According to GLADD, only eight films in all of 2015 passed their test for LGBT inclusion. Hopefully, 2016 will be a better year. Here are 10 new indie LGBT films you can get excited about.
As you Are is set in the early 1990s, and retells the relationship between three teenagers through disparate memories prompted by a police investigation. As You Are is the debut film of 23-year-old Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, and stars Owen Campbell (who had an arc on The Americans) and Amandla Stenberg (best known as Rue in The Hunger Games). The film was shown at Sundance 2016, and you can find out more on their website.
Happy Birthday, Marsha! is a short film about transgender artist and activist, Marsha P. Johnson, in the hours before the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City. The film is currently in post production, and stars Independent Spirit Award Winning actress Mya Taylor (Tangerine) as Johnson. Watch the trailer here.
Spa Night follows a young Korean-American man who is struggling to reconcile his obligations to his immigrant family with his burgeoning sexual desires in the underground gay hookup scene in the Korean spas of Los Angeles. The film premiered at Sundance earlier this year.
Suited is a documentary (notably produced by Lena Dunham) that follows the story of Bindle & Keep, a Brooklyn tailoring company that makes suits for transgender and gender nonconforming clients. The film follows four clients—a trans Bar Mitzvah boy, a New York City cab driver, a transgender groom, and a young southern law student. Find out more about Suited on their website.
Two Soft Things, Two Hard Things explores how a small group in Nunavut, Canada prepare for an LGBT Pride celebration, and explores how colonization and religion have erased traditional Inuit beliefs about sexuality and family structure. The film follows a new generation of LGBT Inuit people who are “unshaming” their past. Watch the trailer here.
Honeyglue follows Morgan, a young woman who learns she has three months to live, as she meets Jordan, a gender-defying artist, falls in love, and goes on her final adventure. Watch the trailer here.
Kiki is a kind of spiritual sequel to Paris Is Burning. The documentary follows a new generation of LGBTQ youth in an artist and activist subculture named the Kiki Scene. Visit their website to find out more about the film.
Drag Race fanatics who were Bianca Del Rio super fans won’t want to miss the campy revenge comedy Hurricane Bianca, starring Roy Haylock as a New York teacher who moves to a small town in Texas, gets fired for being gay, and then returns as a mean lady to get revenge on those who were nasty to him. For more information, check out the film’s website.
Other People follows a struggling comedy writer who has just broken up with his boyfriend as he moves to Sacramento to take care of his sick mother. Living with his conservative father and younger sisters makes David feel like a stranger in his childhood home. The film stars Jesse Plemons and Molly Shannon. Watch an interview with the director here.
Almost Adults is a comedy that follows two best friends in their final year of college. One embraces her sexuality, and the other ends a long-term relationship with her boyfriend. They struggle to keep their friendship together as they enter adulthood. Check out the trailer here.
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