Queer Cinema Challenge (Official, June 2021)

[Fergenaprido]

The Unapologetically Official Queer Cinema Challenge
It's Pride month in many places around the world, so dive in and explore some queer stories.

Goal:
Watch as many movies as you can that can be considered queer cinema. If you are in doubt whether a movie counts or not, just ask, but generally it's a film that centres around one or more LGBTQ individuals.

Rules:
- A feature film (over 40 minutes) counts as one entry.
- A total of 80 minutes of short films or miniseries/TV episodes counts as one entry.
- Rewatches are allowed and are good for the soul.

Challenge runs from 1 June 2021 to 30 June 2021 in your local timezone.

Official Lists/Films:
BFI Flare's The Best LGBTQ+ Films of All Time
Queer Films on Official Lists

Unofficial lists

Note: These lists are provided as guidelines and resources; just because a film is listed here doesn't mean it's eligible for this challenge (though it probably will be).
iCM Forum's Favorite LGBT movies (top 100)
LGBT List Cross-Reference
AfterElton.com's Top 100 Greatest Gay Movies
Autostraddle's 200 Best Lesbian, Queer, and Bisexual Movies of All Time (2021)
AfterEllen.com's 50 Best Lesbian Movies
The Backlot's Top 100 Greatest Gay Movies
The Advocate's Top 175 Essential Films of All Time for LGBT Viewers
Erik's Recommended GLBT Films
The Celluloid Closet: The Book
The Celluloid Closet: The Documentary
101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men
Huffington Post's LGBT Pride Films (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes 200 Best LGBT Movies of All Time
The Internet Film Club February 2014 - LGBT Cinema Watch List
Total Film's 50 Best Gay Movies
Indiewire: The 50 Most Important LGBT Films
Metro Weekly Gay Films Everyone Should See
Time Out's The 50 best gay movies: the best in LGBT film-making
Top 150 GLBT Films
Teddy Award at Berlin Film Festival
Queer Palm at Cannes Film Festival
Slant Magazine's 50 Essential LGBT Films (non-icm)

And my own passion project collecting Queer films on various lists (Google Spreadsheet)

and many more....

Bonus Challenge

I've decided to run a multi-faceted bonus challenge that will hopefully encourage participants to explore beyond the latest awards-bait-gay-film-for-straight-people™ created for straight actors to receive Oscar glory.

Bonus Challenge Breakdown

1. LGBTQ+ - 5 points - 1 for each of the first four letters of the acronym (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender), and 1 for the rest combined since they're less prevalent in cinema (Intersex, Pansexual, Asexual, etc.)
2. Decades - 8 points - 1 for each decade from 1960s-2020s, and 1 for all earlier decades combined
3. Countries - 15 points - 1 for each of the top-two* queer film countries from each region (USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain, South Africa, Israel, Philippines, Thailand), plus 1 for each of the region excluding those 10 countries (North America, South America, Europe, Africa-Middle East*, Asia-Pacific*)
4. Personal - 2 points - 1 point for watching my favourite queer film of all time (C.R.A.Z.Y.) or for watching the best queer film based on my spreadsheet points system (My Beautiful Laundrette)

Thus, there are 30 bonus points available. After you complete one of the first three sections, only additional full cycles will count, i.e. if you watch an L, a G, a B, a T and a Q+ film and get 5 points, you'll need to watch another film from each category to get 10 points; watching 5 more lesbian films won't get you anything on their own). Is this a little complicated? Yes, but it's a bonus challenge and it's all just for fun, so just go with it.

*For the purposes of this bonus challenge, "top-two" takes into consideration not only absolute output, but also relative output. Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran will be the northeast boundary of Africa-Middle East (with Cyprus in Europe), and all of Oceania is grouped with the rest of Asia to form Asia-Pacific. All of this is purely subjective and arbitrary, and I've done it to balance out the regions a bit and encourage exploration.

BonusChallenge Scoreboard

Participant	LGBTQ+	Pts	Decades	Pts	Countries/Regions	Pts	Personal	Pts	TOTAL
Prat	L,G,B,T,Q+x4	20	pre,60s,70s,80s,90s,00s,10s,20sx4	32	USA,CAN,ARG,FRA,ESP,eu,ap	7	CRAZY	1	60
maxwelldeux	L,G,B,T,Q+x3	15	pre,60s,70s,80s,90s,00s,10s	7	USA,CAN,BRA,FRA,eu,ap	6	CRAZY	1	29
sol	L,G,B,T,Q+x2	10	pre,60s,70s,80s,90s,00s,10s,20s	8	USA,CAN,eu,THA,ap	5			23
jdidaco	L,G,B,T,Q+x2	10	70s,80s,90s,10s	4	USA,CAN,FRA,ESP,eu,af,ap	7			21
Armoreska	L,G,B,T,Q+	5	70s,80s,90s,00s,10s,20s	6	USA,CAN,na,sa,FRA,eu,THA,as	8	CRAZY,MBL	2	21
beasterne	L,G,B,T,Q+x2	10	pre,70s,80s,90s,00s,10s	6	USA,eu,ap	3	MBL	1	20
peeptoad	L,G,B,T,Q+	5	60s,80s,90s,00s,10s	5	USA,CAN,BRA,FRA,ESP,eu,ap	7	CRAZY	1	18
Fergenaprido	L,G,B,Q+	4	80s,90s,00s,10s,20s	5	USA,CAN,BRA,ESP,eu,ZAF,ap	7			16
lineuphere	L,G,B,Q+	4	pre,60s,70s,80s,90s,10s	6	USA,CAN,eu	3			13
kongs_speech	L,G,T,Q+	4	80s,90s,10s,20s	4	USA,eu,PHL,ap	4			12
DudeLanez	L,G,B,Q+	4	70s,80s,90s,00s	4	USA,ARG,eu	3	MBL	1	12
vortexsurfer	L,G,B,T	4	70s,90s,10s,20s	4	USA,CAN,eu,ap	4			12
blocho	L,G,B,T	4	80s,00s,10s,20s	4	USA,CAN,eu	3	CRAZY	1	12
flavo5000	L,G,B,T	4	70s,90s,00s,10s,	4	USA,FRA,eu	3			11
ororama	L,G,T	3	90s,00s,10s,20s	4	USA,eu,ISR	3			10
mjf314	L,G,B	3	10s,20s	2	THA,ap	2			7
hurluberlu	L,G	2	pre,10s	2	USA,eu	2			6
3eyes	Q+	1	90s,10s	2	USA	1			4
Onderhond	G	1	20s	1	ap	1			3
pitchorneirda	B	1	20s	1	USA	1			3

Participants

Rank	Participant	2021	2018	2015
1	Prat	60
2	Armoreska	40		8
2	jdidaco	40	111
4	sol	29	26
5	maxwelldeux	21	22
6	Fergenaprido	20	28	27
7	beasterne	15
8	flavo5000	12	3
9	peeptoad	11
9	blocho	11	3
11	DudeLanez	7
11	lineuphere	7	3
13	kongs_speech	6
13	ororama	6		1
13	mfj314	6
16	vortexsurfer	5
17	3eyes	2	15	19
17	hurluberlu	2	3
19	Onderhond	1
19	pitchorneirda	1
21	ryebass	0

Past Participants

-	72aicm		20
-	albajos		111
-	allisoncm		14	8
-	Cocoa		4
-	HVM			10
-	jvv			1
-	kingink			7
-	Mate_cosido		6
-	nimimerkillinen		6
-	Nuclearplanet			19
-	OldAle1		14
-	psychotronicbeatnik		44
-	RogerTheMovieManiac88		47
-	sebby		9
-	weirdboy		1

This official challenge has been run twice before:
June 2015 Challenge Thread
October 2018 Challenge Thread
There's also an unofficial challenge that's been running since October 2015, albeit with slightly different parameters than the official challenges.

[flavo5000]

I'll join for a few. I've got some I was going to align with the Film from Each Year challenge too.

[DulceDoes]

I'm in.

[Armoreska]

Thanks for having sensible rules. Other than the possibly narrow eligibility criteria.
1. I've already started with anime minis a few days ago. Where I also just reached 5000 episodes/movies seen.
Do they count?

2.
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/top+ ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/best ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/dive ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/non- ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/asex ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/pans ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/inte ... armoreska/
These are mine own lists I must work on (minus TV long shots in them). Since I prefer not to know too much about my watches, I'll only find out if they're eligible as I watch?
It would be more sensible to blanket-confirm the watches that appear on relevant lists without spending thinkpoints on figuring it out. Sigh.

3. Docus?
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/gend ... armoreska/

4. Fergenaprido,
Select a cap off for me, a point ceiling:
111
50

5. I like objective finish points + I don't have a local timezone. I exist in all timezones simultaneously as well as in none.
Seems like when I wake up is the best time to pick a start/end time. I don't even have anything already lined up other than those animes.

[Fergenaprido]

Thanks for having sensible rules. Other than the possibly narrow eligibility criteria.
1. I've already started with anime minis a few days ago. Where I also just reached 5000 episodes/movies seen.
Do they count?

2.
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/top+ ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/best ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/dive ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/poly ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/non- ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/asex ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/pans ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/inte ... armoreska/
These are mine own lists I must work on (minus TV long shots in them). Since I prefer not to know too much about my watches, I'll only find out if they're eligible as I watch?
It would be more sensible to blanket-confirm the watches that appear on relevant lists without spending thinkpoints on figuring it out. Sigh.

3. Docus?
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/gend ... armoreska/

4. Fergenaprido,
Select a cap off for me, a point ceiling:
111
50

5. I like objective finish points + I don't have a local timezone. I exist in all timezones simultaneously as well as in none.
Seems like when I wake up is the best time to pick a start/end time. I don't even have anything already lined up other than those animes.

What do you feel is narrow about the eligibility?

1. minis as in short films or miniseries? Obviously, if you started them a few days ago, they don't count. If it's miniseries, then the episodes you watch in June will count according to their length, as described in the OP
2. Short answer: Yes, you'll find out as you watch them. Long answer: After taking a quick look at each list, the first list looks like most of the films would qualify, but the rest of the lists are probably not good guides for this challenge. They may contain eligible films, but it wouldn't be because they appear in those lists, but for other reasons.
3. What is your question? Are documentaries allowed? Yes. I'm not familiar with most of the films on that list, nor is there a description for what that list tries to do, so I consider it meaningless at this point.
4. ...
5. ...

[beasterne]

In for this challenge! So many films I've been meaning to watch and hopefully this challenge will be the push I need. My goal for this month is to either get bronze or close to it on the BFI Flare list. I'll need 26 more, so I might not reach the bronze, but hopefully I'll be in striking distance after this challenge ends.

[maxwelldeux]

Bonus Challenge

I've decided to run a multi-faceted bonus challenge that will hopefully encourage participants to explore beyond the latest awards-bait-gay-film-for-straight-people™ created for straight actors to receive Oscar glory.

Bonus Challenge Breakdown

1. LGBTQ+ - 5 points - 1 for each of the first four letters of the acronym (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender), and 1 for the rest combined since they're less prevalent in cinema (Intersex, Pansexual, Asexual, etc.)
2. Decades - 8 points - 1 for each decade from 1960s-2020s, and 1 for all earlier decades combined
3. Countries - 15 points - 1 for each of the top-two* queer film countries from each region (USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain, South Africa, Israel, Philippines, Thailand), plus 1 for each of the region excluding those 10 countries (North America, South America, Europe, Africa-Middle East*, Asia-Pacific*)
4. Personal - 2 points - 1 point for watching my favourite queer film of all time (C.R.A.Z.Y.) or for watching the best queer film based on my spreadsheet points system (My Beautiful Laundrette)

Thus, there are 30 bonus points available. After you complete one of the first three sections, only additional full cycles will count, i.e. if you watch an L, a G, a B, a T and a Q+ film and get 5 points, you'll need to watch another film from each category to get 10 points; watching 5 more lesbian films won't get you anything on their own). Is this a little complicated? Yes, but it's a bonus challenge and it's all just for fun, so just go with it.

*For the purposes of this bonus challenge, "top-two" takes into consideration not only absolute output, but also relative output. Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran will be the northeast boundary of Africa-Middle East (with Cyprus in Europe), and all of Oceania is grouped with the rest of Asia to form Asia-Pacific. All of this is purely subjective and arbitrary, and I've done it to balance out the regions a bit and encourage exploration.

So... how do you want things reported? This is a pretty complicated bonus challenge (interesting, don't get me wrong, but definitely complicated), so I want to know how to record stuff to make your life as easy as possible...

[Armoreska]

Spoiler

Thanks for having sensible rules. Other than the possibly narrow eligibility criteria.
1. I've already started with anime minis a few days ago. Where I also just reached 5000 episodes/movies seen.
Do they count?

2.
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/top+ ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/best ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/dive ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/poly ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/non- ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/asex ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/pans ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/inte ... armoreska/
These are mine own lists I must work on (minus TV long shots in them). Since I prefer not to know too much about my watches, I'll only find out if they're eligible as I watch?
It would be more sensible to blanket-confirm the watches that appear on relevant lists without spending thinkpoints on figuring it out. Sigh.

3. Docus?
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/gend ... armoreska/

4. Fergenaprido,
Select a cap off for me, a point ceiling:
111
50

5. I like objective finish points + I don't have a local timezone. I exist in all timezones simultaneously as well as in none.
Seems like when I wake up is the best time to pick a start/end time. I don't even have anything already lined up other than those animes.

Spoiler

What do you feel is narrow about the eligibility?

1. minis as in short films or miniseries? Obviously, if you started them a few days ago, they don't count. If it's miniseries, then the episodes you watch in June will count according to their length, as described in the OP
2. Short answer: Yes, you'll find out as you watch them. Long answer: After taking a quick look at each list, the first list looks like most of the films would qualify, but the rest of the lists are probably not good guides for this challenge. They may contain eligible films, but it wouldn't be because they appear in those lists, but for other reasons.
3. What is your question? Are documentaries allowed? Yes. I'm not familiar with most of the films on that list, nor is there a description for what that list tries to do, so I consider it meaningless at this point.
4. ...
5. ...

0. IDK. I don't like the idea of exclusion if it's based on host's preferences. If it's on a relevant list, it should count is the best solution.
1. Minis are mini-series, of course.
2. "They may contain eligible films"
yeah, vague. sigh.
What don't you like about anime lists? Can you run an example? Japan is dodgy with this topic so Western criteria may not apply.
This for example?
https://www.otakukan.com/best-gender-be ... me-series/
3. That list is a repository of relevant titles as explained by the title. It's not fully inclusive so if I don't like something's overall content I will exclude. Gender docus may be needed for further content diversification.

I woke up at 5 AM GMT so I'll try to post the final count around this time next month.

Anyone who's proactive/decisive? I need a cap.
50 or 111?

[Fergenaprido]

Bonus Challenge

I've decided to run a multi-faceted bonus challenge that will hopefully encourage participants to explore beyond the latest awards-bait-gay-film-for-straight-people™ created for straight actors to receive Oscar glory.

Bonus Challenge Breakdown

1. LGBTQ+ - 5 points - 1 for each of the first four letters of the acronym (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender), and 1 for the rest combined since they're less prevalent in cinema (Intersex, Pansexual, Asexual, etc.)
2. Decades - 8 points - 1 for each decade from 1960s-2020s, and 1 for all earlier decades combined
3. Countries - 15 points - 1 for each of the top-two* queer film countries from each region (USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain, South Africa, Israel, Philippines, Thailand), plus 1 for each of the region excluding those 10 countries (North America, South America, Europe, Africa-Middle East*, Asia-Pacific*)
4. Personal - 2 points - 1 point for watching my favourite queer film of all time (C.R.A.Z.Y.) or for watching the best queer film based on my spreadsheet points system (My Beautiful Laundrette)

Thus, there are 30 bonus points available. After you complete one of the first three sections, only additional full cycles will count, i.e. if you watch an L, a G, a B, a T and a Q+ film and get 5 points, you'll need to watch another film from each category to get 10 points; watching 5 more lesbian films won't get you anything on their own). Is this a little complicated? Yes, but it's a bonus challenge and it's all just for fun, so just go with it.

*For the purposes of this bonus challenge, "top-two" takes into consideration not only absolute output, but also relative output. Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran will be the northeast boundary of Africa-Middle East (with Cyprus in Europe), and all of Oceania is grouped with the rest of Asia to form Asia-Pacific. All of this is purely subjective and arbitrary, and I've done it to balance out the regions a bit and encourage exploration.

So... how do you want things reported? This is a pretty complicated bonus challenge (interesting, don't get me wrong, but definitely complicated), so I want to know how to record stuff to make your life as easy as possible...

I didn't think that far ahead lol. Oops.

Standard year and country should be easy enough for everyone, I think, and then add which letter (L, G, B, T, or Q+) it falls under.

Example: C.R.A.Z.Y. (G 2005 Canada)

Does that work? I'll probably know most of the information for the majority of what people watch, but I won't catch everything. Plus, if people aren't interested in the bonus challenge, they don't have to bother with the extra information.

[Fergenaprido]

Spoiler

Thanks for having sensible rules. Other than the possibly narrow eligibility criteria.
1. I've already started with anime minis a few days ago. Where I also just reached 5000 episodes/movies seen.
Do they count?

2.
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/top+ ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/best ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/dive ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/poly ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/non- ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/asex ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/pans ... armoreska/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/inte ... armoreska/
These are mine own lists I must work on (minus TV long shots in them). Since I prefer not to know too much about my watches, I'll only find out if they're eligible as I watch?
It would be more sensible to blanket-confirm the watches that appear on relevant lists without spending thinkpoints on figuring it out. Sigh.

3. Docus?
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/gend ... armoreska/

4. Fergenaprido,
Select a cap off for me, a point ceiling:
111
50

5. I like objective finish points + I don't have a local timezone. I exist in all timezones simultaneously as well as in none.
Seems like when I wake up is the best time to pick a start/end time. I don't even have anything already lined up other than those animes.

Spoiler

What do you feel is narrow about the eligibility?

1. minis as in short films or miniseries? Obviously, if you started them a few days ago, they don't count. If it's miniseries, then the episodes you watch in June will count according to their length, as described in the OP
2. Short answer: Yes, you'll find out as you watch them. Long answer: After taking a quick look at each list, the first list looks like most of the films would qualify, but the rest of the lists are probably not good guides for this challenge. They may contain eligible films, but it wouldn't be because they appear in those lists, but for other reasons.
3. What is your question? Are documentaries allowed? Yes. I'm not familiar with most of the films on that list, nor is there a description for what that list tries to do, so I consider it meaningless at this point.
4. ...
5. ...

0. IDK. I don't like the idea of exclusion if it's based on host's preferences. If it's on a relevant list, it should count is the best solution.
1. Minis are mini-series, of course.
2. "They may contain eligible films"
yeah, vague. sigh.
What don't you like about anime lists? Can you run an example? Japan is dodgy with this topic so Western criteria may not apply.
This for example?
https://www.otakukan.com/best-gender-be ... me-series/
3. That list is a repository of relevant titles as explained by the title. It's not fully inclusive so if I don't like something's overall content I will exclude. Gender docus may be needed for further content diversification.

I woke up at 5 AM GMT so I'll try to post the final count around this time next month.

Anyone who's proactive/decisive? I need a cap.
50 or 111?

0. Well, I haven't excluded anything yet And when I have excluded films in past challenges I've hosted, I've always provided the reasoning why, and been consistent with that reasoning throughout the challenge for all users. It's never been about my preference. And if people disagree with me, I listen to them and reconsider my decision if necessary.
2. I have nothing against anime lists, but most of those lists are just "contains a character who is X", which is not strong enough criteria. Your Name, for example, from the Gender Bender list, isn't a queer film just because two people of the opposite gender switch bodies. It's a plot device used by the film, not a theme or focus of the film. Tokyo Godfathers, on the Diversity list, definitely counts since one of the main trio is a trans woman. I haven't seen anything else from that list (and only heard of a few of them), so I can't really comment on what would or would not be eligible. And your character lists do have some queer films in them, but also a lot of non-queer films: I fail to see how The Kings of Summer, WolfWalkers, Inception, Bonnie & Clyde, The Dreamers, About Adam, or Kukushka are queer, and those are just from the films I've seen on those lists. I don't even remember the characters from most of those films that would supposedly warrant inclusion on those lists.
Reading that article, the only one that for sure seems like a queer series is Maria Holic. The others just appear to be body-swaps or dressing up as the opposite gender - that's just based on the writeups in the article, though.
3. Hmm. Based on the titles alone, the 4 or 5 trans titles would fit the challenge. Documentaries just about gender and gender roles, though, wouldn't.
4. 50, then. I don't want to have to fact check 111 entries from you
5. If you want to do one month from 5 AM GMT today, that's fine with me.

[mjf314]

Gender bender includes cross-dressing, which isn't necessarily LGBT. For example, in Ouran High School Host Club, the main character is a girl who dresses like a boy, but she's straight and she's not transgender, so it's not LGBT.

There are plenty of anime that are definitely LGBT. Try browsing the "shounen ai" and "shoujo ai" tags on MAL or AniDB or Anime-Planet, or the "LGBT Themes" tag on Anime-Planet. I don't think any of the sites have a "Transgender" tag. Hourou Musuko is the only transgender anime that I'm aware of, but I haven't seen it. For shoujo ai I would recommend Bloom Into You and Simoun.

[Armoreska]

right, im watching Hourou Musuko, finished Simoun, the genderfluid anime yesterday, and Bloom is coming up.

Can someone send me an article or video on why cross-dressing is booted from the gender diversity?


Thanks for setting 50. Mild mode then. I will count minis as 1 point instead of 2 (as a movie).

There are a few articles on WolfWalkers. Search them with "queer". That should be enough for anyone.

[Onderhond]

WolfWalkers

For a lack of a better desription, these tend to be films where queer people latch onto certain characters as they somehow recognize them as queer. Promare is another one. They get adopted in the scene and become a part of it (you see it happen with music a lot too I guess). If you are unsure why a film is in a list like that, it might help to google title + "fanfiction"

[mjf314]

Can someone send me an article on why cross-dressing is booted from the gender diversity?

I just checked the LGBT article on Wikipedia and there's no mention of cross-dressing, but I don't have an opinion on whether it should be included. I guess it's usually not included because it doesn't necessarily imply anything about gender identity or sexual orientation.

[Armoreska]

I'll try to look for anything that's close.

[sol]

It starts! First in.

1. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) USA [L]



This film benefits from a great protagonist with a flair for filmmaking and tons of imagination; the movie also does a great job blending different animation styles as inner thoughts and feelings pop up. The story here is far less enticing than its protagonist though. The strained father/daughter relationship feels very by-the-books and the robot apocalypse is also silly with the evil technology painted in an over-the-top/unrealistic manner. It's entertaining though.

Debatable inclusion but there is a lot of discussion about this online and the film pops up on tons of LGBTIQ+ lists on Letterboxd.

[Onderhond]

You should really watch Ride or Die sol (should be on Netflix). No debate there, though much of the LGBTIQ+ community seems to hate that film

[flavo5000]

WolfWalkers

For a lack of a better desription, these tend to be films where queer people latch onto certain characters as they somehow recognize them as queer. Promare is another one. They get adopted in the scene and become a part of it (you see it happen with music a lot too I guess). If you are unsure why a film is in a list like that, it might help to google title + "fanfiction"

Yea, having watched Wolfwalkers recently, I can see how someone could interpret an LGBT theme from it if they want to, but I also know that the director has stated in interviews that he didn't intend for it to be interpreted that way necessarily. It's like the Babadook phenomenon in the LGBT community. I really don't think Wolfwalkers would count for this challenge.

[sol]

You should really watch Ride or Die sol (should be on Netflix). No debate there, though much of the LGBTIQ+ community seems to hate that film

I've only heard terrible things about it, but given what I said about the surprisingly excellent I Am the Pretty Thing in the recent Netflix podcast, I guess I shouldn't be taking the opinions of the general Netflix-going community to much to heart.

Added to the bottom half of my watch-list for this month (will probably get to it since my watch-list is only at 40 or so films so far).

[mightysparks]

Can someone send me an article on why cross-dressing is booted from the gender diversity?

I just checked the LGBT article on Wikipedia and there's no mention of cross-dressing, but I don't have an opinion on whether it should be included. I guess it's usually not included because it doesn't necessarily imply anything about gender identity or sexual orientation.

idk the answer but i primarily only wear men's clothes and it has nothing to do with my sexuality or gender identity (since I don't consider gender part of my identity) and I've read about Eddie Izzard in the past saying he likes to wear women's clothes but it has nothing to do with his gender/sexuality so I guess it's kind of a ~ area

[Onderhond]

I've only heard terrible things about it

Well yes, it's directed by a man and it has a rather explicit lesbian sex scene. That's more than enough to crap on a film like this for some.

[sol]

LGBTIQQAAP in Film

1. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) USA [L]

2. What Keeps You Alive (2018) Canada [L]



While never boring, there are too many illogical character decisions and incredulous survivals for this thriller to click. The parallels to the vastly superior Revenge also only hurt the film. That said, the whole thing is reasonably stylish and even suspenseful at times. The way the film normalises gay marriage and makes a non-issue out of it is pretty neat too. In fact, it is hard to imagine the premise working as well with a male/female couple as first intended.

That said... this is the second ick inclusion for me out of two films viewed for the Challenge so far.

In The Mitchells vs The Machines...

Spoiler

...lesbianism is only implied and never stated. There are some scenes at the end that hint of her bringing a girlfriend home to meet the parents, but it's so subtle that I doubt if some viewers would even pick up on it.

In What Keeps You Alive...

Spoiler

...lesbians are portrayed as psychopathic b*tches keen on murdering for sport. There is also the suggestion that the antagonist is not even queer and only preyed on the protagonist. It's a bit ick. But the film does definitely normalise gay marriage (they meet another couple who don't make heads nor tails of it). And the protagonist is definitely gay.

[Armoreska]

Wow that's a major meta list
https://letterboxd.com/mundof/list/prid ... -interest/
too bad Boxd sucks so much (with compatibility too).

[peeptoad]

1. Chun gwong cha sit (G, Hong Kong, 1997) Happy Together 8+

[Fergenaprido]

It starts! First in.

1. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) USA [L]

Debatable inclusion but there is a lot of discussion about this online and the film pops up on tons of LGBTIQ+ lists on Letterboxd.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it counts. I'm also planning to watch it this month to see what all the fuss is about.

idk the answer but i primarily only wear men's clothes and it has nothing to do with my sexuality or gender identity (since I don't consider gender part of my identity) and I've read about Eddie Izzard in the past saying he likes to wear women's clothes but it has nothing to do with his gender/sexuality so I guess it's kind of a ~ area

Well, Eddie Izzard now identifies as a transwoman (previously she identified as a transvestite, I believe - a man who wear women's clothing), so perhaps not the best example. But yes, cross-dressing in and of itself isn't enough to qualify a film for this challenge (especially because 9 times out of 10 it's just used for comedic effect).

Wow that's a major meta list
https://letterboxd.com/mundof/list/prid ... -interest/
too bad Boxd sucks so much (with compatibility too).

And I think that's a terrible, terrible list. Many of us have commented on it that the title is misleading, as a lot of the films mentioned really have nothing to do with "queer interest", but it's the user's list to do with as he pleases. Looking at it again, it does seem like he's made some minor improvements to the list, and shunted a bunch of films to a different list, but I still think it's not useful as a resource to finding (good) queer films for this challenge (or in general, actually).

[Onderhond]

For those with Netflix subscriptions: I've seen Your Name Engraved Herein getting many rave reviews, often from the same people who loved Happy Together (a landmark release for the community over there it seems).

[maxwelldeux]

1. Becoming Julia (2003, Trans, Australia)

This is a short documentary about an Australian trans woman's transitioning phase. Nice to see an open, honest discussion of what it takes to transition and the mental hurdles she had to get over (e.g., she actually didn't have to give up her "masculine" interest in racing, just because she was transitioning). The other interesting aspect was seeing the requirements to transition at the time. I hope it's gotten better since then.

[Onderhond]

Hah, just realized that I could probably log my RuPaul watches for this month if I wanted to

[DudeLanez]

1. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985, Schrader) 5/10 - USA / 80s

[mightysparks]

idk the answer but i primarily only wear men's clothes and it has nothing to do with my sexuality or gender identity (since I don't consider gender part of my identity) and I've read about Eddie Izzard in the past saying he likes to wear women's clothes but it has nothing to do with his gender/sexuality so I guess it's kind of a ~ area

Well, Eddie Izzard now identifies as a transwoman (previously she identified as a transvestite, I believe - a man who wear women's clothing), so perhaps not the best example. But yes, cross-dressing in and of itself isn't enough to qualify a film for this challenge (especially because 9 times out of 10 it's just used for comedic effect).

Wasn’t aware of that oops. I read whatever I read a loooong time ago.

[kongs_speech]

Queer trans bitch in the houuuuuse. I'm excited to participate in this challenge.

01) For Lucio (2021, Pietro Marcello) - 3.5/5

[beasterne]

1. Pride (2014) - entirely pleasant way to start off this challenge. The amount of characters and story arcs the movie makes you care about is really incredible. Reminded me a lot of The Full Monty, in a good way. (7/10)

Bonus game: G, 2010s, Europe region. Surprised the UK doesn’t have its own country

[lineuphere]

Hah, just realized that I could probably log my RuPaul watches for this month if I wanted to

Seriously. I just finished watched "RP Down Under" episode 5 exactly two minutes ago.

[Onderhond]

Hah, just realized that I could probably log my RuPaul watches for this month if I wanted to

Seriously. I just finished watched "RP Down Under" episode 5 exactly two minutes ago.

Don't forget the Spanish one started this weekend!

[Prat]

I'm in, too !

1. Pink Flamingos (1972) (T 1972 USA)
A huge WTF movie. Bad acting, bad camera work, but so many insane moments that I still gave it 5/10. Sometimes, it was so stupid, it was genius.
[I'm not sure with which category the movie should qualify. I guess it could be for transgender even if Divine was a drag-queen.]

[Prat]

Hah, just realized that I could probably log my RuPaul watches for this month if I wanted to

I thought about it, too
A challenge would be the only thing to convince me to watch the first season with the filter !
I think we should have All-Stars season 6 really soon, too

[peeptoad]

2. Appropriate Behavior (B, USA, 2014) 4

seen!

1. Chun gwong cha sit (G, Hong Kong, 1997) Happy Together 8+

[Armoreska]

in the crossdressing vs genderfluid topic

[sol]

LGBTIQQAAP in Film

1. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) USA [L]
2. What Keeps You Alive (2018) Canada [L]

3. Out at the Wedding (2007) USA [Q]



While the basic scenario here is overly complex and built on convenient coincidences, it ultimately leads to a great tale of characters reassessing their sexual preferences and prejudices and becoming more accepting all-round. The film quite often feels like a stretched-out sitcom episode with large stretches accompanied by non-stop music and some very theatrical performances, but it is an appealing concoction overall with great character chemistry.

FWIW, this could fit under many different letters - there's significant Gay, Lesbian and Bi characters, plus the whole film has a general Questioning theme.

[vortexsurfer]

1. Head On (Ana Kokkinos, 1998) - 7/10