Are you ready for a movie marathon?
BY KITTY GRANT, IMAGES BY MUBI, FIRST RUN FEATURES, AND SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
In the film industry, women are seriously underrepresented behind the camera. Only about 15% of directors in the US are women, according to Statista. But that 15% are certainly pulling their weight, creating great films for over a century. This Women’s History Month we’ve put together a list of some of the best films directed by queer women.
Shiva Baby – Emma Seligman
Emma Seligman came out swinging with their debut feature, Shiva Baby. It follows Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a directionless young woman who sees both her ex-girlfriend and her current sugar daddy (along with his wife and their baby) at a shiva – a Jewish mourning gathering (a bit like a wake).
In Shiva Baby, Seligman creates the tension of the best horror films around seemingly everyday situations, like breaking a vase and sharing a car.
Born In Flames – Lizzie Borden
Born In Flames is set in 1980s New York in an alternate reality ten years after a socialist revolution. Despite the revolution, women are still oppressed in Borden’s New York. The film follows two feminist groups who clash as they attempt to free their society from patriarchy.
Born In Flames is low-budget, and it shows. But that’s part of the film’s charm. After all, radical feminist films that tackle racism, classism and homophobia weren’t exactly big earners in 1983.
How To Have Sex – Molly Manning Walker
How To Have Sex starts off as a fun girls-trip film but it takes a dark turn, as so many girls’ trips do. In her debut, Molly Manning Walker creates a powerful, realistic portrayal of sex, consent and the pressures young women face. How To Have Sex is an unfortunately realistic coming-of-age film that pulls back the curtain on modern party culture.
Salomé – Alla Nazimova
Based on the Oscar Wilde play of the same name, Salomé is a retelling of the execution of John the Baptist by King Herod. It was released in 1923, before the introduction of the Hays Code in the US, which censored films that featured, among other things, positive depictions of homosexuality.
While the plot is not explicitly queer, Salomé features actors in drag and was reportedly “toned down” by the distributor. The film was a flop at the time but has gained a cult following in the century since its release for both its significance to queer film history and its stunning visuals.
The Watermelon Woman – Cheryl Dunye
Cheryl Dunye both directs and stars in The Watermelon Woman, which follows a fictionalised version of Dunye as she tries to make a film about Fae Richards, a black actress from the 1930s.
While looking back to the 1930s, The Watermelon Woman is itself now a window into queer cinema’s history. It comes from a time when lesbian films could receive government funding but the backlash from featuring a sex scene in said film could cause a restructuring of the US government’s arts funding.
Tomboy – Céline Sciamma
Picking which Sciamma film to include in this list was the hardest part of writing this article. She’s a true auteur whose films will be remembered for their greatness as much as their contribution to queer cinema.
Tomboy follows a gender-non-conforming child (Zoé Héran) who decides to adopt a new masculine name, Mickaël, after moving to a new town. Like everything Sciamma makes, Tomboy is moving and profound while being simple and universal.
The Matrix – The Wachowskis
Though The Matrix was made before Lily and Lana Wachowski came out, the film’s trans themes are clear. In the film, The Matrix is described as creating a sense that something, somehow is wrong, a feeling many trans people have experienced.
The Matrix is such an iconic film that countless theories and interpretations have developed, but Lily has confirmed that a trans allegory was “the original intention” of The Matrix, though “the world wasn’t quite ready”.
Saving Face – Alice Wu
Saving Face follows Wil (Michelle Krusiec), a young surgeon who’s hiding her sexuality from her mother (Joan Chen) who’s keeping her own secret: she’s pregnant. The two navigate their relationship and their roles in the tight-knit, and at times judgemental, Chinese community in New York. Like her other film, The Half Of It, Saving Face is partly inspired by Wu’s own experiences.
The Miseducation Of Cameron Post – Desiree Akhavan
The Miseducation Of Cameron Post follows the title character’s (Chloë Grace Moretz) experience of so-called conversion “therapy”. It’s easy to compare The Miseducation Of Cameron Post to the iconic But I’m A Cheerleader (another great queer-woman-directed film) but aside from the conversion “therapy” setting, the two films are completely different. Akhavan takes a much more realistic approach that, while funny, shows the dark reality of conversion “therapy”.
Paris Is Burning – Jennie Livingston
Paris Is Burning is a documentary set in 1980s New York’s ballroom culture. It follows drag queens, trans women and gay men competing in voguing competitions and runways. Between Madonna’s Vogue and RuPaul’s Drag Race, the ball scene has impacted pop culture immensely, but for the real tea, you’ve got to go back to Paris Is Burning.
DIVA magazine celebrates 31 years in print in 2025. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
