The Queer Films Of Sundance

From James Franco's leather fetish to Daniel Radcliffe's portrayal of gay poet Allen Ginsberg.

Feature-Length Films

"C.O.G."

collider.com

Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez

Cast: Jonathan Groff, Denis O’Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell, Casey Wilson, Troian Bellisario

Synopsis: In the first-ever film adaptation of David Sedaris’ work, a cocky young man travels to Oregon to work on an apple farm. Out of his element, he finds his lifestyle and notions being picked apart by everyone who crosses his path.

"Concussion"

collider.com

Director: Stacie Passon

Cast: Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Johnathan Tchaikovsky, Julie Fain Lawrence, Emily Kinney, Laila Robins

Synopsis: After a blow to the head, a lesbian housewife decides she can't do it anymore.

"Interior. Leather Bar"

twitchfilm.com

Director: James Franco, Travis Matthews

Cast: Val Lauren, James Franco, Christian Patrick, Travis Matthews

Synopsis: In order to avoid an X rating, 40 minutes of gay S&M footage was rumored to be cut and destroyed from the 1980 film Cruising. Inspired by the mythology of this controversial film, filmmakers James Franco and Travis Mathews collaborate to imagine their own lost footage.

[watch the trailer]

"Kill Your Darlings"

celebrity-oz.com

Director: John Krokidas

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, Ben Foster, Michael C. Hall, Jack Huston, Elizabeth Olsen

Synopsis: The true story of David Kammerer's murder by Lucien Carr in 1944 that draws together the great poets of the beat generation: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs.

"Pit Stop"

arts-and-labor.com

Director: Yen Tan

Cast: Bill Heck, Marcus DeAnda, Amy Seimetz, John Merriman, Alfredo Maduro, Corby Sullivan

Synopsis: Pit Stop is a 90-minute narrative feature film that tells the parallel stories of two gay men in a small Texas town.

Documentaries

"God Loves Uganda"

godlovesuganda.com

Director: Roger Ross Williams

Synopsis: The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting “sexual immorality” and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow biblical law.

"kink"

collider.com

Director: Christina Voros

Synopsis: This documentary produced by James Franco tells the story of sex, submission, and big business of the unlikely pornographers whose 9-to-5 jobs are spent within the confines of the San Francisco Armory building, home to the sprawling porn production facilities of Kink.com.

"Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer"

ehomagazin.com

Director: Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin

Synopsis: Russia's queer feminist icons face seven years in prison for a satirical performance in a Moscow cathedral. The film examines what's on trial: the three young artists or the society they live in.

"Valentine Road"

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Director: Marta Cunningham

Synopsis: In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot his gay classmate, Larry King, at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as its startling aftermath.

Short Films

"The Battle of amfAR"

filmguide.sundance.org

Director: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman

Synopsis: This documentary from the same directors of Lovelace explores how Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor and research scientist Dr. Mathilde Krim came together to create America’s first AIDS research foundation.

"Fall to Grace"

filmguide.sundance.org

Director: Alexandra Pelosi

Synopsis: The film revistis former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, who famously resigned from office after declaring himself “a gay American.” Since then, he has been working as a spiritual advisor to women in prison.

"Seraph"

filmguide.sundance.org

Director: Dash Shaw

Synopsis: Written and produced by John Cameron Mitchell for Sigur Ros' film experiment, this short focuses on a boy’s childhood scars.

(BuzzFeed Entertainment will be covering Sundance. Check out which movies the team is excited to see.)