15 movies about gay men that have played at the Sundance Film Festival

Throughout its history, the Sundance Film Festival has been home to many groundbreaking LGBTQ+ films. From movies about lesbians and trans people, to documentaries, to movies about gay men, Sundance has had it all.

With the 2024 Sundance Film Festival about to start, here's a look at 15 of the most important movies by and about gay and queer men that have played at Sundance.

Parting Glances - 1986

One of the first films to realistically deal with the subject of AIDS, Parting Glances debuted at the 1986 Sundance Film Festival and also has Steve Buscemi’s first starring role.

Longtime Companion - 1990

Taking its name from the relationship-erasing term the New York Times used to describe the surviving partners of those who died from AIDS, Longtime Companion was the first wide-release theatrical film to deal with the subject.

Poison - 1991

Iconic gay director Todd Haynes’ (Far From Heaven, Velvet Goldmine, Carol, May December) first feature film was Poison, which intertwined three stories and helped kick off the “queer new wave” in cinema.

The Living End - 1992

Another iconic gay director, Gregg Araki’s 1992 film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize when it played at Sundance. It’s described by some as a “gay Thelma & Louise.”

Edge of Seventeen - 1999

This coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama follows an Ohio teen named Eric Hunter who is coming into his sexuality as he goes through his senior year of high school.

Chuck & Buck - 2000

The White Lotus creator Mike White wrote and starred in this black comedy about an immature 27-year-old who reunites with his close childhood friend who he had experimented with when his mother dies.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch - 2001

John Cameron Mitchell’s iconic musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch follows Hedwig Robinson, a gay East German rock singer who undergoes a sex reassignment surgery in order to make his straight partner happy.

Y Tu Mamá También - 2002

Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal starred in Alfonso Cuarón’s early film about two best friends who meet an older woman and take a road trip with her.

Mysterious Skin - 2005

Another film from Gregg Araki, this one stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Brady Corbet as two young men who are dealing with their experiences of childhood sexual abuse in very disperate ways.

Lackawanna Blues - 2005

Iconic gay playwright and director George C. Wolfe (Angels in America, Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk) directed this film, his second, that played at Sundance in 2005. It’s based on the play of the same name and tells the story of Afro-Latino Ruben Santiogo Jr. growing up in Lackawanna, New York.

I Love You Phillip Morris - 2009

This dark comedy stars Jim Carrey as real-life con artist and prison escapee Steven Jay Russell. While Russell is incarcerated, he meets and falls in love with Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) and escapes from prison four times to be with him.

Call Me by Your Name - 2017

Luca Guadagnino’s coming-of-age drama starred Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. Chalamet plays Elio, a 17-year-old spending the summer in Italy with his professor father and his father’s 24-year-old graduate student Oliver.

God's Own Country

This romantic drama stars Josh O’Connor as a sheep farmer in Yorkshire who falls in love with a Romanian migrant worker played by Alec Secăreanu.

Cassandro - 2023

Gael García Bernal stars in this biopic about Saúl Armendáriz, a gay Texan who adopted the flamboyant personality of Cassandro to become one of the most popular wrestlers in all of lucha libre.

Theater Camp - 2023

Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman directed this movie written by the two of them along with Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, with Gordon, Platt, and Galvin starring as workers at a theater camp that is in danger of closing after its owner falls into a coma.