Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. Stonewall is considered the turning point of the Gay Liberation Movement, which sought to move beyond the social stigma and shame of the queer experience, and instead celebrate queer identity as a point of pride. This year, to celebrate, we have decided to spend a few week highlighting specific cultural experiences within the queer community to showcase the variety of stories within this large rainbow umbrella.
This week we wish to celebrate the Black Queer experience by highlighting these select films. Happy Pride, y’all!
I am Not Your Negro (2017) Trailer Here
Master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, Remember This House. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and flood of rich archival material. I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for. – Magnolia Home Entertainment.
Bwoy follows Brad O'Connor who, after the death of his son, becomes entangled in a chaotic and passionate online love affair with Yenny, a young Jamaican man. With both Brad and his wife Marcia seeking solace in destructive ways, their lives and relationships are pushed to the brink, culminating in tragic confrontations that no one can avoid. Starring Broadway Star Anthony Rap – Breaking Glass
Seventeen-year-old Randy tries very hard to be a good person. Since his father left, Randy takes care of his emotionally disturbed mother, and he's the kind of friend all of his classmates can depend on. As strong as he seems on the outside, Randy is hiding a secret inner struggle and denial of his true self. It's not until he opens himself up to love that he discovers that becoming a man means accepting who you really are. - RLJ Entertainment
Naz & Maalik (2015) Trailer Here
Gay teens Naz and Maalik are friends, classmates, business partners and lovers. As the two closeted Muslim teens go about their regular daily routine on a Friday afternoon in Brooklyn they arouse the suspicions of an undercover FBI agent who begins to track them. – Wolfe Pictures
Saturday Church (2017) Trailer Here
Ulysses is a shy and effeminate boy who finds himself coping with new responsibilities as man of the house after the death of his father. Living alongside his mother, younger brother, and conservative aunt, Ulysses is also struggling with questions about his gender identity. He finds an escape by creating a world of fantasy filled with dance and music. Ulysses' journey takes a turn for the better when he finds a vibrant transgender community. - Samuel Goldwyn Films
Parallel Sons (2005) Trailer Here
Recent high school graduate Seth Carlson secretly dreams of being an art student in Manhattan. Because his father refuses financial aid he cannot and so he ends up waiting tables in a small restaurant. There he meets an escaped convict. - Strand Releasing Home Video