Rentals

Gay Cinema - Out of the Archive

Here are the pioneers, the iconoclasts, the brave - from landmark portraits of LGBT life preserved by the BFI National Archive to gay classics that blazed their own trail around the world.
Representation of LGBT characters in film and TV is a contentious subject, interwoven with the fight for equality which gathered pace through the latter half of the 20th century. If lesbians and gay men had cause for concern about how their lives were depicted on screen, bisexual and transgender representation was almost non existent. There have been glimmers of hope: the landmark features of the 60s, the ‘New Queer Cinema’ of the early 90s; the pioneering TV plays of the 70s, and the tabloid-bating serials which saw in the new Millennium. This collection offers a chance to look back, to revisit and discover - not just the icons of gay cinema but the lesser-known treasures. Many of these shorts and features were made with the backing of the BFI Production Board, which championed gay filmmakers throughout the 80s and 90s.
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BabyBaby

Drama200012 minsDirector: Wiz

A teenager (Ben Whishaw) pays a sexually charged visit to the swimming pool.

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3 Steps to Heaven3 Steps to Heaven

Drama199587 minsDirector: Constantine Giannaris

Edgy mixture of black comedy and urban drama about a woman uncovering the hidden truths about her dead lover.

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ScrubbersScrubbers

Drama198293 minsDirector: Mai Zetterling

The borstal drama – billed as the female Scum – features Amanda York and Kathy Burke as inmates of a ruthless women’s prison.

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CaravaggioCaravaggio

Biopic198693 minsDirector: Derek Jarman

Derek Jarman’s unique biopic of the 17th century Italian artist Michelangelo da Caravaggio is a powerful meditation on sexuality, criminality and art.

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The Chocolate AcrobatThe Chocolate Acrobat

Fantasy199538 minsDirector: Tessa Sheridan

An elderly woman in a care home strikes up a sensual, nostalgic relationship with a young nurse.

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A Bit of ScarletA Bit of Scarlet

Documentary199671 minsDirector: Andrea Weiss

Billed as 'a kind of post-modern queer soap opera for Britain', Andrea Weiss' documentary tells a sharp story.

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The Angelic ConversationThe Angelic Conversation

Animation & Artists Moving Image198581 minsDirector: Derek Jarman

The Angelic Conversation sees Derek Jarman conjure an evocative and radical visualisation of Shakespeare’s love poems.

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The ClearingThe Clearing

Animation & Artists Moving Image19937 minsDirector: Alexis Bistikas

An intriguing and poetic short film – a man (Derek Jarman) walking on Hampstead Heath is lured through the woods by the sound of a saxophone.

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Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis BaconLove Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon

Biopic199887 minsDirector: John Maybury

Derek Jacobi and Daniel Craig star as artist Francis Bacon and his muse George Dyer in John Maybury’s darkly exquisite biopic.

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Madagascar SkinMadagascar Skin

Drama199591 minsDirector: Christopher Newby

John Hannah stars as a painfully shy gay man who escapes the city in Chris Newby’s extraordinary second feature.

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OrlandoOrlando

Fantasy199393 minsDirector: Sally Potter

Tilda Swinton stars in Sally Potter's dazzling interpretation of Virginia Woolf's novel.

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SebastianeSebastiane

Historical drama197685 minsDirector: Derek Jarman and Paul Humfress

A distinctly bold and sensual reclaiming of gay history, Jarman here tells the sexually intense story of the 4th-century martyr.