Before 2000: Groundbreaking Gay Movies

Totally Confused

1998 Comedy

Wiley navigates desire and friendship with Johnny amidst suburban challenges.

Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss

1998 Comedy, Romance

Billy, a gay photographer, falls for straight waiter Gabriel.

The Trio

1998 Comedy, Romance

Zobel and Karl, a long-time couple turned pickpocket team, navigate new dynamics when they recruit Rudolf, leading to a tumultuous love triangle fraught with betrayal and desire.

From the Edge of the City

1998 Drama

A group of Pontian Greek immigrant teens, marginalized in a harsh suburb, witness the city's dark side.

Don’t Tell Anyone

1998 Drama

Based on the alleged autobiography of gay Peruvian talk show host Jaime Bailey, the story follows Joaquin from a high-class child dealing with his sexuality, through teenage pressure from his macho father, to an independent, lazy college student, and later a cocaine addict in Lima and Miami.

The Einstein of Sex

1999 Drama

The life story of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, a German Jew and pioneer in sexology, focuses on his fight against anti-sodomy laws and establishment of the First Institute of Sexual Sciences in 1920s Berlin, amid rising Nazi threats.

Taboo

1999 Drama, Thriller

A new samurai militia member becomes the object of desire, testing the unit's discipline.

Fake

1996 Animation, Comedy, Romance

Dee and Ryo, NYC police officers and partners, face unexpected challenges while vacationing in the UK, disrupting their plans to express their feelings for each other amidst a series of murders.

Coming Out Under Fire

1994 Documentary

A historical account of military policy regarding homosexuals during World War II. Includes interviews with several gay veterans.

Passing Strangers

1974 Drama, Romance

A closeted gay teenager finds love, community, and a political awakening when he decides to answer an older, jaded man’s personal ad.

Oi! Warning

1999 Drama

A German teen torn by identity drifts toward a skinhead gang while forming an unlikely bond with a gay leftist punk. The clash between their worlds escalates into violence, exposing the fraught tensions between subculture and sexuality.

Forbidden Letters

1979 Drama, Romance

Erotic, explicit letters between a young man and his incarcerated lover recall happier and hotter times.

Voices from the Front

1991 Documentary

In 1990 AIDS activists converge on the National Institute of Health, calling for a more equitable clinical trial system and expanded research into new drugs and treatment. A distillation of pictures and words from events organized to change public consciousness, expose the failure of the health care systems, and challenge government inaction and neglect concerning AIDS.

Body Without Soul

1996 Documentary

Raw portrayal of the controversial East Europe sex trade forcing young men into prostitution, exposing their harsh realities on streets, porn shoots, and inner struggles.

Sebastian

1995 Drama

As Sebastian approaches 17, he begins to understand his sexuality and pulls away from his close-knit family while struggling with feelings he cannot yet explain. Things become more complicated when he falls for Ulf, a handsome boy from a troubled home, and their friendship starts to shift into something more.

Super 8½

1994 Drama

A down-on-his-luck adult film star sees a chance to make a comeback with a documentary film-maker, but she is exploiting him to get financial backing for her pet project.

The Fruit Machine

1988 Drama

Two gay teenagers go on the run after witnessing a murder, thrust into a dangerous journey to escape their assailants.

Two of Us

1987 Drama, Romance

Two schoolboys explore their budding romantic feelings amidst homophobic hostility from peers and family, leading them to run away together.

Sitcom

1998 Comedy, Romance, Thriller

The adventures of an upper-class suburban family dealing with their younger brother's homosexuality, elder sister's suicide attempt, masochist tendencies, and a free-spirited maid and her husband.

The Final Scoop

1993 Horror, Thriller

Wanting to make a scoop, TV journalist Marco delves deeply into an unfamiliar world within the metropolis, follows the trail of a serial killer and gets himself entangled in case.

Fear No Evil

1981 Horror

High school student turns out to be personification of Lucifer. Two arch angels in human form (as women) take him on.

All Nudity Shall Be Punished

1973 Drama

A wealthy young man's encounter sparks conflicting emotions of attraction and repulsion.

Boys Life

1995 Compilation

Each of the three short films in this collection presents a young gay man at the threshold of adulthood.

Boys Life 2

1997 Compilation

A feature-length compilation composed of four short films about gay men.

Boys Briefs

1999 Compilation

Compilation of six gay short films.

Defying Gravity

1997 Drama, Romance

Griff faces a dilemma when his superficial relationship with his boyfriend takes a serious turn after a gay bashing incident.

Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things

1971 Comedy, Horror, Thriller

On the run from the law, two eccentric fugitives hide out together in Miami, where one disguises himself as the other's elderly aunt. As their elaborate deception grows more complicated, it sets off a chain of events involving lies, danger, and murder.