A Personal List of Black Queer Films
Every year this time I see so many queer film lists, and rarely do those lists include movies from Black filmmakers and/or starring Black actors, so I'm making my own list of favorites.
This is a hopefully forever unfinished list, as I keep finding new movies and new movies keep being produced.
Pariah (2011) dir. Dee Rees - Character-driven drama with an incredible performance from Adepero Oduye.
The Watermelon Woman (1996) dir. Cheryl Dunye - Funny, poignant indie with history and romance and dope summer outfits.
Moonlight (2016) dir. Barry Jenkins - The seminal Black queer movie for a reason. Beautifully shot, written, and acted. Oscars and such.
Rustin (2023) dir. George C. Wolfe - Colman Domingo gives a fantastic performance, reminds us that we've always been here and that queer people are in every parts our history.
Set it Off (1996) dir. F. Gary Gray - Be gay, do crime. Well-paced, well-plotted crime movie with the biggest Black actresses of the 90s.
Tangerine (2015) dir. Sean Baker - Funny, charismatic leads drive a wild and fun and heartfelt story of friendship.
Brother to Brother (2004) dir. Rodney Evans - Young Anthony Mackie in a movie that highlights Black history.
Naz and Maalik (2015) dir. Jay Dockendorf - Two Black Muslim teens in Brooklyn with great chemistry and some really tangible familiarity.
Rifiki (2018) dir. Wanuri Kahiu - Sweet movie about two girls falling in love in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Incredibly True Story of Two Girls in Love (1995) dir. Maria Maggenti** - Lovely indie about two girls in love in rural/suburban America. One's from the wrong side of the tracks, etc. It's cute.
Bottoms (2023) dir. Emma Seligman** - Funny shit.
Love Lies Bleeding (2024) dir. Rose Glass** - Crime drama that's fun and imaginative. Katy O'Brian gives a powerhouse performance.
** Black character is secondary main character, but their story is explored
Paris Is Burning (1990) dir. Jennie Livingston - History of Black and brown queer ballroom culture.
Tongues Untied (1989) dir. Marlon T. Riggs - Experimental doc focusing on the intricacies of being a Black gay man
The Stroll (2023) dir. Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker - History of Black trans women working in NYC's Meatpacking District
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017) dir. David France - Title explains it all. Seminal Watching
The Queen (1968) dir. Frank Simon - Specifically for Crystal LaBeija
I Am Not Your Negro (2016) dir. Raoul Peck - Based on an unfinished manuscript by James Baldwin, this is an interrogation, a call to action.
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