9 Black lesbian & sapphic movies you need to see & where to stream them

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Part eco-thriller, part heist film, How to Blow Up a Pipeline follows a group of environmental activists planning to blow up a pipeline—that’s not a spoiler, it’s literally in the title. But if that isn’t enough to catch your attention, at the film’s center is a lesbian couple. There’s a central lesbian couple: Alisha (Jayme Lawson) and Theo (Sasha Lane).

Rafiki

This Kenyan film follows the friends-to-lovers romance between Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) and Ziki (Sheila Munyiva), two women from rival families. Their sweet love story is set against the backdrop of a society that criminalizes homosexuality, forcing them to keep their love secret.

Where to watch: Tubi

Set It Off

This film was an instant lesbian classic as soon as it dropped in 1996, and it’s still just as powerful today. In it, a group of friends become bank robbers. Among them is a lesbian named Cleo Sims, played by Queen Latifah, whose performance proved to be a lesbian awakening for many a Gen X sapphic.

Where to watch: Pluto TV

Pariah

This moving coming-of-age film is a must-watch for every sapphic. In it, Alike (Adepero Oduye) is a 17-year-old who is coming to terms with her sexuality while trying to reconcile it with her conservative, religious family. She also embarks on her first romance with a girl named Bina (Aasha Davis); it’s incredibly sweet and poignant.

Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video

Bessie

Based on the true story of blues singer Bessie Smith, the film stars Queen Latifah as the icon who overcame unbelievable obstacles to rise to fame in the 1920s and ’30s. The film tracks her career as well as her complicated love life, which included her passionate romance with her lover Lucille (Tika Sumpter).

Where to watch: HBO Max

Beauty

Inspired, but not based on the story of Whitney Houston and Robyn Crawford, this Netflix original follows a young, talented lesbian singer named Beauty (Gracie Marie Bradley) on the brink of being signed to a record label, who struggles to find the balance between following her dreams, making her conservative mother (Niecy Nash-Betts) happy, and maintaining her relationship with her girlfriend Jasmine (Aleyse Shannon).

Stud Life

This British drama follows a stud named JJ (T’Nia Miller), whose life—and friendship with her friend and business partner Seb (Kyle Treslove)—gets turned upside down when she falls for a gorgeous femme named Elle (Robyn Kerr).

Where to watch: Fandor

Hearts Beat Loud

This incredibly sweet indie comedy-drama primarily focuses on the relationship between father Frank Fisher (Nick Offerman) and his daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons), who he cajoles into recording an unreleased song together and reconnecting. It also features a sapphic love story that sees Sam falling for her friend Rose (Sasha Lane).

Where to watch: Tubi