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BFI Flare LGBTQ+
Here are the pioneers, the iconoclasts, the brave - from landmark LGBTQ+ portraits to the next generation of gay classics from the BFI Flare festival.
This collection offers a chance to look back, to revisit and discover - not just the icons of gay cinema but the lesser-known treasures.
B.D. WomenB.D. Women
1994 20 minsDirector: Campbell X
Sassy, stylised documentary exploring the hidden histories of black lesbians.
Before StonewallBefore Stonewall
Documentary 1984 84 minsDirector: Greta Schiller
Documenting the testimonies from those who dared to challenge the world and helped create the modern gay community.
The Bitter Tears of Petra von KantThe Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
Drama 1972 124 minsDirector: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Fassbinder's visual and verbal extravaganza about a successful but lonely fashion designer who falls in love with a beautiful younger woman.
Break My Fall: ReduxBreak My Fall: Redux
Drama 2010 103 minsDirector: Kanchi Wichmann
Four young friends find themselves at a critical juncture in their lives, in this perceptive drama about the lives of young Londoners, presented here in its definitive 2023 director's cut.
Caught LookingCaught Looking
Drama 1991 35 minsDirector: Constantine Giannaris
Years before Grindr, a gay man turns to virtual reality to satisfy his sexual fantasies in this strangely prophetic short film.
CircumstanceCircumstance
Drama 2011 106 minsDirector: Maryam Keshavarz
A wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's dangerous obsession.
ChildrenChildren
Drama 1976 46 minsDirector: Terence Davies
The first part of Terence Davies' formidable Trilogy explores the effects of violence on a Liverpool schoolboy, told in a series of flashbacks.
Death and TransfigurationDeath and Transfiguration
Drama 1983 26 minsDirector: Terence Davies
The Terence Davies Trilogy reaches its astonishing climax as tortured Liverpool clerk Robert Tucker prepares to meet his maker.
Delphinium, a Childhood Portrait of Derek JarmanDelphinium, a Childhood Portrait of Derek Jarman
Biopic 2010 13 minsDirector: Matthew Mishory
Delphinium is a stylized and lyrical coming-of-age portrait of Derek Jarman’s artistic, sexual, and political awakening in post-War England.
DianaDiana
Drama 2008 11 minsDirector: Aleem Khan
A young Indian transgender woman takes a life-changing step in this moving short, set in London the day after Princess Diana’s death.
Dream A40Dream A40
Drama 1965 16 minsDirector: Lloyd Reckord
A young gay couple’s relationship is put to the test as a road trip takes a sinister turn in Lloyd Reckord's daring underground short.
DufferDuffer
Drama 1971 75 minsDirector: Joseph Despins and William Dumaresq
A bizarre study of obsession focusing on a teenage boy who is torn between the charms of a fleshly female prostitute and the sadism of an older man.
Fox and His FriendsFox and His Friends
Drama 1975 124 minsDirector: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Fassbinder's brilliantly caustic and cynical drama follows an ex-fairground worker who wins the lottery but is still mocked and exploited by his boyfriend’s family and friends.
A Friend of DorothyA Friend of Dorothy
Drama 1995 32 minsDirector: Raoul O'Connell
A gay man studying in New York develops a crush on his male roommate in this cute and breezy short.
The Fruit MachineThe Fruit Machine
Drama 1988 103 minsDirector: Philip Saville
Berated by his father for his camp behaviour, Eddie runs away from his Liverpool home and joins his friend Michael, a streetwise hustler who is also on the run.
Hit So HardHit So Hard
Documentary 2011 103 minsDirector: P. David Ebersole
Patty Schemel, one-time drummer of grunge band Hole, recounts her turbulent years on tour with the band, piecing together a compelling tale of rock and roll excess, and the personal story of one woman’s survival.
I Am DivineI Am Divine
Documentary 2013 90 minsDirector: Jeffrey Schwarz
A unique documentary about a unique person – follow Divine’s life from humble Baltimore beginnings to superstar status as the Queen of Cult.
Interior. Leather Bar.Interior. Leather Bar.
2013 60 minsDirector: James Franco and Travis Mathews
James Franco and Travis Mathews recreate explicit footage cut, rumoured to be lost, from one of the most notorious gay features ever made.
King of EscapeKing of Escape
Comedy 2009 90 minsDirector: Alain Guiraudie
A film about tractors, aphrodisiacs and forbidden love from Alain Guiraudie, the Cannes award-winning director of Stranger by the Lake.
The Lay of the LandThe Lay of the Land
Drama 1998 14 minsDirector: Fraser Macdonald
A man with a history of gay-bashing enters a smoky bar and strikes up a conversation with a drag queen in this dark short.
Les InvisiblesLes Invisibles
Documentary 2012 112 minsDirector: Sébastien Lifshitz
French gay men and women in their 60s and 70s talk about their lives in Sébastien Lifshitz’s documentary.
Love and Death on Long IslandLove and Death on Long Island
Comedy 1998 89 minsDirector: Richard Kwietniowski
John Hurt stars in Richard Kwietniowski’s comedy of fame and obsession about an older man (Hurt) who becomes infatuated with a young Hollywood actor (Jason Priestley), and proceeds to track him down.
Madonna and ChildMadonna and Child
Drama 1980 28 minsDirector: Terence Davies
Autobiography as art: the centrepiece of Terence Davies' devastating Liverpool-set Trilogy focuses on his fictional alter-ego in middle age.
NighthawksNighthawks
Drama 1978 113 minsDirector: Ron Peck
A schoolteacher juggles everyday life with nights spent cruising for Mr Right in this fascinating landmark in British gay cinema
Nighthawks 2: Strip Jack NakedNighthawks 2: Strip Jack Naked
Documentary 1991 91 minsDirector: Ron Peck
Ron Peck’s experimental follow up to the groundbreaking Nighthawks is both a making-of documentary and a deeply personal film memoir.
North of VortexNorth of Vortex
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1992 55 minsDirector: Constantine Giannaris
A gay poet, a bisexual sailor and a straight waitress embark on a trip through an American desert landscape in this languid, woozy road movie.
OstiaOstia
Crime 1987 26 minsDirector: Julian Cole
Ostia is a fascinating short film directed by Julian Cole and starring Derek Jarman, which reconstructs the events leading up to the murder of Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Pink NarcissusPink Narcissus
Fantasy 1971 65 minsDirector: James Bidgood
With its highly charged hallucinogenic quality, its atmosphere of lush decadence, and its explicit erotic power, Pink Narcissus is a landmark of gay cinema.
Prick Up Your EarsPrick Up Your Ears
Biopic 1987 110 minsDirector: Stephen Frears
A celebration of outrageous British playwright Joe Orton’s irreverent and charismatic talent, starring Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina.
RelaxRelax
Drama 1991 22 minsDirector: Christopher Newby
A gay man awaits the results of an HIV test, drifting into moments of fantasy as he copes with his fears and memories.
RosebudRosebud
Drama 1991 14 minsDirector: Cheryl Farthing
A lesbian couple arouse the interest of their new neighbour in this erotic tale of voyeurism, power dressing and fantasy.
TomboyTomboy
Drama 2011 82 minsDirector: Céline Sciamma
Tender drama from Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Girlhood) about a ten-year-old child exploring a new gender identity.
Totally F***Ed UpTotally F***Ed Up
Drama 1993 76 minsDirector: Gregg Araki
Gregg Araki's typically excessive and eccentric portrait of the lives of a group of six gay and lesbian teenagers in Los Angeles.
VaporsVapors
Drama 1965 32 minsDirector: Andy Milligan
Set in a New York bathhouse, this gritty but sensitive portrayal of pre-Stonewall gay life, chronicles an awkward encounter between two equally inexperienced strangers.
VictimVictim
Crime 1961 100 minsDirector: Basil Dearden
This thought-provoking classic stars Dirk Bogarde as a homosexual lawyer who risks his career to hunt down a blackmailer.
VitoVito
2011 93 minsDirector: Jeffrey Schwarz
A profile of LGBT activist, academic and author Vito Russo, the man who changed the face of queer film theory and brought us all out of the ‘Celluloid Closet’.
We Once Were TideWe Once Were Tide
Drama 2011 18 minsDirector: Jason Bradbury
Anthony and Kyle spend their last night together in this quietly moving short set on a windswept Isle of Wight.
We Were HereWe Were Here
Documentary 2011 90 minsDirector: David Weissman
We Were Here is the first documentary to take a deep and reflective look back at the arrival and impact of AIDS in 1980s San Francisco.
What Can I Do with a Male Nude?What Can I Do with a Male Nude?
Comedy 1985 24 minsDirector: Ron Peck
Ron Peck tests the thin line between pornography and art with his amusing rumination on the difficulties of showing the naked male form.
Young Soul RebelsYoung Soul Rebels
Drama 1991 105 minsDirector: Isaac Julien
The Queen's Silver Jubilee beats to the sounds of Funkadelic, Sylvester and the O'Jays in Isaac Julien’s feature debut.