Queer Cinema(s)

  • Monika Treut – Die Jungfrauenmaschine AKA Virgin Machine (1988)

    Arthouse1981-1990GermanyMonika TreutQueer Cinema(s)
    Die Jungfrauenmaschine (1988)
    Die Jungfrauenmaschine (1988)

    Quote:
    Dorothee, a would-be writer and journalist, leaves Germany for the Oz of San Francisco, searching for her long-lost mother and a cure for the malady of love. Installed in the Tenderloin, she peeps in on neighbors’ bizarre sex rituals as well as does sightseeing of the more traditional kind. But encounters with male impersonator Ramona, charming Hungarian bohemian Dominique, and Susie Sexpert, barker for an all-girl strip show, lead to exploratory adventures of self-discovery and fun. When Dorothy surfaces like a dazzled tourist on the wilder shores of the city’s lesbian community, she has discovered her true sexuality and left some illusions behind. (Written by Monika Treut)Read More »

  • David DeCoteau – The Invisible Chronicles (2009)

    2001-2010David DeCoteauQueer Cinema(s)ThrillerUSA
    The Invisible Chronicles (2009)
    The Invisible Chronicles (2009)

    A young scientist experiments on himself with an invisibility serum. The serum is successful and the scientist wreaks murderous revenge on his enemies – but can’t stop there.Read More »

  • Zoltán Fábri – Hangyaboly AKA Ant-Hill (1971)

    1971-1980ArthouseDramaHungaryQueer Cinema(s)Zoltán Fábri
    Hangyaboly (1971)
    Hangyaboly (1971)

    The head of the nunnery is dying, and the members are divided in two groups as the election of the new head approaches. Led by Virginia, the younger nuns stand up for changing the strict religious dogmas and would like a modern school with genuine science, a bathroom to be built, and a freer spirit. Their candidate is sister Magdolna, who went to secular universities, too. The seminarists, led by Király Erzsi, also rebel against the older nuns’ strict discipline and the depressed atmosphere of the institution. However, Magdolna does not want to stay involved in the fight because she is deterred by Virginia’s sinful attraction towards her and the tools Virginia is using to gain victory at any price.Read More »

  • Nagisa Ôshima – Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)

    Drama1981-1990Nagisa OshimaQueer Cinema(s)United Kingdom
    Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)
    Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)

    Quote:
    Here’s a movie that is even stranger than it was intended to be. “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” is about a clash between two cultures (British and Japanese) and two styles of military service (patriotic and pragmatic). That would be enough for any movie, and there are scenes when it is enough, and the movie works pretty well.Read More »

  • André Téchiné – Les voleurs AKA Thieves (1996)

    André Téchiné1991-2000CrimeFranceQueer Cinema(s)Romance
    Les voleurs (1996)
    Les voleurs (1996)

    Quote:
    Catherine Deneuve, Daniel Auteuil, and director André Téchiné collaborate for the second time (following their outstanding My Favorite Season) in a powerful story about a Paris cop (Auteuil) who comes from a criminal family. When his father and brother are murdered, suspicion shifts to his lover (actress Laurence Côté), who then disappears. Auteuil’s character reluctantly teams up with her lesbian girlfriend (Catherine Deneuve) both to find her and clear her name. The gripping story is told in a nonlinear series of overlapping chapters taking place before, during, and after the killing. Time bends and shifts, forcing the action to ripple through an ever-widening pool of neuroses and tragedy. The best part of the film, however, is the always- mesmerizing cold-fusion chemistry between Deneuve and Auteuil, two great actors who never wear their hearts on their sleeves.Read More »

  • Aaron Douglas Johnston & Sam de Jong – Bumblefuck, USA (2011)

    Sam de Jong2011-2020Aaron Douglas JohnstonDramaQueer Cinema(s)USA
    Bumblefuck, USA (2011)
    Bumblefuck, USA (2011)

    Quote:
    Distraught by the suicide of her gay friend Matt, Alexa travels from Amsterdam to her dead friend’s small American town, hoping to uncover the reasons that led Matt to take his own life. She arrives with a backpack, her video camera and intentions to make a film about what it must be like to be gay in Bumblefuck, USA. At the end of her hot summer weeks in Bumblefuck, she’s made a new special friend, clashed with others, and ultimately discovered more about herself than she could ever have imagined.Read More »

  • Remi Lange – Tarik El Hob AKA The Road to Love (2001)

    2001-2010DramaFranceQueer Cinema(s)Remi LangeRomance
    Tarik El Hob (2001)
    Tarik El Hob (2001)

    ROAD TO LOVE explores the theme of homosexuality as it is manifested among Islamic/Arab men. This romantic story goes from Paris to Marseille, from Amsterdam to Morocco via Jean Genet’s grave in Larache, and on to Tangiers. The movie tells the story of an Algerian-French heterosexual young man beginning a sociology study of gay islamic homosexualities and discovering gay love with a young French man.Read More »

  • Christian Faure – Juste une question d’amour AKA Just a Question of Love (2000)

    1991-2000Christian FaureDramaFranceQueer Cinema(s)
    Juste une question d'amour (2000)
    Juste une question d’amour (2000)

    After his gay cousin dies from hepatitis, young Laurent, who lives with his best friend Carole, falls in love with Cedric, a plant scientist. He’s afraid to inform his conservative parents that he is gay.Read More »

  • Dick Christian – The Rejected (1961)

    1961-1970Dick ChristianDocumentaryQueer Cinema(s)USA
    The Rejected (1961)
    The Rejected (1961)

    Introduced by KQED’s General Manager James Day, The Rejected was the first ever U.S. televised documentary about homosexuality, broadcast on September 11th 1961. Originally titled ‘The Gay Ones’, The Rejected had a budget of $100 and was filmed mostly in the KQED studio. Several sources – including co-producer Irving Saraf – refer to at least one scene being shot on location at the Black Cat Bar in San Francisco (710 Montgomery Street). However, this edit of the film does not appear to feature images of the bar. In his ‘Chronological History of KQED: 40th Anniversary Edition’, Jay Yamada quotes a ‘Focus’ article from Oct. 1979: “Jim Day reported to the board that KQED had completed videotape production of a 90 minute documentary on homosexuality in San Francisco, a program entitled ‘The Rejected’.” The video edit preserved by the Library of Congress is only 60 minutes long.Read More »

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