Pride Month has come to an end, but you’ll be pleased to know that you can keep the party going with a whole shitload of great docos, movies, and short films that are absolutely sitting right there on various streaming sites. They’re right there – you just bring the tea (and popcorn).
Here’s a little list of some of the marathon-able flicks for your weekend, so if you’re not feeling spending every night in the club, you can instead stay up till 4am in your PJs with a large amount of takeout.
You’ll be able to find the following flicks on SBS On Demand, Stan, Netflix, and ABC IView.
ORIENTED
This film from 2015 is about three young Palestinian mates who are openly gay and existing during the Israel-Gaza conflict of 2014. The three have come from very different walks of life in Tel-Aviv, and form an non-violent resistance movement to champion gender and national equality. Oof.
BETWEEN A FROCK AND A HARD PLACE
A beaut ABC doco that explores one of our absolute national treasures – Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert.
Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving, and the film’s director, Stephan Elliott talk about the brilliant success of Priscilla at Cannes and beyond, and how it shoved the Sydney drag scene firmly into the international spotlight.
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Based on legit events around the first wave of HIV-AIDS fear in the United States, this incredible film follows the life of a cowboy (like the legit lasso-throwing, bull-riding kinda one) who is diagnosed with HIV, and given 30 days to live.
Upon finding out there’s drugs in Mexico that are ‘unapproved’ in the US that can help himself and hundreds like him, he forms the ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ to smuggle the treatment drugs over the border.
TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL
Tab Hunter was like *the* quintessential Californian heart-throb in the 1950’s and 60’s – everyone wanted to be him or be with him. Blonde-haired & blue-eyed, Tab looked like something straight out of a Beach Boys album cover, he made women (and probably a bunch of men) swoon heavily.
When he was at the peak of his career in Hollywood, there were wild rumours circulating about his sexuality. In 2005, Tab released an autobiography, putting those rumours to bed and confirming that he does identify as a gay man.
The doco about America’s extremely hunky darling is packed full of celeb interviews like George Takei, Clint Eastwood, John Waters, Debbie Reynolds, Portia De Rossi, and Tab himself.
MOMENT OF TRUTH: DAD, I’M NOW A WOMAN
Short but incredibly sweet, this ten-min episode of Moment Of Truth follows Hayden as she heads back home in rural QLD to see her family for the first time since she came out as transgender.
It’s only a short little doco but Jesus Christ it’ll punch your heart right in the guts.
There’s no trailer for this one ‘cos it’s so short, but you can watch the whole thing over here.
PARIS IS BURNING
Ok, if you’re into drag culture, love RuPaul’s Drag Race and are simply *gagging* for the next lot of All Stars to come through, then you should definitely know about Paris Is Burning.
Essentially where the concept of Drag Race came from, this 10/10 doco explores the tail end of ‘ball culture’ in New York City in the mid-to-late 80’s. Contestants are expected to walk their specific category’s realness down the runway, and are critiqued on their efforts and dancing ability. Ring any bells?
STRIKE A POSE
Voguing is a huge part of drag culture and queer performance, coming out of the ballroom scene that Paris Is Burning explores. Voguing was made impossibly popular by Madonna during her Blond Ambition era (you might know it as the iconic conical norks phase).
Strike A Pose follows the backup dancer that Madge had on her Blond Ambition World Tour, and their lives after the tour wrapped. Extremely good stuff.
