Criterion Collection Queers Up Pride Month with Three Curated Programs

The Criterion Collection looks to Pride Month with three special, curated programs aimed at LGBTQ+ viewers. From 20 unforgettable gay favorites to views of masculinity to films about the gay bff, Criterion waves the rainbow flag this June.

For more information, visit the Criterion Collection website.

Here are the series:

LGBTQ+ Favorites

Proud, rebellious, colorful, intimate, and frank, these visions of LGBTQ+ life include beloved modern classics as well as hidden gems. From staples of the art-house canon ("Je tu il elle," "Querelle") to highlights of the New Queer Cinema explosion ("Paris Is Burning") and contemporary showstoppers from emerging talents ("Pier Kids," "Shakedown"), these films represent just a sample of the wide world of queer cinema, but they offer a taste of its breadth, creativity, and defiance in the face of adversity.

"Portrait of Jason," Shirley Clarke, 1967
"Je tu il elle," Chantal Akerman, 1975
"Jubilee," Derek Jarman, 1978
"Greetings From Washington, D.C.," Rob Epstein, Frances Reid, Greta Schiller, and Lucy Winer, 1981
"Querelle," Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982
"Dressed In Blue," Antonio Giménez Rico, 1983
"The Times of Harvey Milk," Rob Epstein, 1984
"Desert Hearts", Donna Deitch, 1985
"Mala Noche", Gus Van Sant, 1985
"I've Heard the Mermaids Singing," Patricia Rozema, 1987
"Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt," Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, 1989
"Tongues Untied," Marlon Riggs, 1989
"Paris Is Burning," Jennie Livingston, 1990
"Fresh Kill," Shu Lea Chang, 1994
"The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls In Love," Maria Maggenti, 1995
"Weekend," Andrew Haigh, 2011
"Shakedown," Leilah Weinraub, 2018
"Pier Kids," Elegance Bratton, 2019
"Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth," Jeanie Finlay, 2019
"So Pretty," Jessica Dunn Rovinelli, 2019

Queersighted: The Gay Best Friend

Featuring a new conversation between series curator Michael Koresky and author Mark Harris.

The Gay Best Friend can be helpful. The Gay Best Friend can be catty. They can be unconditionally loving or secretly sinister. Yet they all have something in common: we never learn very much about their lives, existing as they do to support, elucidate, or put into relief something about their films' straight main characters. This persistent stereotype provides a lens through which we can understand queer film history and the legacies of characters who have been, almost by definition, marginalized. In this latest edition of Queersighted, series curator Michael Koresky and his special guest, author Mark Harris ("Mike Nichols: A Life"), discuss a selection of titles stretching from Production Code–era Hollywood to the "out" nineties, featuring fascinating characters who may gaze from the sidelines but bring vivid life and depth to their films.

"Easy Living," Mitchell Leisen, 1937
"Adam's Rib," George Cukor, 1949
"The Strange One," Jack Garfein, 1957
"A Taste of Honey," Tony Richardson, 1961
"Rachel, Rachel," Paul Newman, 1968
"Knightriders", George A. Romero, 1981
"The Fisher King," Terry Gilliam, 1991
"Single White Female," Barbet Schroeder, 1992
"Six Degrees of Separation," Fred Schepisi, 1993
"Irma Vep," Olivier Assayas, 1996

Masc

Spotlighting the rich stories and courageous lives of trans men, butch lesbians, and gender-nonconforming heroes, this collection–curated by writer-archivist-filmmaker Jenni Olson and critic Caden Mark Gardner–journeys through nearly four decades of cinema history in search of authentic, complex representations of masculine identity as it exists outside the realm of cisgender men. From nuanced explorations of gender-nonconforming youth ("Vera," "Tomboy") to powerfully moving documentary portraits ("Shinjuku Boys," "Southern Comfort") to innovative narratives that deconstruct both gender and genre ("By Hook or By Crook," "Maggots and Men"), these films celebrate the courageous queer visionaries who have blazed these trails and who continue to show the way forward and inspire us all.

Features
"Vera," Sérgio Toledo, 1986
"Shinjuku Boys," Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams, 1995
"By Hook or By Crook," Harry Dodge and Silas Howard, 2001
"Lifetime Guarantee: Phranc's Adventure in "Plastic," Lisa Udelson, 2001
"Southern Comfort," Kate Davis, 2001
"The Aggressives, Daniel Peddle, 2005
"Tomboy", Céline Sciamma, 2011
Stud Life," Campbell X, 2012
"Chavela," Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi, 2017
"No Ordinary Man," Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt, 2021

Plus a series of 9 short films.

For more information, visit the Criterion Collection website.