By Gianela Mazon

That special time of year when we come together to celebrate our community is coming to an end, and there's no better way to close it out than by watching queer cinema from around the world! 

There are a handful of films that are popular within the LGBTQ+ community that, although well-made and heartfelt (some less than others, I’m looking at you, “Blue is the Warmest Colour”), primarily focus on white, Western stories. These films unfortunately fail to acknowledge or even tackle the vastness of lived queer experiences by non-white and non-Western bodies. If you’re tired of the overused ‘lesbian period-piece’ or horribly cliche “bury-your-gays romance, then these films will feel like a breath of fresh air (BELIEVE me). 

Here I’ll be focusing on some of my personal favourite gems I’ve watched over the years, that have both helped me come to terms with my own queerness as well as broadened my horizons.

Directed by: Lim Dae-hyung

Starring: Kim Hee-ae; Yûko Nakamura

Fav Song on the Soundtrack: Winterscape by Kim Haewon and Lim Ju Yeon

“Moonlit Winter” is truly poetry in motion, with slow, tender shots of a snowy Japan; broken heaters in crummy accommodations; unsaid words and an unravelling story of a complicated first love in the midst of the cold winter. The film begins with a misplaced letter falling into the hands of Sae-bom, the teenage daughter of our protagonist, revealing her mother’s hidden past. Worried about her mother’s lonely and reclusive life, she convinces her to voyage to Otaru, Japan, in hopes of bringing her some comfort – and maybe even a long-awaited reunion?

Directed by: Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio

Starring: Amiel Cayo; Junior Béjar

Fav Song on the Soundtrack: Innocence and Experience by Harry Escott

There’s no sugarcoating this one; this film will leave you gutted for days, but also open your eyes to an experience rarely, if ever, explored in media: homosexuality in rural Indigenous communities. “Retablo” follows the story of Segundo, a 14-year-old boy growing up in rural Peru who is being trained by his father, Noe, in the traditional art of designing retablos. After a startling discovery on their way to deliver a retablo, Segundo is thrust into a complex situation that will have him re-evaluating his relationship with his father and masculinity as a whole.

Directed by: Jonas Poher Rasmus

Fav Song on the Soundtrack: What is Home by Uno Herlmersson 

“Flee” is an incredibly important piece of media because it provides a voice to a community that is frequently demonised in Western news: asylum seekers and refugees. This animated documentary is narrated by Amin Nawabi (alias), who is being interviewed by director Jonas Poher Rasmus on his experience fleeing Afghanistan during the Soviet Afghan War and seeking asylum in Denmark. Amin shares childhood stories of his life in Kabul before his father was wrongfully imprisoned and the family was forced to flee the country. Amin is plagued by the trauma he endured from fleeing and the stress he experienced amid the chaos as he discovered his sexuality, all of which have compounded into a desire to escape, even if he’s happily rooted in Denmark with his partner.

Directed by: Saim Sadiq

Starring: Alina Khan; Ali Junejo 

Fav Song on the Soundtrack: Mumtaz by Abdullah Siddiqui 

“Joyland” is an incredibly sobering depiction of what the oppression of gender expression and sexual freedom looks like in a highly patriarchal society. These depictions are highlighted in the struggles of our characters of Biba, a hijra dancer, and Mumtaz, the wife of Haider, our protagonist. Although the film is primarily from the perspective of Haider, Joyland focuses on the shared struggles experienced by both trans and cis women within a repressed country (this film was briefly banned in Pakistan and is still banned in the Punjab province). Based on a short film by Director Saim Sadiq, this film follows Haider, an unemployed married man who struggles to find a job, but after much urging from his family, ends up becoming the backup dancer of Biba, a burlesque performer. A complicated love blossoms between them, in which Mumtaz finds herself at the crossfire, putting both the budding romance and Mumtaz’s livelihood at risk.

Directed by: Wanuri Kahiu 

Starring: Samantha Mugatsia, Sheila Munyiva 

Fav Song on the Soundtrack: Ignited by Mumbi Kasumba

“Rafiki” explores a love story that truly conquers all: political rivalry, disapproving families, and most importantly, Kenya’s anti-homosexuality laws (seriously, this film was briefly banned by the Kenyan government). Based on the short film “Jambula Tree” by Monica Arac de Nyeko, the film follows Kena and Ziki, who are daughters of rival politicians and whose friendship becomes complicated once an unexpected love blossoms between them, and they must struggle to keep it a secret. Angst aside, the bond between Kena and Ziki is adorable to watch, and they’re always dressed in vibrant colours, which gives the story an almost dreamlike feeling.

Directed by: Dee Rees 

Starring: Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Aasha Davis

Fav Song on the Soundtrack: Echelon by Honeychild Coleman

I hold “Pariah” so close to my heart because it was so powerful to see an experience similar to my own (coming from a Catholic, conservative community) on the big screen. To this day, I’m so glad that this film exists. Director Dee Ree’s semi-autobiographical film tells the story of Alike, a 17-year-old black girl who struggles to come to terms with her butch lesbian identity due to her Christian mother. Alike finds relief from her complicated household in the support of her openly lesbian friend, Laura, but they start butting heads once Alike befriends Bina, a girl from church. I won’t say much else, just… watch it. 

Directed by: Hsu Chi-yen; Mag Hsu

Starring: Song Cheng-xi; Hsieh Ying-xuan; Spark Chen; Roy Chiu 

Fav Song on the Soundtrack: 峇里島 by DJ Didilong

This film treats its deeply complicated characters with a tenderness and compassion rarely afforded to queer individuals in complex situations, particularly those involving the abandonment of family for a lover. “Dear Ex” centres on the emotional fallout following the death of Zheng-yuan, the father of teenage Cheng-xi, who left his family shortly before his passing to be with his male lover, Jay. Cheng-xi, in his grief, doesn’t know what to make of anything as he feels like he never got the chance to truly understand his father. Meanwhile, Cheng-xi’s mother, San-lian, is outraged at finding out that Zheng-yuan removed their son from his insurance policy in favour of Jay. Interesting plot aside, the cinematography is gorgeous, and the soundtrack is crazy good!

Directed by: Aurora Guerrero 

Starring: Venecia Troncoso; Fenessa Pineda

Fav Song on the Soundtrack: Esta soledad by Carla Morrison

“Mosquita y Mari” is about unspoken love, young love, the type you don’t fully understand but feel deeply. Chicana Director Aurora Guerrero draws from her own experience of falling in love with her best friends before realising she was queer, which is clear to see in the film with focused shots of lingering and intimate touches. The film follows the unlikely friendship between Yolanda Olveros (Mosquita), a straight-A student, and Mari Rodriguez (Mari), a girl on the brink of expulsion. When Mosquita agrees to tutor Mari in hopes of improving her grades, their bond begins to blur the lines between platonic and romantic. But when a boy enters the picture as a result of Mari's complicated household situation, jealousy begins to surface

Directed by: Samantha Lee

Starring: Gabby Padilla; Zar Donato

Fav song on the soundtrack: Firewoman by Barbie Almabis 

“Billie and Emma” might just be the cutest film ever, with such a wonderfully developed main pairing, while also managing to find the right balance between teeth-rotting fluff and the harsh reality of growing up queer in a religious setting. This film follows Billie, a rebellious high schooler who is enrolled in an all-girls catholic school in remote San Isidro, after her father discovers she’s a lesbian. Billie is immediately deemed an outcast by the rest of the girls and teachers for presenting masculine and not fitting the image of a “good Catholic girl”. This doesn’t deter Emma, however, who takes an inquisitive liking to her. The two are brought together for a class assignment and find themselves falling in love – but complications arise when Emma experiences a life-changing event that leaves her both terrified and… excited?

Directed by: Ernesto Contreras 

Starring: Eligio Meléndez; José Manuel Poncelis

Fav Song on the Soundtrack: Cancion Zikril by Andres Sanchez Maher

It’s a real shame that more people don’t know about “I Dream in Another Language”, because it’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime film. Inspired by their grandmother’s experience speaking Zapoteco, brothers Ernesto Contreras (director) and Carlos Contreras (writer) craft a story infused with magical realism that explores the extinction of Indigenous languages and the deep-rooted colonial legacies left behind by Spanish colonisation. This film follows Martin, a young linguist from Mexico City, who travels to a fictional community deep in the Veracruz rainforest, in hopes of keeping ‘Zikril’ (a fictional language created for this very film) alive. He experiences difficulty when the last speakers of the language, Isauro and Evaristo, refuse to speak to each other due to a long-standing grudge they’ve held for 50 years. Months pass, and Martin is running out of time as Isauro’s health worsens and Evaristo becomes more and more stubborn. Will he ever find a way for them to reconcile?