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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.

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B.D. WomenB.D. Women

1994 20 minsDirector: Campbell X

Sassy, stylised documentary exploring the hidden histories of black lesbians.

Rent for Β£2.50

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.

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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.

Rent for Β£3.50

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.

Rent for Β£1.00

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Rent for Β£1.00

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Rent for Β£1.00

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.

Rent for Β£2.50

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.

Rent for Β£2.50

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.

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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.

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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.

Rent for Β£3.50

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.

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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.

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Les InvisiblesLes Invisibles

Documentary 2012 112 minsDirector: SΓ©bastien Lifshitz

French gay men and women in their 60s and 70s talk about their lives in SΓ©bastien Lifshitz’s documentary.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

Rent for Β£2.50

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.

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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.

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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.

Rent for Β£3.50

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.

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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.

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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.

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TomboyTomboy

Drama 2011 82 minsDirector: CΓ©line Sciamma

Tender drama from CΓ©line Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Girlhood) about a ten-year-old child exploring a new gender identity.

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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.

Rent for Β£1.00

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.

Rent for Β£3.50

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.

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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 β€˜Celluloid Closet’.

Rent for Β£1.00

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.