Real Stories, Real Pride: Queer Documentaries on Kino Film Collection
One of the many joys of Pride Month is seeing the infinite ways queerness is embraced and expressed. Walk down the street during any Pride parade, and you’ll see a broad collection of humans, each with very different journeys that brought them to that place at that time.
It’s impossible to capture every queer story on film, but these documentaries on Kino Film Collection certainly get to the heart of the subject they focus on. These are artists, authors, athletes, activists, drag queens, soldiers, musicians, and more, each with their own story to tell.
Óskar Páll Sveinsson • Documentary • 2021 • Iceland
Veiga Grétarsdóttir is the first person in the world to attempt to kayak over 2,000 kilometers around Iceland, counter-clockwise and “against the current.” Veiga’s personal journey is no less remarkable. She was born 44 years ago as a boy in a fishing village and at the age of 38 decided to undergo gender reassignment.
The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye
Marie Losier • Documentary • 2011 • United States
This tender portrait of music pioneer Genesis P-Orridge and their partner, dominatrix Lady Jaye, was filmed over the course of seven years and completed following Lady Jaye’s sudden death in 2007. Integrating home movies, stylishly staged tableaux, and archival footage, this documentary poignantly centers on the body modification that brought the couple together.
Arthur Dong • Documentary • 1994 • United States
Arthur Dong’s award-winning films masterfully explore the LGBTQ experience and powerfully illustrate the many faces of the gay rights struggle in America. He dramatically reveals the social consequences of individual actions in the culture war over LGBTQ issues. Coming Out Under Fire profiles gay and lesbian World War II servicemembers confronting the military’s first anti-gay policies.
Sue Williams • Documentary • 2020 • United States
Denise Ho – Becoming the Song profiles the openly gay Hong Kong singer and human rights activist Denise Ho. Drawing on unprecedented access, the film explores her remarkable journey from Cantopop superstar to outspoken political activist and artist who has put her career on the line to support the determined struggle of Hong Kong citizens to maintain their identity and freedom.
Chase Joynt • Documentary • 2022 • United States
Winner of the NEXT Innovator Award and Audience Award at the Sundance, Framing Agnes is the story of the pioneering transgender woman who participated in an infamous gender study conducted at UCLA in the 1960s. In this innovative documentary, an all-star cast of trans performers take on vividly rendered vintage reenactments to bring to life groundbreaking artifacts of trans history.
Michael Palmieri & Donal Mosher • Documentary • 2019 • United States
Welcome to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a one-of-a-kind oasis in the Ozarks where Christian piety rubs shoulders with a thriving queer community. This lushly photographed documentary spotlights the space where the town’s seemingly contradictory factions intersect. The result is a joyously offbeat slice of Americana that breaks down the red-state-blue-state divide.
Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation
Lisa Immordino Vreeland • Documentary • 2020 • United States
The brilliant work, personal struggles, and cultural impact of iconic American writers Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams explodes onto the screen in this innovative documentary featuring voiceovers by Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto. Dripping with wit and wisdom, it celebrates their fearless candor, tumultuous friendship, and how their identity as gay Southerners informed their timeless artistry.
The Queen
Frank Simon • Documentary • 1968 • United States
More than 40 years before “RuPaul's Drag Race", this ground-breaking documentary about the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant introduced audiences to the world of competitive drag. The film takes us backstage to kiki with the contestants as they rehearse, throw shade, and transform into their drag personas in the lead-up to the big event.
Leaving Kino Film Collection on June 30!