LGBTQ+ films – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

PILLION – Review by Kat Hughes

November 29, 2025January 13, 2026 Kat Hughes Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Lighton, Harry Melling, LGBTQ+ films, Pillion

Directed by first-time filmmaker Harry Lighton, Pillion is a wonderfully sensual, sensitive, and humorous jaunt through the world of dominants and submissives. It is a topic that was tackled in the Nicole Kidman starring Babygirl, but Pillion presents a more interesting and sexy portrayal of its overhyped (and rather vanilla) counterpart. The dynamic between Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling is electrically charged, and right from the first time they meet, doused in erotic frisson.

Reviews

SILVER HAZE – Review by Liz Braun

February 26, 2024February 24, 2024 Liz Braun Angela Bruce, Archie Brigden, Charlotte Knight, Esme Creed-Miles, LGBTQ+ films, Sacha Polak, Silver Haze, Vicki Knight

Silver Haze is an imperfect film, but thanks to superb performances it is never less than completely engaging. Sacha Polak wrote and directed this redemptive drama about a working-class woman (Vicki Knight) who bears the scars — physical and emotional — of a childhood incident. As art imitates life, Knight actually is a burn victim and a former health care worker, and this is her second collaboration with filmmaker Polak. Parts of Silver Haze are based on Knight’s actual experiences; notions about the transformative power of art appear to be a constant in both real and reel life.

Reviews

THE PERSIAN VERSION – Review by T. J. Callahan

October 10, 2023October 14, 2023 T. J. Callahan Layla Mohammadi, LGBTQ+ films, maryam keshavarz, Niousha Noor, The Persian Version

Maryam Keshavarz should be proud of her portrayal of her culture and the women in it. The Persian Version is her empowerment film. It’s her homage to the strong Iranian females still fighting for their rights in their own way. The men are on the backburner. Just know this film is two stories in one that bounce back and forth, mostly seamlessly, between each other. Expect subtitles as well as an entertaining ensemble cast with a hint of I Love Lucy. IYKYK

Lists

PRIDE MONTH: AWFJ’s One-A-Day LBGTQ+ Watch List – Compiled by Loren King and Leslie Combemale

May 30, 2023May 30, 2023 Loren King LGBTQ+ films, movie lists, pride month

There are as many kinds of LGBTQ+ films as there are LGBTQ+ people. In recent years especially, films in all genres —historical dramas, romcoms, experimental, documentaries— from filmmakers around the world have offered powerful and diverse perspectives on the queer experience. For each day of Pride Month in June, the AWFJ presents a sampling of 30 films that range in subject matter and storytelling style as they illuminate LGBTQ+ lives, past and present. At one time, it would have been difficult to come up with a list of 30 such films. Now, thanks to independent creative voices, increased access to global cinema, and film writers who discover and share their knowledge and enthusiasm for such work, the difficulty, happily, is limiting such a list.