The Queer Film Guide

Enjoy your night in with these movies that tell queer stories.

Have you noticed something about every “100 Greatest Movies Ever Made” list? The people in those movies . . . they’re almost all straight, white men. With so much incredible cinema to choose from, those lists only begin to peer into the cinematic and wider world.

It’s time to push past the gatekeepers of what makes a movie “great” or “culturally significant” and get a broader view of what’s out there. Kyle Turner has selected 100 of cinema’s greatest queer films that are often overlooked but foundational to the art form and the wider culture.

Starting in early cinema with trailblazers like Making a Man of Her and Different from Others, the list progresses through the eras, from Hitchcock’s Rope to cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show to today’s fast-growing list of queer films, including Carol, The Duke of Burgundy, and Moonlight. From lesser-known names to Academy Award winners, The Queer Film Guide offers a fresh take on what defines great cinema, lending a voice to the diverse creators and characters who’ve shaped the art form.

Kyle Turner is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, who writes on films old and new, queer cinema, and music videos. He is particularly interested in queerness and sexuality in pop culture, and the way in which desire manifests on-screen and shapes audience tastes. He is a contributor to Paste Magazine and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Slate, Playboy.com, GQ, NPR, Teen Vogue, and elsewhere.