15 iconic LGBTQ+ documentaries that have screened at the Sundance Film FestivalJanus Films; Prime Video; NetflixWhile Sundance is famous for its narrative features, the festival has also been home to many documentary films, including many of the best — and most important — LGBTQ+ documentaries ever released.
With the 2024 Sundance Film Festival now in full swing, here are 15 must-see LGBTQ+ documentaries that screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
Before Stonewall - 1985
Narrated by lesbian author Rita Mae Brown, this documentary explores the history of the American LGBTQ+ community before the 1969 Stonewall riots.
The Times of Harvey Milk - 1985
This documentary chronicles the political career of Harvey Milk, who was San Francisco’s first out gay supervisor before he was assassinated in 1978.
Paris Is Burning - 1991
Jennie Livingston’s iconic documentary about ball culture of New York City in the 1980s features many legends of the scene like Dorian Corey, Willi Ninja, Octavia St. Laurent, Venus Xtravaganza, and Pepper LaBeija. The film even won the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize.
Wigstock: The Movie - 1995
This documentary focuses on Wigstock, an annual drag music festival that was held in New York City from the '80s to the '90s. It featured performers including Crystal Waters, Deee-Lite, Jackie Beat, Debbie Harry, Freddie Pendavis, and RuPaul.
The Celluloid Closet - 1996
The Celluloid Closet is an important documentary chronicling the history of Hollywood’s portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and censorship of LGBTQ+ stories.
Southern Comfort - 2001
This fim, which won the Sundance Grand Jury prize, documents the final year in the life of Robert Eads, a transgender man dying from Ovarian cancer. He was turned down by two dozen doctors because he was trans, and by the time he recieved treatment, the cancer was too advanced o save his life.
Small Town Gay Bar - 2006
Small Town Gay Bar shows two different Mississippi small towns that have gay bars and the people who frequent them.
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure - 2011
Made up of audio verite recordings of two people who recorded the loud and violent arguments their neighbors had, this documentary is considered a cult classic.
How to Survive a Plague - 2012
This 2012 documentary is about the early years of the AIDS epidemic and the efforts of activist groups like ACT UP and TAG.
Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen - 2020
This absolutely vital documentary explores the history of trans representation in film and television from the very beginning of motion pictures to today.
Welcome to Chechnya - 2020
Emmy and GLAAD award-nominated documentary Welcome to Chechnya is about the anti-gay purges that took place in Chechnya in the late 2010s.
My Name Is Pauli Murray - 2021
Activist, lawyer, and Episcopal priest Pauli Murray’s life is chronicled in this documentary which follows Murray’s work fighting for equal protection under the fourteenth amendment.
Flee -2021
Flee is a rare animated documentary that follows a man using the alias Amin Nawabi as he tells the story of how he fled his home country of Afghanistan to go to Denmark.
Kokomo City - 2023
Trans filmmaker D. Smith’s documentary focuses on the lives of Daniella Carter, Dominique Silver, Koka Da Doll, and Liyah Mitchell, four Black trans women and sex workers in New York and Georgia.
The Stroll - 2023
Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker’s film documents the history of trans sex workers in the Meatpacking District of New York City in the '80s and '90s.
