostly invisible population that is rapidly disappearing. Old Lesbians honors Arden's legacy by animating the resilient, joyful voices she preserved in the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project, from first crush to first love, from the closet to coming out, and finally from loss to connection.

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6.1

/17/

A broken phone and the digital memory of a broken relationship. Both fragile, both recomposed to reveal the fragments of a first love that seems to fade away. Through the careful manipulation of discarnate metal components and the director's attentive look on a found intimate archive, a parallel movement of lingering and resistance to the ephemeral. A playful reflection on what remains.

59

?

6.8

/497/

64

/29/

37

/4/

3.4

/282/

Twenty-five years ago, Matthew Shepard was tied to a fence and beaten. Days later, the unthinkable happened and his death sparked a national outcry for hate crimes protections. Today, his story is a dark reminder that the fight against hate continues.

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6.0

/16/

How did the rise of LGBTQ visibility, political progress, and digital technologies in the 2000s come together to offer the abundance of complex queer and transgender representations we see today? Media scholar Katherine Sender shows how LGBTQ visibility and political progress have combined with new digital media technologies and television platforms to produce an increasingly complex range of queer and transgender representations.

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6.8

/67/

50

/2/

70

Boys on Film presents ten encounters from across the globe, where the dangerous allure of a risky attraction yields emotional results — proving that the age-old adage of taking the plunge is as relevant — and sexy — as ever before. The 10 short films are: My Uncle's Friend [O Amigo do Meu Tio] (2021); Budapest, Closed City [Budapest, zárt város] (2021); Eden (2020); Chaperone (2022); Break Me [Knus meg] (2018); By His Will [שעשני כרצונו] (2021); Red Ants Bite (2019); Jim (2022); Hornbeam (2022); Too Rough (2022).

79

7.5

/10018/

76

/595/

73

/81/

3.8

/28962/

89

/46/

88

/55/

73

/16/

3.5

age 13+

Through archival interviews and footage, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley relive the arc of their Wham! career, from 70s best buds to 80s pop icons.

78

53

7.5

/1777/

72

/109/

72

/50/

3.8

/4555/

91

/11/

84

/8/

age 15+

A glittery nightclub in 1920s Berlin becomes a haven for the queer community in this documentary exploring the freedoms lost amid Hitler’s rise to power.

41

?

6.8

/102/

46

/3/

10

/2/

Documentary telling the important story of service people discharged from the UK Armed Forces simply for being LGBTQ+.

66

11

7.4

/297/

61

/12/

64

/8/

3.4

/543/

The extraordinary life of playwright, singer, actor, composer, and director Noël Coward, who rose from poverty to stardom while keeping his sexuality a secret. Featuring Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Sinatra, Michael Caine and Lucille Ball. Narrated by Alan Cumming. With Rupert Everett as the voice of Noël Coward. Directed by Academy Award Nominee Barnaby Thompson.

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4.5

/21/

45

/2/

Follow trailblazing transgender Pastor Drew Stever and the "House of the Lord", a found family, the first Sunday of Pride, as they hold a controversial, "come as you are" Queer Church Service, for Queer People, by Queer People and Allies. A biblical celebration of "divine queerness."

66

?

6.6

/128/

63

/11/

70

/1/

A look at the fashion icon that was Karl Lagerfeld, one of the most flamboyant and recognisable figures in fashion - and one of the most mysterious. His influence was immeasurable, from the Chanel catwalk to the high street - but how many people ever really knew the real Karl Lagerfeld? Weaving investigations in the present with Lagerfeld’s biography – illustrated by illuminating and much unseen archive footage – this film shows his profound and lasting effect on those around him, including his beloved cat Choupette.

80

7.4

/1911/

71

/126/

66

/28/

3.6

/4849/

94

/101/

98

/25/

81

/19/

3.5

The story of the black, gay origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.

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7.3

/75/

51

/5/