Sundance Film Festival 101: Films by LGBTQ+ Directors

A still from The Doom Generation by Gregg Araki (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)

By Lucy Spicer

Have you checked out our Sundance Film Festival 101 list yet? We know that 101 titles might seem daunting to tackle, so we're back with another watchlist lifted from those 101 pivotal films, and this one's just in time to celebrate Pride Month - Sundance Film Festival 101, LGBTQ directors edition. Though language is ever-evolving, history has witnessed stories by and about members of the LGBTQ community since artists first started telling stories, and the medium of film is no exception. LGBTQ filmmakers have certainly been part of the Sundance Film Festival since the event's humble beginnings, as the following watchlist shows.

Ranging from electric documentaries to poignant love stories to unnerving horror features and more, the films below reflect the incredible diversity of genres and styles that the Festival's filmmakers have displayed for more than 40 years. Of course, the list of LGBTQ filmmakers who have screened projects at the Festival extends far beyond those on our 101 list - but the titles below are a great place to start for your Pride Month indie film watchlist.

The Times of Harvey Milk (1985 Sundance Film Festival; winner of a Special Jury Prize Documentary)

Director: Rob Epstein

Through interviews, archival footage, and news clips, Rob Epstein's essential documentary traces Harvey Milk's career from neighborhood camera shop owner to LGBTQ activist to his status as the first openly gay man elected to office in California when he became a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. The film also documents the assassination of Milk and Mayor George Moscone and how the aftermath affected the community. But evident - and crucial - throughout Epstein's documentary is Milk's invincible spirit and message of hope, a message that inspires repeat viewings of this powerful film. The Times of Harvey Milk would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1985. Check here for viewing options.

Desert Hearts (1986 Sundance Film Festival; winner of a Special Jury Prize Dramatic)

Director: Donna Deitch

Set in 1959 and loosely based on Jane Rule's novel Desert of the Heart, Donna Deitch's film follows Columbia University professor Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) as she travels to Reno, Nevada, to get a quick divorce. The straitlaced and elegant Vivian sticks out a bit at the ranch where she's staying, especially next to free-spirited characters like Cay Rivvers (Patricia Charbonneau), who works at a nearby casino. The ranch's owner, Frances Parker (Audra Lindley), disapproves of Cay's unconventional ways and anyone who would encourage them, but Vivian and Cay are quickly drawn to each other. Check here for viewing options.

Hairspray (1988 Sundance Film Festival)

Director: John Waters

Writer-director John Waters adapted his Pope of Trash sensibilities for a broader audience with Hairspray. Set in Baltimore in 1962, the film follows Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake), a pleasantly plump teenager who's got big dreams, big dance moves, and even bigger hair. Tracy's dance skills and engaging personality land her a spot on The Corny Collins Show, and while she enjoys her popularity and a new romance, Tracy knows she can have it all and fight for racial integration, too. Featuring an ensemble cast also starring Divine, Ruth Brown, Jerry Stiller, Debbie Harry, and Sonny Bono, Hairspray has plenty of wackiness - like hypnosis, cockroaches, and a bomb-concealing wig - to make it a classic in the Waters canon. The film would go on to be adapted into a stage musical in 2002. Check here for viewing options.

Paris Is Burning (1991 Sundance Film Festival; winner of the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary)

Director: Jennie Livingston

For her directorial debut, Jennie Livingston spent years observing New York City's ballroom subculture during the 1980s. Through insightful interviews and dynamic footage of ball competitions, Paris Is Burning turns the spotlight on Black and Latino individuals who found power, belonging, and artistic fulfillment among the various competing Houses of the time, even as their own birth families often rejected them for being gay men, trans women, or drag queens. But each House had an appointed Mother, creating a vital sense of family, just as the balls created a safe place for self-expression at a time in the U.S. when violence against members of the LGBTQ community was on the rise. Check here for viewing options.

Poison (1991 Sundance Film Festival; winner of the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic)

Director: Todd Haynes

Writer-director Todd Haynes' feature debut, inspired by Jean Genet's novels, comprises three interwoven stories that together make a film that would become a significant addition to the New Queer Cinema canon. Hero plays like a sensational news segment, wherein a mother (Edith Meeks) claims her 7-year-old son disappeared after killing his father. Horror emulates a mini 1960s B movie in which Dr. Graves (Larry Maxwell) experiences monstrous side effects from accidentally drinking the essence of human sexuality. Finally, Homo follows an incarcerated man (Scott Renderer) who finds himself attracted to a fellow prisoner whom he recalls meeting previously in a juvenile facility. Check here for viewing options.

Go Fish (1994 Sundance Film Festival)

Director: Rose Troche

A landmark film in the New Queer Cinema movement, Rose Troche's feature debut is a low-budget yet lyrical story of lesbian community in 1990s Chicago. Shot in black and white, the film revolves around Max (co-writer Guinevere Turner), a college student looking for love. Her friends scheme to set her up with Ely (V.S. Brodie), but the course of true love never did run smooth. In spite of the

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