ABOVE: “Moonlight,” the 2016 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, is among the eight films recommended by the Orange County Library for a DIY Pride Film Fest. (Screenshot from YouTube)
ORLANDO | Even with restrictions easing, it might be a while before we’re comfortable enough to visit a movie theater. There is also the question of what movies will be released as studios weigh the best path to take toward banking at the box office.
This month marks the 50th Pride celebration, if you don’t count the Stonewall Uprising itself. In recognition of the occasion, we have selected eight films for you to create a Pride film festival in your own living room or wherever you may be. The best part? Their available free at your local library. No need to stop with our suggestions, there is a wealth of LGBTQ+ related films on our digital platforms and DVD collection. (Don’t forget: If you are an Orange County resident, you can request DVDs for Home Delivery and maintain physical distancing.)
“Brother Outsider” (2003)
Bayard Rustin was an integral part of most of the important events of the Civil Rights Movement – but always in the background. This documentary intermingles the personal and political to ask the question, “Why?”
“Kumu Hina” (2014)
Until Hawaii was colonized, māhū were an accepted, even respected, third gender. This touching documentary follows Hina, a māhū woman and Hawaiian culture activist, and her struggle to find love and respect in today’s world.
“Moonlight” (2016)
Based on a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney, this Oscar-Winning film examines three defining periods in the life of Chiron Harris, a young African-American man struggling with his identity and sexuality.
“Fourth Man Out” (2015)
After celebrating his 24th birthday, a mechanic (Evan Todd) decides to tell his three lifelong buddies (Parker Young, Chord Overstreet, Jon Garbus) that he is gay. This tender comedy is not always politically correct, which ultimately lends a realistic, if atypical, take on the coming out experience.
“Our House” (2008)
Directed by Meema Spadola, this groundbreaking documentary explores what it’s like to grow up with gay or lesbian parents, as Americans struggle to redefine family values.
“I am the Queen” (2015)
In Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, the Vida/Sida Cacica Pageant brings together members of the Puerto Rican community to celebrate its transgender and genderbending participants. Rolling Stone called this documentary “…an essential queer time capsule.”
“Beginners” (2010)
This memoir from director Mike Mills (20th Century Women), features Christopher Plummer as a recent widower who decides to come out to his adult son (Ewan McGregor) at age 75. The film features humorous and often heartwarming moments as Plummer learns to embrace his new identity.
“Carol” (2015)
Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett play two women from radically different backgrounds who meet through chance and begin an impassioned affair. Based on the groundbreaking novel The Price of Salt, this Oscar-nominated film offers a romantic and mature portrait of a female couple.
This article first appeared in Orange County Library System’s Books & Beyond magazine. It has been adapted for Watermark readers.
You must be logged in to post a comment.