By Katie Small
From 1985's Before Stonewall to 2017's Call Me By Your Name, provocative queer film has been a staple of the Sundance Film Festival throughout our 40-year history. This year's slate continues the tradition with a strong selection of highly anticipated premieres featuring an array of fresh LGBTQ+ stories. Read on for a watchlist of queer-inclusive films ranging from comedy to drama to fascinating nonfiction, with themes of trans history, lesbian love, gender fluidity and more.
Part of the boundary-pushing indie episodic program, the short My Trip to Spain's comedic punches swing from subtle to satirical in a refreshing and unique take on transgender transition and queer hookup culture.
Transgender identity is touched upon in the Spanish-language drama The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future, while the documentary Framing Agnes provides a well-researched investigation into the lived experiences of transgender pioneers from the 1960s.
Meanwhile, Sirens, AM I OK?, Girl Picture, and Marte Um (Mars One) prominently feature the stories of young lesbians as they struggle to gain acceptance on both personal and political levels.
Finally, the documentary We Met in Virtual Reality has something for everyone - queer, straight, or somewhere in between - as humans continue to explore the ever-expanding metaverse and all that it offers our species in terms of personal discovery and communal understanding.
My Trip to Spain (Indie Episodic) - Self-described autodidact Alexis prepares to leave her LA bungalow in the care of her friend Charlie as she heads to Spain to undergo transitional cosmetic surgery. Once he arrives, Charlie wastes no time in trying to persuade Alexis to call it off. As he rails against unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by social media, his sardonic straight-talking New Yorker energy contrasts with the sunny, laidback Southern California vibe. After Alexis leaves, Charlie turns his attention to the awkward neighbor-turned-handyman Bruno.
Meet the Artist: Theda Hammel on My Trip to Spain
The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future (World Drama) - Magical realism propels the melodrama in The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future; the mysterious resurrection of her long-dead mother forces Cecilia to return home to her family's dairy farm in southern Chile. Once there, she struggles to find common ground with her estranged brother and father while grappling with the budding transgender identity of her eldest child, who seeks acceptance and connection.
Meet the Artist: Francisca Alegr a on The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future
Framing Agnes (NEXT) - Playing on traditional documentary form in unique and innovative ways, Framing Agnes traces the lives of the transgender men and women who took part in Harold Garfinkel's gender health research at UCLA in the 1960s. With inimitable style and remarkable thoroughness, a group of trans actors, led by director Chase Joynt, piece together the individual histories of the transgender men and women who contributed to medical research at great personal risk.
Meet the Artist: Chase Joynt on Framing Agnes
Sirens (World Documentary) - Set against the backdrop of civil unrest in Beirut, Sirens follows the trajectory of an all-woman thrash metal band - an anomaly in most places, and most certainly in Lebanon. All in their early- to mid-twenties, the five bandmates navigate protective parents, the ups and downs of creative collaboration, and friendship entangled with romantic love. Lebanese law prohibits sexual relations that contradict the laws of nature - and this fact weights heavily on Lilas Mayassi and Sherry Bechara, the band's guitarists, co-founders, and the main subjects of the documentary.
AM I OK? (Premieres) - Best friends since high school, Lucy and Jane do everything together. But right when bold, confident Jane gets a job promotion that will send her back to her native London, introspective, artistic Lucy realizes her sexuality is not as hetero as she once assumed. Their friendship is tested as the two women navigate the ensuing upheaval. Via an early-thirties identity crisis, AM I OK? is a millennial coming-of-age story of personal awakening.
Meet the Artist: Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne on AM I OK?
Girl Picture (World Dramatic) - Set in Finland and taking place over three consecutive Fridays, Girl Picture follows three college-age women as they navigate the liminal age between childhood and adulthood. Best friends Mimmi and R nkk are the closest of confidants, divulging their sexual frustrations and romantic aspirations while working at a smoothie kiosk in a Helsinki shopping mall. The volatile and edgy Mimmi begins a sudden romance with Emma, a driven but repressed figure skater with a disciplined training regime. Meanwhile, the whimsical R nkk awkwardly navigates an ever-expanding dating pool of young men, determined to experience sexual pleasure. Girl Picture paints an intimate and insightful portrait of young love and female friendship, delivered via the amplified, complex emotions of teenage life.
Meet the Artist: Alli Haapasalo on Girl Picture
Marte Um (Mars One) (World Dramatic) - Providing a peek into the daily life and dynamics of a working-class Brazilian family, Marte Um (Mars One) follows eldest daughter Eunice, college student and activist whose unfolding lesbian romance with the free-spirited Joana emboldens her to branch out; Wellington, hardworking, overbearing father and recovering alcoholic; T rcia, compassionate and nurturing mother plagued by bad luck; and youngest son Deivinho, whose dreams of becoming an astronaut and traveling to Mars clash with his father's expectations.
We Met in Virtual Reality (World Documentary Competition) - In virtual reality (VR) you can be whatever you want. Kermit the frog? Sure. A furby? Why not? Your avatar can h
North America Stories
22/07/2026
Among other tweaks to coverage, the broadcaster added announce positions in the ...
22/07/2026
The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has reported a sharp acceleration in Australia's sportstech sector, with revenue growth rising from 10% in...
22/07/2026
From a retrofitted broadcast bus to packed Match Day Live! events, Bennett detai...
22/07/2026
TMRW Sports has named Brendan Donohue as President, Flag Football, where he will lead the company's professional flag football business in partnership with ...
22/07/2026
Stephen Arnold Music (SAM) designed and produced soundtracks for nine projection...
22/07/2026
Harmonic has announced a $25,000 donation to Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) fo...
22/07/2026
Telemundo has announced it has acquired from UC3 exclusive U.S. Spanish-language...
22/07/2026
The Rest Is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards, ...
22/07/2026
Sports Studio has announced a partnership with TheSoul Group to distribute Free ...
22/07/2026
Daktronics has concluded its 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day hybrid event combining virtual sessions with hands-on host school visits across the countr...
22/07/2026
FOR-A America will exhibit at the MMCA Show in Pensacola, Florida (July 21-24), marking the company's first appearance at the house of worship AV event. FOR...
22/07/2026
The New York Yankees have selected Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) to connect Ya...
22/07/2026
Calrec will exhibit at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.C47) with demonstrations of its IP-native audio ecosystem built around the Argo console range, and will announce two ne...
22/07/2026
Solid State Logic has announced the appointment of Algam EKO as its distributor for SSL large format consoles in Italy, covering the Live, Broadcast, and Studio...
22/07/2026
FloSports has announced the launch of the FloSports Channel, a free ad-supported streaming channel premiering on Prime Video in the U.S. on July 21. The channel...
22/07/2026
Banana Ball TV (BTV), the broadcast operation of the Savannah Bananas, has insta...
22/07/2026
SiriusXM and Audacy have announced an agreement bringing 42 Audacy sports, news, and talk stations from 29 U.S. markets to SiriusXM. Twenty-three Audacy sports ...
22/07/2026
The collaboration produced more than 500 short-form videos across four cities th...
22/07/2026
At 2,600 sq. ft., the new home of digital content houses a main studio, podcast space, and an auxiliary control room
NFL franchises are accelerating their prod...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Proven managed IP solution helps broadcasters confidently navigate the future of broadcast distribution
LTN announces it has completed successful satellite-to-...
22/07/2026
Today, Chaos announced V-Ray 7, update 4, eliminating the need for asset conversions and tool switching, which slow down media and entertainment pipelines. Arti...
22/07/2026
An AI playground for the Project Indigo camera app
Marc Levoy July 22, 2026
0 Comments
At left is the user interface of our Playground, running on an ...
22/07/2026
Custom Consoles announces the completion of a large technical furniture project for Radio T l vision Suisse (RTS) at the networks recently inaugurated productio...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Culver City, CA, July 21, 2026 3D streaming infrastructure provider Miris today announced glTF intake, including the binary .glb form, to its spatial streamin...
22/07/2026
Documentary Lo Invisible Captured with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K
Brie Clayton July 21, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's versatile design allowed filmmakers to c...
22/07/2026
AAF Bridge converts AAF and XML Timelines to Ableton Live - and back
Jerome Gardier July 21, 2026
0 Comments
A two-way converter for macOS and Windows...
22/07/2026
From Class to Concert: Explore a Student-Led Production of David Bowies Work Thr...
22/07/2026
Before a healthcare robot can be useful in the real world, it has to learn how the physical world pushes back. Anatomy varies. Instruments bend, press, slip and...
21/07/2026
With winners Spain having already paraded the World Cup trophy through Madrid in front of millions of fans and the dust now settling on an epic tournament of th...
21/07/2026
In a time of disarray in regional sports broadcasting, the league will provide c...
21/07/2026
When NEP designed one of its largest recurring mobile production unit fleets for PGA TOUR
coverage, the leading media services provider faced a familiar challe...
21/07/2026
Warner Bros. Discovery's unbroken lead is interrupted as sports and live mus...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Across the TV and streaming ecosystem, industry players face mounting pressure to do more with less. They must simplify operations, protect premium content and ...
21/07/2026
Tuxera, a leading prover of quality-assured file systems and networking technologies, is bringing its latest advances in connectivity performance to the media w...
21/07/2026
COW Jobs: Apple Motion Expert for Custom FCP Rigged Graphics Package
Brie Clayton July 21, 2026
0 Comments
HIRING: Apple Motion Expert for Custom FCP ...
21/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, will use its presence at IBC2026 (stand 7.A01, Amsterdam RAI, 11 14 September) to...
21/07/2026
Calrec will be located in Hall 8, on Stand C47
Beyond bigger
For years, broadcast facilities were built around one assumption: provision for the biggest pro...
21/07/2026
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, will discuss its future-facing developments for the new generation of medi...
21/07/2026
nxtedition returns to IBC2026 with its consolidated production platform, showing how scripting, editing, graphics, AI-assisted tools and automation can work wit...
21/07/2026
C2PA content signing helps broadcasters, public institutions, and publishers give audiences a verifiable record of where their video content came from and how i...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
By Katie Small
