Gay documentaries and short films that tell true stories from around the world. Explore the lives, struggles and triumphs of real people in gay documentary films.
Documents Steven Reigns' project dedicated to gathering rubbings from LGBTQ historical markers, signs, tombstones, cenotaphs, plaques, and monuments.
COMING SOON
Hunky Jesus
2026
Documentary
Tells the story of the wildly popular, annual Easter Sunday tradition in San Francisco known as Hunky Jesus.
Gemmel & Tim
2021
Documentary, Drama
Friends reminisce on the lives and deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean, two black gay men who died at the hands of West Hollywood politico Ed Buck.
High & Low – John Galliano
2023
Documentary
Examines the rapid ascent, fall from grace, and journey forward for controversial fashion designer John Galliano.
SHORT FILM
3 Eras of Gay Sex in 3 Mins
2015
Documentary, Drama
Spans the history of homosensual communication.
SHORT FILM
Seams
1993
Documentary
A look at the attitudes toward gays and lesbians in Brazil as seen in interviews with the director's family.
SHORT FILM
Beauty: Ben Walter
2014
Documentary
The film explores fashion’s objectification of beauty, featuring Ben Walter in a striking portrayal of desire and image.
The Bisexual Revolution
2008
Documentary
Explores and uncovers the history and modern-day perceptions of bisexuality. Interviews with prominent artists, designers, and writers are interspersed with archival footage from around the world.
Serviced
2019
Documentary
Serviced explores touch based service businesses including cuddling, erotic massage, sex surrogacy and sex work.
Bear Nation
2010
Documentary
Gay men who dig big dudes who are stockier and hairier than the airbrushed ideal served by up lifestyle magazines and underwear ads.
P.S. Burn This Letter Please
2020
Documentary
A box of letters, held in secret for nearly 60 years, ignites a 5-year exploration into a part of LGBT history that has never been told. The letters open a window into a forgotten world where being yourself meant breaking the law and where the penalties for "masquerading" as a woman were swift and severe. The government sought to destroy them, then history tried to erase them, now they tell their story for the first time.
Church & State
2018
Documentary
An inexperienced gay rights activist and a small Salt Lake City law firm take on Utah's ban on same sex marriage, sparking a legal battle that would reshape the country. Along the way, the film explores the influence of the Mormon Church in state politics and the divisions within the gay community that nearly threatened a landmark victory.
Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines
2024
Documentary
Contemplates both the professional and personal successes and tragedies of Canada's most esteemed architect, who's approach to site and adherence to the importance of landscape was unprecedented.
Golden Boys
2016
Documentary
Every week, ten elderly gay men meet at Tel Aviv’s LGBT Center. In a community that often celebrates youth, this intimate gathering offers a rare space to discuss aging, sexuality, body image, loneliness, and life as widowers, divorcees, or grandparents.
What Women Want: Gay Romance
2020
Documentary
Women are the overwhelming majority of writers, publishers, readers and fans of gay male romance novels. Dive into the Gay Rom Lit convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico to discover why.
Gay Sex in the 70s
2005
Documentary
A chronicle of gay culture in post-Stonewall, pre-AIDs era New York.
SHORT FILM
La Vita Semplice
2022
Documentary
Pedro and Flavio live a simple and beautiful life together, filled to the brim with love, away from the distractions of the outside world. For the past 30 years, they have poured their heart and soul into their scenic property situated in the rolling hills of Bologna. If work truly is love made visible, then the life Pedro and Flavio have created for themselves really exceeds.
SHORT FILM
Home
2009
Documentary
A transnational gay couple searches for home in a globalized world that is still fragmented when it comes to basic human rights issues.
SHORT FILM
In Their Room
2009
Documentary
An intimate exploration of the lives of eight gay men in San Francisco.
SHORT FILM
Campfire
2023
Documentary, Drama
A married farmer visits a gay campground to reconnect with his long-lost love, only to find the past isn't finished with him.
SHORT FILM
Swallowing Dust
2024
Documentary
A restless young man roams the night in search of fleeting company, haunted by the lingering embers of summers he cannot leave behind. Watching silently from outside his bedroom window, a lone tree bears witness to every departure and return.
Do I Sound Gay?
2014
Documentary
A documentary about the stereotype of the gay voice.
Private Diary
2003
Documentary, Romance
Explores the complex bond between an artist and his muse, revealing how creativity, desire, and vulnerability intertwine behind the camera.
SHORT FILM
Fernández Pratsch
2020
Documentary
Forced to leave Spain during the Franco era, the free-spirited Serafín sought the freedom he could not find in his homeland by starting a new life in Germany. Decades later, he and his husband, Michael, look back on a lifetime of memories, resilience, and the dreams that still inspire them.
SHORT FILM
Octopuses
2023
Documentary, Drama
Ethan makes a living by turning his body into his profession, pushing himself to meet the relentless demands of the modeling industry. During a photo shoot by Hungary's Lake Balaton, he struggles to balance professional expectations with growing doubts about masculinity, identity, and the personal cost of perfection.
Drag Becomes Him
2015
Documentary
Follows internationally celebrated drag artist Jinkx Monsoon, offering a personal look at the experiences, challenges, and creativity behind one of drag's most distinctive performers.
SHORT FILM
Shelly’s Leg
2025
Documentary
In 1970, an eccentric young stripper named Shelly Baumann loses her leg in a freak parade canon accident, then uses her settlement money to open 'Shelly's Leg' disco - one of the nation's first and most consequential openly gay spaces.