For the first week of July I am posting films and television shows about LGBTQIA+ folks. I started by highlighting some of the queer content on our subscription streaming resources. Then I listed out some television shows, fiction and non-fiction movies we have available through Askwith Media Library and the Donald Hall Collection. I tried to list a mix of my favorite things and some recent movies that did not receive as much attention as they probably deserved. All descriptions were taken directly from the library catalog.
If anything sounds intriguing please check it out! And you can leave any questions, recommendations, or requests for future posts in the comment below.
Streaming Video
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Can’t link individual films, but it has: The Favourite; Love, Simon; Can You Ever Forgive Me; Bohemian Rhapsody
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Kanopy Streaming Service
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Check It - “This film festival favorite follows a group of African-American gay and transgender youth in one of Washington D.C.'s most violent neighborhoods. After being subjected to constant torment and assault, the group formed their own gang for camaraderie and protection.”
TV (DVD)
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**Schitt’s Creek - It takes a few episodes for this show to hit its stride, but I highly recommend giving it a chance. It’s hilarious, has lovely character development and has pansexual representation. “When filthy-rich video store magnate Johnny Rose, his soap star wife Moira and their two kids -- über-hipster son David and socialite daughter Alexis -- suddenly find themselves broke, they are forced to leave their pampered lives to regroup and rebuild their empire from within the rural city limits of their only remaining asset - Schitt's Creek, an armpit of a town they once bought as a joke.“
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**Orange is the new black - “Brooklynite Piper Chapman, whose wild past comes back to haunt her and results in her arrest and detention in a federal penitentiary. To pay her debt to society, Piper trades her comfortable New York life for an orange prison jumpsuit and finds unexpected conflict and camaraderie amidst an eccentric group of inmates.”
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**Orphan Black - “Sarah is on the run from a bad relationship when a lookalike stranger commits suicide right in front of her. Sarah sees a solution to all her problems by assuming the dead woman's identity and clearing out her bank account. Instead, she stumbles into a thriller mystery, and uncovers an earth-shattering secret: she is a clone. She learns there are more like her, genetically identical individuals, nurtured in wildly different circumstances, and someone is trying to kill them off, one by one.“
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Broad City - “Follow the adventures of two best friends working the big city. No matter how bad it gets, these broads are always down with whatever hits them.
Fictional Film (DVD)
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**Moonlight(2016) - “A young gay black man struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.”
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**Disobedience(2017) - “A woman returns to the community that shunned her for her attraction to a childhood friend. Once back, their passions reignite as they explore the boundaries of faith and sexuality.”
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**Professor Marsten and the Wonder Women(2017) - “The story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, the polyamorous relationship between his wife and his mistress, the creation of his beloved comic book character Wonder Woman, and the controversy the comic generated.”
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**Tangerine(2015) - “It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles.”
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Pariah(2011) - “Alike is a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents Audrey and Arthur and younger sister Sharonda in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood. She has a flair for poetry, and is a good student at her local high school. Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity--sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward.”
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A Fantastic Woman(2017) - “Marina and Orlando are in love and planning their future, when one night Orlando suddenly falls ill and passes away. Instead of being able to mourn her lover, Marina is treated with suspicion by authorities and with disdain by his family. She is forbidden to attend his funeral and thrown out of the apartment they shared. Marina is a trans woman and for most of Orlando's family, her sexual identity is a perversion. So she must battle the very same forces that she has spent a lifetime fighting just to become the woman she is now -- complex, strong, forthright and fantastic.”
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The Handmaiden(2016) - “In 1930s Korea during the Japanese occupation, a young Korean thief poses as a maid working for a Japanese heiress to help a swindler rob her of her fortune.”
Non-fiction films (DVD)
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**Paris is Burning(2005) - "A documentary about the young homosexual men of Harlem who originated "voguing" and turned these stylized dance competitions into glittering expressions of fierce personal pride. A story of street-wise urban survival, gay self-affirmation, and the pursuit of a desperate dream."
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Children of Srikandi(2013) - "The mythical figure of Srikandi, a female figure from the Indian Mahabharata epic who changes gender to live and fight as an equal among men, is the inspiration and role model for this anthology of stories on the state of alternate sexualities in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. The result is eight highly personal and profound perspectives on lesbian, bisexual and trans-identity life in Islamic Indonesia."--Container.
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Forbidden: undocumented and queer in rural America(2017) - "Two hot-button issues come together in Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America. As Donald Trump rails against Mexican immigrants and LGBTQ community, we are introduced to Moises Serrano, who came to America from Mexico when he was 18 months old. Since he was not born in America, Moises is not a legal immigrant. We soon learn that Moises also happens to be gay, and in North Carolina, that presents another set of challenges. Touching upon relevant issues such as DACA, the DREAM Act, and DOCA, Forbidden highlights the need for advocacy and awareness surrounding immigration reform and LGBTQ rights." - Publisher website.
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Kiki(2017) - “Filmmaker Sara Jordeno introduces viewers to some of Kiki culture's most prominent personalities, going beyond the glamour of the balls to highlight the serious challenges facing queer black and Latino young people. Bringing together heartrending personal stories with incredible displays of creative expression.”
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MAJOR!(2015) - "A documentary film exploring the life and campaigns of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a formerly incarcerated Black transgender elder and activist who has been fighting for the rights of trans women of color for over 40 years. Miss Major is a veteran of the Stonewall Rebellion and a survivor of Attica State Prison, a former sex worker, an elder, and a community leader and human rights activist. If history is held within us, embodied in our loves and losses, then Miss Major is a living library, a resource for generations to come to more fully understand the rich heritage of the Queer Rights movement that is so often whitewashed and rendered invisible. Miss Major's personal story and activism for transgender civil rights intersects LGBT struggles for justice and equality from the 1960s to today. At the center of her activism is her fierce advocacy for her girls, trans women of color who have survived police brutality and incarceration in men's jails and prisons."--Film website.
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Intersexion(2012) - "In this award winning documentary, New Zealand's first 'out' intersex person, Mani Bruce Mitchell, travels the globe to talk to other intersexuals: the 1 in 2000 of us whose bodies fall somewhere between male and female. Together they try to answer the quesiton 'why is this relatively common condition so unknown?' A frank and revealing exploration into a subject that has become known as 'the last taboo'. What's it like to grow up in a body that doesn't fit neatly into the male or female category?"--Container.
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Treasure: From tragedy to transjustice, mapping a Detroit story(2015) - "Treasure is a feature documentary about nineteen year old trans woman Shelly 'Treasure' Hilliard whose murder involved police coercion, Jim Crow drug laws, the criminalization of sex work and transphobia. It is about a young Detroit trans community activated by her death, and her family, who are suing for justice."--Film website.
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Mala Mala(2015) - “Explores intimate moments, performances, friendships and activism of trans identifying people, drag queens and other who defy typical gender identities in Puerto Rico.”
Post 1: Adult fiction, young adult fiction and graphic novels