Pride Month 2023 - What To Watch By NFTS Curation Students

To celebrate Pride Month 2023, Imogen Burt and Emma Carleschi, two current students on the National Film and Television School Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA have curated a ‘What To Watch’ list for you to explore throughout June and beyond!

The pair have supplied a list of 10 carefully selected films, short descriptions and even where to find them if they are available online.

“We’ve tried to pick films that aren’t as well known or spoken about to encourage people to branch out their queer film watching! We’ve tried to make it an eclectic mix but obviously we can’t include everything and it’s reflective of our own tastes! We’d love for people to share their own recommendations too!”

 

Anne+: The Film (Valerie Bisscheroux, Netherlands, 2021)

Anne+ shows a 20-something creative at the end of a WLW relationship, now forced to look at her life, priorities and career - without knowing what the fuck to do. It mixes comedy and heartache to authentically represent being a mess in your 20s. Bonus points for being the first mainstream film to feature a non-binary actor in a major role.

Available on Netflix

 

Appropriate Behaviour (Desiree Akhavan, USA, 2014)

Take Fleabag, minus the fourth wall breaking, make her bisexual, Iranian and a failing Brooklynite - you get Appropriate Behaviour. Shirin (Desiree Akhavan) is dealing with the break up of her first WLW relationship, while still closeted to her strict Iranian parents. Critic David Elrich wrote “Shirin has no idea what box she belongs to, struggling with how hard it can be when you don’t recognise yourself in the world around you.”

Available on MUBI and BFI Player

 

Drunktown’s Finest (Sydney Freeland, USA, 2015)

Partly based on director Sydney Freeland’s experiences as a transgender Navajo woman, Drunktown’s Finest follows three people living on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico. Notably, the film explains the cultural importance of “The Nádleeh” (translated by subtitles as “third gender”) for Navajo people, highlighting the impact Western colonialism had on polarising gender.

Available on Apple TV+

 

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (How I Felt When I Saw The Girl) (Shelly Chopra Dhar, India, 2019)

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is one of the first Popular Hindi (“Bollywood”) films to explicitly revolve around a WLW romance - making it incredibly important for LGBTQ+ representation. The film tells the story of Sweety (Sonam Kapoor), who decides to marry a writer (Rajkummar Rao) in order to please her parents - all whilst hiding her secret relationship with a woman (Regina Cassandra). With her former-husband-to-be as an ally, Sweety will face her family and reveal her truth.

Available on Netflix

 

Le Fate Ignoranti (His Secret Life) (Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy, 2001)

Don’t be put off by the title’s terrible translation - Director Ferzan Ozpetek (sometimes described as “Almodóvar - Italian Style”) was hugely important in Italy and Turkey due to his depictions of queer stories. Antonia’s (Margherita Buy) husband (Andrea Renzi) dies unexpectedly. As her grief takes her to unexpected places, her memory of Massimo radically shifts. Le Fate Ignoranti is an emotional, powerfully funny story about grief, chosen family, discovery and acceptance.

Available on Disney+

 

Morocco (Josef von Sternberg, USA, 1930)

The list wouldn’t be complete without Marlene Dietrich! Morocco includes a now infamous scene where Dietrich, dressed in a top hat and tails, takes a flower from one of her female audience members, kisses the woman, and then throws the flower to love interest Gary Cooper. A pretty explicit depiction of bisexuality in 1930! (This is a film set in Morocco made in 1930’s America so keep that in mind)

Available on Internet Archive

 

Pepi, Luci, Bom (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 1980)

Pedro Almodóvar’s first feature film - Pepi, Luci, Bom possesses many features/actors that would go on to become emblematic of the director. Gritty, low budget and bursting with energy, its queer and punk themes represent a liberated Spain attempting to establish its own identity.

Available on Apple TV+

 

Pretty Red Dress (Dionne Edwards, UK, 2022)

A debut feature for British director Dionne Edwards. Travis’s (Natey Jones) world is shaken when girlfriend Candice (Alexandra Burke) finds him wearing her red dress. It’s warm, it’s funny, Alexandra Burke sings Tina Turner songs. What’s not to love?

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NFTS credits include…Editor Andonis Trattos, Additional Editing Abolfazl Talooni, Rerecording Mixer Stuart Hilliker

In cinemas on 16th June

 

Rafiki (Wanuri Kahiu, Kenya, 2018)

A queer coming-of-age/romance set in a place where being queer is forbidden by law. Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) and Ziki (Sheila Munyiva) - daughters of two opposing politicians - find their friendship burgeoning into more. Torn between desire and pragmatism, Kena and Ziki will be forced to make a choice between happiness and safety. Whilst the story addresses serious themes, Kahiu’s filmmaking - especially the use of colour - signals a new Kenyan cinema that is youthful, stylish and engaged with pop culture.

Available on BFI Player

 

Tangerine (Sean Baker, USA, 2015)

Created collaboratively with non-professional actors Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor, Tangerine presents the lives of two trans sex workers in LA. It highlights the messier, harsher parts of their friendship as well as their love for each other. Shot on an iPhone 5S, Tangerine was revolutionary not just for its use of technology but for running the first Oscar campaign for a trans actress.

Available on Amazon Prime

 

We hope you enjoy making your way through this watch list and discovering these important voices in LGBTQ+ communities - share your own suggestions with us on social!

Follow Imogen and Emma on Twitter for more film recommendations!

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Find out more about Imogen and Emma’s course at The National Film and Television School!

Film Studies Programming & Curation MA

2 years | Full-time | Run in partnership with BFI

This is a ground-breaking MA prepares you to build a successful career in film exhibition, programming, criticism or archival work.

The course is delivered by film professionals in exhibition and distribution, festivals, archives and film criticism, alongside academics and filmmakers.

Application deadline 6 July

Find out more: nfts.co.uk/film-studies-programming-and-curation