According to Video Librarian, “Pride Month is a time to honor the LGBTQ+ community, reflect on the progress made in the fight for equality, and acknowledge the work still left to do. One of the most powerful ways to engage with this celebration is through film—an art form that has long been a vehicle for exploring identity, pushing boundaries, and telling stories that challenge societal norms.”
Media Services would like to highlight these documentary, experimental, and feature films, perfect for enriching teaching, research, and learning. Explore impactful topics such as The Celluloid Closet (LGBTQ+ representation in cinema), How Gay is Pakistan (social life and customs), In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction (lesbians in literature), Portrait of Jason (seminal work of African American gay men), and Tangerine (directed by Academy award winner Sean Baker for Anora), all of which foster critical thinking and deeper student engagement.
All titles are freely available to the IUB community via IUCAT. On and off-campus streaming is available with CAS authorization. Ask our expert-friendly staff (libmedia@iu.edu) for similar and important titles.
The Celluloid Closet (1996, 102min.) Produced and directed by Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman. The Celluloid Closet is the film version of author Vito Russo’s landmark book by the same name. Filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, who have previously won an Academy Award for Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt, bring this book to life. The Celluloid Closet explodes sexual myths and explores how our attitudes about homosexuality and sex roles have evolved through the century. With clips from over 100 Hollywood movies and interviews with many of the filmmakers and actors who created them (including Tom Hanks, Shirley MacLaine, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Curtis, and Gore Vidal), The Celluloid Closet is an epic story — by turns surprising, hilarious, and disturbing.
How Gay is Pakistan (2015, 51min.) Produced and directed by Masood Khan. Being gay is illegal in Pakistan. But, despite this, the country has a growing gay scene. So why are gay rights not being addressed here? This is a complicated place, where homo-social behaviour, like men holding hands, is common and accepted. In this revealing journey to the country of his birth, presenter Mawaan Riswan talks to the people struggling to assert their sexuality against a complex backdrop. From the activists campaigning for gay rights despite the threat of violence, to the transgender sex worker considering surgery, and the men who identify as straight but enjoy gay sex, Mawaan discovers a fascinating world hidden from public view.
In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction (2022, 99min.) Directed by Marianne K. Martin, Lisa Marie Evans. In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction charts a literary journey from post-war lesbian pulp to modern bestsellers.
Portrait of Jason (2013, 106min.; originally released in 1967) Directed by Shirley Clarke. This portrait of Jason Holliday, a black gay prostitute who dreams of a career as a nightclub performer, is drawn from twelve consecutive hours of filming in a New York City apartment. As he reminisces about his life, Holliday discusses his homosexuality and the gay subcultures in San Francisco and New York. He jokes with the off-screen filmmaker and crew and maintains a sense of humor even as he recalls hustling, heroin addiction, and jail time. Holliday also performs for the camera, impersonating female entertainers and movie personalities such as Mae West, Butterfly McQueen, and Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind.
Tangerine ( 2015, 88min.) Director: Sean Baker. Sin-Dee is back. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend was unfaithful during the days she was jailed, the sex worker and her friend, Alexandra, set out to get to the bottom of this. Their odyssey leads them through subcultures of Los Angeles. Official Selection at the **Sundance Film Festival**.
Monique Threatt, Head, of Media Services, serving the IUB community since the parting of the Red Sea.
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