15 movies about gay men that have played at the Sundance Film Festival
UCLA Film & Television Archive; IFC Films/Prime Video; Prime Video
15 movies about gay men that have played at the Sundance Film Festival
Throughout its history, the Sundance Film Festival has been home to many groundbreaking LGBTQ+ films. From movies about lesbians and trans people, to documentaries, to movies about gay men, Sundance has had it all.
With the 2024 Sundance Film Festival about to start, here's a look at 15 of the most important movies by and about gay and queer men that have played at Sundance.
Parting Glances - 1986
Parting Glances (1986) Trailer
One of the first films to realistically deal with the subject of AIDS, Parting Glances debuted at the 1986 Sundance Film Festival and also has Steve Buscemi’s first starring role.
Longtime Companion - 1990
Longtime Companion Official Trailer #1 - Campbell Scott Movie (1990) HD
Taking its name from the relationship-erasing term the New York Times used to describe the surviving partners of those who died from AIDS, Longtime Companion was the first wide-release theatrical film to deal with the subject.
Poison - 1991
Original 1991 theatrical trailer for Todd Haynes's POISON.
POISON - 1991 Theatrical Trailer
Iconic gay director Todd Haynes’ (Far From Heaven, Velvet Goldmine, Carol, May December) first feature film was Poison, which intertwined three stories and helped kick off the “queer new wave” in cinema.
The Living End - 1992
The Living End - Trailer
Another iconic gay director, Gregg Araki’s 1992 film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize when it played at Sundance. It’s described by some as a “gay Thelma & Louise.”
Edge of Seventeen - 1999
EDGE OF SEVENTEEN Trailer (Classic Gay Film)
This coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama follows an Ohio teen named Eric Hunter who is coming into his sexuality as he goes through his senior year of high school.
Chuck & Buck - 2000
Chuck & Buck (7/12) Movie CLIP - We Should Play a Game (2000) HD
The White Lotus creator Mike White wrote and starred in this black comedy about an immature 27-year-old who reunites with his close childhood friend who he had experimented with when his mother dies.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch - 2001
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Trailer
John Cameron Mitchell’s iconic musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch follows Hedwig Robinson, a gay East German rock singer who undergoes a sex reassignment surgery in order to make his straight partner happy.
Y Tu Mamá También - 2002
Y Tu Mama Tambien Official Trailer #1 - Gael GarcÍa Bernal Movie (2001) HD
Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal starred in Alfonso Cuarón’s early film about two best friends who meet an older woman and take a road trip with her.
Mysterious Skin - 2005
Mysterious Skin - Official Trailer
Another film from Gregg Araki, this one stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Brady Corbet as two young men who are dealing with their experiences of childhood sexual abuse in very disperate ways.
Lackawanna Blues - 2005
LACKAWANNA BLUES
Iconic gay playwright and director George C. Wolfe (Angels in America, Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk) directed this film, his second, that played at Sundance in 2005. It’s based on the play of the same name and tells the story of Afro-Latino Ruben Santiogo Jr. growing up in Lackawanna, New York.
I Love You Phillip Morris - 2009
For more info on 'I Love You Phillip Morris' visit: http://www.hollywood.com.
'I Love You Phillip Morris' Trailer HD
This dark comedy stars Jim Carrey as real-life con artist and prison escapee Steven Jay Russell. While Russell is incarcerated, he meets and falls in love with Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) and escapes from prison four times to be with him.
Call Me by Your Name - 2017
Call Me By Your Name | Official Trailer HD (2017)
Luca Guadagnino’s coming-of-age drama starred Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. Chalamet plays Elio, a 17-year-old spending the summer in Italy with his professor father and his father’s 24-year-old graduate student Oliver.
God's Own Country
God's Own Country Trailer #1 (2017) | Movieclips Indie
This romantic drama stars Josh O’Connor as a sheep farmer in Yorkshire who falls in love with a Romanian migrant worker played by Alec Secăreanu.
Cassandro - 2023
Cassandro - Official Trailer | Prime Video
Gael García Bernal stars in this biopic about Saúl Armendáriz, a gay Texan who adopted the flamboyant personality of Cassandro to become one of the most popular wrestlers in all of lucha libre.
Theater Camp - 2023
THEATER CAMP | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures
Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman directed this movie written by the two of them along with Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, with Gordon, Platt, and Galvin starring as workers at a theater camp that is in danger of closing after its owner falls into a coma.
