Iconic gay films
55 of the Leading LGBTQ Films of All Time
'Bottoms' ()
If ever there was a Superbad for queer girls, Bottoms is it. The second film from director Emma Seligman (Shiva Baby) follows two uncool elevated school seniors (Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott) who commence up a college fight club to try and hook up with their cheerleader crushes (Kaia Gerber and Havana Rose Liu).
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'Bound' ()
In the Wachowskis’ landmark erotic thriller predating the Matrix trilogy, butch ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) is the newly-hired handyperson at an apartment building when she meets her next-door neighbors: mobster Caesar (Joe Pantoliano) and kept woman Violet (Jennifer Tilly). As Corky and Violet strike up an affair, they hatch a plan to flee Violet’s abusive relationship—and steal $2 million of Caesar’s mafia money along the way.
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'Circus of Books' ()
Southern Californians will likely recognize Circus of Books as the famed porn shop and dirty bookstore that has presided over the gayborhood of West Hollywood since the e
The Most Iconic Gay Movies of All Time
Passionate film enthusiasts know there’s something extraordinary about seeing our own stories on screen. For queer cinephiles, the magic grows even stronger when personal experiences are mirrored, challenged, or uplifted by unforgettable characters. That’s why Iconic Gay Movies hold a particular place in the hearts of many. These films extend beyond standard entertainment; they become windows into cultural moments that shaped lives and broke boundaries. Some made waves during their initial release, and others gained a adj following over time.
Film has always been an influential medium, reflecting societal norms, pushing boundaries, and even sparking social change. LGBTQ+ narratives have transformed over the decades, shedding stereotypes and presenting more authentic stories. In recent years, these cinematic gems have earned critical acclaim, achieved box-office success, and turned into conversation starters. Yet the journey hasn’t been entirely smooth, with censors and critics sometimes standing in the way of unfiltered narrati
The best LGBTQ+ movies of all time
Photograph: Kate Wootton/TimeOut
With the help of leading directors, actors, writers and activists, we count down the most essential LGBTQ+ films of all time
Like queer culture itself, queer cinema is not a monolith. For a long time, though, that’s certainly how it felt. In the past, if gay lives and issues were ever portrayed at all on screen, it was typically from the perspective of white, cisgendered men. But as more opportunities have opened up for queer performers and filmmakers to tell their own stories, the scope of the LGBTQ+ experiences that have made their way onto the screen has gradually widened to more frequently include the trans community and queer people of colour.
It’s still not perfect, of course. In Hollywood, as in society at large, there are many barriers left to breach and ceilings to shatter. But those recent strides deserve to be celebrated – as do the bold films made long before the mainstream was willing to accept them. To that complete, we enlisted some LGBTQ+ cultural pioneers, as well as Time O In this first major critical survey of LGBTQIA+ films, over film experts including critics, writers and programmers such as Joanna Hogg, Mark Cousins, Peter Strickland, Richard Dyer, Nick James and Laura Mulvey, as good as past and present BFI Flare programmers, have voted the Top 30 LGBTQIA+ Films of All Time. The poll’s results depict 84 years of cinema and 12 countries, from countries including Thailand, Japan, Sweden and Spain, as well as films that showed at BFI Flare such as Orlando (), Beautiful Thing (), Weekend () and Blue Is the Warmest Colour (). The winner is Todd Haynes’ award-winning Carol, closely followed by Andrew Haigh’s Weekend, and Hong Kong romantic drama Happy Together, directed by Wong Kar-wai, in third place. While Carol is a surprisingly recent film to top the poll, it’s a feature that has moved, delighted and enthralled audiences, and looks set to be a modern classic. “The festival has lengthy supported my work,” said Haynes, “from Poison and Dottie Gets Spanked in the early s through to Carol which is screen
The 30 Best LGBTQIA+ Films of All Time