Bent Picture Awards
My picks for best film with gay themes for each year.
For early films, if the film features any gay characters at all they qualify.
I've tried to limit the list to films that I've seen personally but some of these are just films that I've heard about but not yet tracked down and/or viewed.
Unless they are clearly inferior, movies are ranked over series.
For early films, if the film features any gay characters at all they qualify.
I've tried to limit the list to films that I've seen personally but some of these are just films that I've heard about but not yet tracked down and/or viewed.
Unless they are clearly inferior, movies are ranked over series.
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- DirectorWilliam K.L. DicksonStarsWilliam K.L. DicksonThe earliest extant sound film. William K.L. Dickson stands in the background next to a huge sound pickup horn connected to a Thomas Edison phonograph recorder. As he plays a violin, two men dance in the foreground. This film was made to demonstrate a new Thomas Edison machine, the Kinetophone. These machines were Kinetoscope peepshow viewers mated with Thomas Edison wax cylinder phonographs. But the Kinetophone never caught on and this film was never released. The film still exists, but the phonograph soundtrack has been lost.
- DirectorAlice GuyHarry SchenckEdward WarrenStarsBilly QuirkMary FoyAlgie Allmore has one year to prove he's a man in order to wed Harry Lyons' daughter.
- DirectorSidney DrewStarsSidney DrewEdith StoreyCharles KentA young woman discovers a seed that can make women act like men and men act like women. She decides to take one, then slips one to her maid and another to her fiancé. The fun begins.
- DirectorRichard OswaldStarsConrad VeidtLeo ConnardIlse von Tasso-LindTwo male musicians fall in love, but blackmail and scandal makes the affair take a tragic turn.
- DirectorCarl Theodor DreyerStarsWalter SlezakBenjamin ChristensenNora GregorTriangle story: painter, his young male model, unscrupulous princess.
- DirectorLouis J. GasnierStarsClara BowDonald KeithLillian LeightonStreet people Armand and Marie are madly in love, and she persuades Armand and other gang members to rob the home of Pierre Marcel, a wealthy scientist. The police break up the robbery but Pierre hides Armand from them because he kept a gang member from stabbing him, but Armand is wounded in doing so. When Armand regains his health, Pierre takes him around town and introduces him to many women, and Armand has no objections. Marie - jealous of the women - swears revenge on Marcel. They meet and he falls in love with her, and they are married while Armand is away in London. On their wedding night, Marie tells Marcel she is an Apache and her revenge is complete, and she rushes into Armand's arms. But another Apache, in love with Marie, wounds her with a gun shot.
- DirectorJack ConwayStarsWilliam HainesJack PickfordMary BrianTom Brown shows up at Harvard, confident and a bit arrogant. He becomes a rival of Bob McAndrew, not only in football and rowing crew, but also for the affections of Mary Abbott, a professor's daughter.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanHarry d'Abbadie d'ArrastStarsClara BowCharles 'Buddy' RogersRichard ArlenTwo young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.
- DirectorWilliam DieterleStarsWilliam DieterleGunnar TolnæsMary JohnsonA young man is convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to a term in prison. There he forms a close relationship with his cellmate and upon his release his wife is concerned as to how prison has changed the man she married.
- DirectorCharles BrabinCharles VidorStarsBoris KarloffLewis StoneKaren MorleyEnglishmen race to find the tomb of Genghis Khan before the sinister Fu Manchu does.
- DirectorJames Sibley WatsonMelville WebberStarsFriedrich HaakHildegarde WatsonDorthea HouseLot in Sodom is a sensual depiction of the Sodom and Gomorrah story filled with sinewy and semi-clad bodies, delirious bacchanales devoted to physical pleasure, and a searing, cataclysmic finale depicting the fall of a city devoted to sins of the flesh. Digitally mastered from excellent 35mm elements. Lot In Sodom has its original experimental soundtrack by Alec Wilder.
- DirectorJean GrémillonStarsJean GabinMireille BalinPierre EtchepareSoldier Lucien meets elegant Madeleine one night in Cannes. Lovestruck, he follows her to Paris after he is discharged. Their love affair begins anew, but eventually runs cold and he returns to Orange in the south of France. She follows.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartJohn DallFarley GrangerTwo men attempt to prove they committed the perfect crime by hosting a dinner party after strangling their former classmate to death.
- DirectorKenneth AngerStarsKenneth AngerGordon GrayBill SeltzerA dissatisfied dreamer awakes, goes out in the night seeking a 'light' and is drawn through the needle's eye. A dream of a dream, he returns to bed less empty than before.
- DirectorJean GenetStarsBravoJean GenetJavaTwo prisoners in complete isolation, separated by the thick brick walls, and desperately in need of human contact, devise a most unusual kind of communication.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsFarley GrangerRobert WalkerRuth RomanA psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.
- DirectorPhilip LeacockStarsDirk BogardeJon WhiteleyMichael HordernRather undiplomatic British diplomat Harrington Brande (Sir Michael Hordern) takes up his new post in Spain accompanied by his son Nicholas (Jon Whiteley). The posting is something of a disappointment to Harrington, who was hoping for a promotion. That his wife had left him seems to have affected his career. Nicholas sees it all as something of an adventure, and soon becomes fast friends with the new gardener, José (Sir Dirk Bogarde). The apparently "delicate" Nicholas becomes attached to José, and Harrington's jealousy leads him to bar Nicholas from even speaking to José. As tensions mount, another servant frames José for theft, forcing everyone to review the situation.
- DirectorVeit HarlanStarsPaula WesselyPaul DahlkeHans NielsenKlaus is a young man in post-war Berlin. He is drawn to his friend Manfred and, under the encouragement of their acquaintance, Dr. Winkler, explore the underground world of gay clubs and electronic music. His family begins to learn of his other life and do everything they can to set him straight.
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsElizabeth TaylorPaul NewmanBurl IvesBrick is an alcoholic ex-football player who drinks his days away and resists the affections of his wife. A reunion with his terminal father jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsElizabeth TaylorKatharine HepburnMontgomery CliftA surgeon is assigned the case of a young woman whose aunt wants her lobotomized to cover up a family secret.
- DirectorBasil DeardenStarsDirk BogardeSylvia SymsDennis PriceA closeted lawyer risks his career to bring a blackmailer to justice.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsFranchot ToneLew AyresHenry FondaThe polarizing search for a new Secretary of State has far-reaching consequences.
- DirectorDavid SecterStarsJohn LabowHenry TarvainenJoy FieldingIts the 1960s at the University of Toronto. Doug is a well-liked senior with an equally popular girlfriend. Peter is a shy freshman, and new to the big city. Peter and Doug become best friends and soon start going to concerts, drinking, and playing in the snow together. When Doug brings Peter to a steam bath and washes his back, the friendship seems headed to a whole new level, at least in Doug's mind. But when Peter emerges from a party after having sex with a co-ed, things get even more complicated...
- DirectorBruce KesslerStarsKevin CoughlinBrooke BundyLawrence P. CaseyDanny and Elliot avoid military service by pretending to be gay, but they have to act the part when the recruiting officer doesn't buy it.
- DirectorDouglas HickoxStarsBeryl ReidHarry AndrewsPeter McEnerySloane, a manipulative lodger, joins Kath's household. Kemp recognizes Sloane as a murderer. Sloane kills Kemp. The story takes an unexpected turn regarding Sloane's fate, deviating from conventional justice.
- DirectorLuchino ViscontiStarsDirk BogardeRomolo ValliMark BurnsWhile recovering in Venice, sickly composer Gustav von Aschenbach becomes dangerously fixated with teenager Tadzio.
- DirectorLamont JohnsonStarsHal HolbrookMartin SheenJoe Don BakerTeenager Nick Salter visits his divorced father Doug and meets Dad's new friend Gary McLain. But Doug enjoys Gary's company more than the company of women. Nick must then learn to deal with Doug's homosexuality.
- DirectorJack HazanStarsDavid HockneyPeter SchlesingerCelia BirtwellSemi-fictionalized documentary biopic of British artist David Hockney. After a difficult break-up, Hockney is left unable to paint, much to the concern of his friends. Titled after Hockney's pop-art painting 'A Bigger Splash'.
- DirectorChristopher LarkinStarsRobert McLaneCurt GarethBo WhiteA poignant romantic drama examines the life of gay 26 year old, ex-monk, school teacher living in Manhattan. When he meets a man at a gay bar, they connect and are soon living together. Unfortunately their views on monogamy don't match.
- DirectorJim SharmanStarsTim CurrySusan SarandonBarry BostwickA newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.
- DirectorPaul HumfressDerek JarmanStarsLeonardo TreviglioBarney JamesNeil KennedyReassigned to a lowly outpost, a Roman guard's Christian beliefs clash with his gay commander's desire for closeness. Being tortured becomes pleasurable.
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsJürgen ProchnowErnst HannawaldWerner SchwuchowThomas, the son of a prison warden, falls for and seduces inmate Martin. When Martin is released from jail, they try to build a relationship and a life together but no one will let them alone.
- DirectorÉdouard MolinaroStarsUgo TognazziMichel SerraultClaire MaurierThe manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and his star attraction, are a gay couple. Madness ensues when his straight son brings home a fiancée and her ultra-conservative parents to meet them.
- DirectorPhilippe ValloisStarsSerge AvedikianPiotr StanislasCatherine AlbinDuring the final days of World War II, a simple French peasant rescues a wounded German soldier and nurses him back to health. As their playful camaraderie grows, two young men who should be enemies begin to bond in ways neither thought possible.
- DirectorÉdouard MolinaroStarsMichel SerraultUgo TognazziMarcel BozzuffiThe titular gay couple become involved with local cops and foreign spies when one of them unwittingly obtains a roll of stolen microfilm.
- StarsJeremy IronsDiana QuickRoger MilnerThe life, friendships and romances of the protagonist Charles Ryder-including his friendship with the Flytes, a family of wealthy English Catholics who live in a palatial mansion called Brideshead Castle.
- DirectorEloy de la IglesiaStarsAntonio FloresRosario FloresJosé Luis ManzanoThe relationship betwee two best friends from the outskirt of Madrid. When one of them gets the other one's sister pregnant they have to find a way to pay an abortion in order to avoid a conflict with their parents.
- DirectorMichael BlakemoreStarsPatrick PearsonMichael ElphickJoe MeliaThe members of S.A.D.U.S.E.A. (Song and Dance Unit South East Asia) fall in and out of love while trying to dodge Malayan Communist bullets in the late 1940s. Not only that, they have to contend with Bible bashing Major Giles Flack (John Cleese), who creates far more danger than any of the jungle inhabitants. Only gay Acting Captain Terri Dennis (Denis Quilley) seems to be capable of coping with him, but even he isn't aware of the cowardly Sergeant Major Reg Drummond (Michael Elphick) selling arms to the natives.
- DirectorMarek KanievskaStarsRupert EverettColin FirthMichael JennBased on the life of the young Guy Burgess, who would become better known as one of the Cambridge Spies.
- DirectorHector BabencoStarsWilliam HurtRaul JuliaSonia BragaA gay man and a political prisoner are together in a prison. The gay man narrates the stories of two fake movies and his own life.
- DirectorBill SherwoodStarsJohn BolgerRichard GanoungSteve BuscemiAs Michael and Robert, a gay couple in New York, prepare for Robert's departure for a two-year work assignment in Africa, Michael must face Robert's true motives for leaving while dealing with their circle of eccentric friends, including Nick, who is living with AIDS.
- DirectorBruce WeberStarsAndy MinskerSean BedwellAaron BerryA documentary, photographed in black-and-white, with a hip jazz soundtrack, looks at the boys and coach of a small but accomplished boxing club near Portland, Oregon. The film focuses on the coach, former Olympic contender and pro athlete Andy Minsker, and tells not only the story of his devotion to his young athletes, but hints at childhood obsticles which may have prompted Minsker, as an adult, to give his students guidance, support and love with such enthuasism and dedication.
- DirectorPaul BogartStarsAnne BancroftMatthew BroderickHarvey FiersteinArnold is a gay man working as drag queen in 1971 NYC. He meets a handsome bisexual man.
- DirectorNorman RenéStarsStephen CaffreyPatrick CassidyBrian CousinsThe emergence and devastation of the AIDS epidemic is chronicled in the lives of several gay men living during the 1980s.
- DirectorFrank KromStarsTjebbo GerritsmaSimon GriblingJoost HienenIn this short motion picture, schoolboy Kees is intelligent, introvert and sensitive, but gets ridiculed verbally and physically at an all-boys school by mindlessly cocky class mates and even insensitive teachers, especially in gym, where his physical weakness is mercilessly abused to make him a defenseless laughing stock in front of his smirking peers. His awakening sexual interest goes to boys, and in particular to Charel, a beautiful athletic classmate who probably feels an undetermined interest but would never risk admitting (possibly not even to himself) having any gay or bi appreciation, least of all for a 'sissy', and thus remains unresponsive to shy Kees' overtures. When the hunk finally comes over to Kees' place while his parents are away, a desperate disappointment with a tragical twist is in the making...
- When a young gay man comes out of the closet. His friends support him, but when he comes out to his parents, he stirs up a wealth of hidden feelings and secrets in their relationship.
- DirectorTom KalinStarsDaniel SchlachetCraig ChesterRon VawterThe true story of gay lovers, Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold Jr. Who kidnapped and murdered a child in the early 1920s for kicks. The plot covers the months before the crime, the investigation, trial and final fate of the two men.
- StarsOlympia DukakisDonald MoffatChloe WebbThe stories of several colorful characters living in San Francisco.
- DirectorAndré TéchinéStarsÉlodie BouchezGaël MorelStéphane RideauThe fates of two partners are divided.
- DirectorChristopher AshleyStarsSteven WeberMichael T. WeissPeter JacobsonA poignant romantic comedy about the quest for love and intimacy in the age of AIDS. A story of a thirtyish gay actor/waiter who decides to become celibate...the risk of AIDS has taken all the joy from sex.
- DirectorRichard SpenceStarsSteven MackintoshRupert GravesMiriam MargolyesKarl Foyle and Paul Prentice were best mates at school in the Seventies. But when they meet again in present-day London things are definitely not the same.
- DirectorBrian GilbertStarsStephen FryJude LawVanessa RedgraveThe turmoil in poet/playwright Oscar Wilde's life after he discovers his homosexuality.
- DirectorSimon ShoreStarsBen SilverstoneBrad GortonCharlotte BrittainA tenderly romantic coming-of-age story as two boys in a British school fall in love.
- DirectorNickolas PerryStarsRichard BalinJaime BergmanJesse BradfordJohnny wants to be a stock car racer one day. He meets a young, gay hustler in Vegas, who takes him to meet his friends/gang and his "mom", an ex hooker etc.
- DirectorThomas BezuchaStarsArye GrossEric SchweigTim DeKayBig Eden is a small, fictional northwestern Montana town.
- DirectorTodd StephensStarsSara RueBirkett TurtonKaren BlackTwo young misfits head for New York City to celebrate their idol and muse, Stevie Nicks, at The Night of 1,000 Stevies. Along the road, in order for them to escape their painful pasts, they must discover their strengths and learn self-acceptance.
- DirectorVentura PonsStarsPaul RhysKevin BishopJuliet StevensonPaul, a handsome and talented music student is employed as the page-turner at one of the world famous pianist Kennington's concerts in San Francisco.
- DirectorC. Jay CoxStarsWes RamseySteve SandvossMary Kay PlaceA promiscuous gay party animal falls for a young Mormon missionary, leading to crisis, cliché, and catastrophe.
- DirectorMarco KreuzpaintnerStarsRobert StadloberKostja UllmannMiriam MorgensternA close friendship between two crew teammates is tested when one slowly discovers he's gay and attracted to the other.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsJake GyllenhaalHeath LedgerMichelle WilliamsEnnis and Jack are two shepherds who develop a sexual and emotional relationship. Their relationship becomes complicated when both of them get married to their respective girlfriends.
- DirectorJohn Cameron MitchellStarsSook-Yin LeePeter SticklesPJ DeBoyA group of New Yorkers caught up in their romantic-sexual milieu converge at an underground salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.
- DirectorTina MascaraGuido SantiStarsW.H. AudenDon BachardyTed BachardyThe love story between British writer, Christopher Isherwood (whose book 'The Berlin Stories' inspired the musical and film Cabaret) and Don Bachardy, American portrait artist.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsSean PennJosh BrolinEmile HirschThe story of American gay activist Harvey Milk, who fought for gay rights and was elected as California's first openly gay official.
- DirectorTom FordStarsColin FirthJulianne MooreMatthew GoodeAn English professor, one year after the sudden death of his boyfriend, is unable to cope with his typical days in 1960s Los Angeles.
- CreatorJulian FellowesStarsHugh BonnevillePhyllis LoganElizabeth McGovernA chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.
- DirectorGeoffrey SaxStarsMatt SmithImogen PootsLindsay DuncanHow real-life British-American author Christopher Isherwood and his German boyfriend Heinz met and fell in love during the 1930s and the rise of Nazism.
- DirectorQuentin LeeStarsBooboo StewartHarry Shum Jr.Joan ChenCelebrate the 10th anniversary of Quentin Lee's gripping mystery of loss and redemption at the intersections of queerness, neurodiversity, and Asian-American identity.
- DirectorGary EntinStarsCameron Deane StewartJustin DeeleyMeaghan MartinAt Goodkind High School, a group of students with varying sexual orientations form an after-school club as a discreet way to share their feelings and experiences.
- DirectorDaniel RibeiroStarsGhilherme LoboFabio AudiTess AmorimLeonardo is a blind teenager searching for independence. His everyday life, the relationship with his best friend Giovana, and the way he sees the world change completely with the arrival of Gabriel.
- DirectorJeffrey SchwarzStarsTab HunterClint EastwoodPaul NewmanThe story of matinee idol Tab Hunter from teenage stable boy to closeted Hollywood star of the 1950s.
- DirectorDidier BivelStarsPatrick TimsitBarbara SchulzBruno PutzuluNathan goes to a high school party and meets Louis. The two find themselves out of sight and kissing, but someone takes a photo of them. When the photo is placed online, a storm overtakes their lives.
- DirectorLuca GuadagninoStarsTimothée ChalametArmie HammerMichael StuhlbargIn 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a seventeen-year-old student and the older man hired as his father's research assistant.
- DirectorGreg BerlantiStarsNick RobinsonJennifer GarnerJosh DuhamelSimon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends and all of his classmates: he's gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.
- CreatorLauren MorelliStarsLaura LinneyElliot PagePaul GrossA middle-aged Mary Ann returns to San Francisco and reunites with the eccentric friends she left behind. "Tales of the City" focuses primarily on the people who live in a boardinghouse turned apartment complex owned by Anna Madrigal at 28 Barbary Lane, all of whom quickly become part of what Maupin coined a "logical family". It's no longer a secret that Mrs. Madrigal is transgender. Instead, she is haunted by something from her past that has long been too painful to share.
- CreatorIsaac AptakerElizabeth BergerStarsMichael CiminoRachel HilsonAnthony TurpelVictor is a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation.
- DirectorPeeter RebaneStarsTom PriorOleg ZagorodniiDiana PozharskayaFirebird follows a handsome, soulful young soldier who embarks on a clandestine sexual affair with a charismatic fighter pilot on a Soviet Air Force Base at the height of 1970's Communist rule.
- DirectorNicholas StollerStarsBilly EichnerLuke MacfarlaneGuy BranumTwo men with commitment problems attempt a relationship.
- DirectorMatthew LópezStarsTaylor Zakhar PerezNicholas GalitzineUma ThurmanWhen the feud between the son of the American President and Britain's prince threatens to drive a wedge in U.S./British relations, the two are forced into a staged truce that sparks something deeper.