UhVyn

Before Stonewall (1984)

This pioneering documentary chronicles LGBTQ life in America from the early 20th century up through the 1969 Stonewall riots. It uses archival footage and interviews to “present a remarkable portrait of queer life in the closeted time” before the gay rights movement. Released in 1984 just as the AIDS crisis was emerging, Before Stonewall was one of the first major films to openly explore LGBT history and community-building before Stonewall. It set the stage for later LGBTQ documentaries by preserving personal stories of that era.

The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)

This Oscar-winning doc follows San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk’s career as one of America’s first openly gay elected officials. It shows Milk’s rise from neighborhood activist to “a symbol of gay political achievement”, ending with his 1978 assassination. The film won the 1985 Academy Award for Best Documentary and is preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry for its historical importance. Its sympathetic portrayal of Milk’s life and campaigns helped humanize LGBTQ leaders for mainstream audiences and inspired a new generation of activists.

Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)

This powerful documentary tells the story of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the early AIDS epidemic. By weaving together personal stories of those lost to AIDS and the creation of the Quilt, it “memorialize[s] those lost and…chronicle[s] their activist fights” against indifference. Common Threads (1989) won the 1989 Oscar for Best Documentary and helped bring national attention to AIDS activism. It remains essential viewing for its honest, community-driven account of how the epidemic devastated the LGBTQ population and galvanized activism.

Paris Is Burning (1990)

Paris Is Burning (1990) – A Harlem ballroom “house” family poses in costume. Jennie Livingston’s landmark film introduced mainstream audiences to New York’s 1980s ballroom drag culture. It profiles drag performers (like Dorian Corey and Willi Ninja) competing in “balls” with categories such as “realness” and vogue dancing. Paris Is Burning won multiple festival awards and “brought the story of the 1980s underground ballroom scene to new audiences”. Critics note it helped popularize now-ubiquitous terms like voguing, “shade,” and “reading,” and it remains a seminal chronicle of queer Black and Latino culture.

Stonewall Uprising (2010)

PBS’s American Experience special Stonewall Uprising recounts the six-day Stonewall Inn riots of June 1969. It places these events in context, noting that the uprising “marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world”. By highlighting personal testimonies and historical footage, this documentary helped educate new generations about Stonewall’s legacy. Its release around the 41st anniversary reignited political debate and public awareness of that pivotal moment in LGBTQ history.

Welcome to Chechnya (2020)

This harrowing documentary exposes the modern-day “purge” of gay men in Chechnya. Director David France follows a network of activists who use hidden cameras (and revolutionary face-altering technology) to document police raids, torture, and the escape of LGBTQ+ Chechen refugees. Described as a “heartbreaking and vital” look at spiraling anti-gay violence, the film forced international attention on Chechnya’s human rights abuses. Its urgent portrayal of activists rescuing terrified victims has been hailed as an urgent call to action against genocide.

Disclosure (2020)

In this acclaimed Netflix documentary, director Sam Feder and executive producer Laverne Cox examine how trans people have been portrayed in Hollywood. Featuring interviews with trans creators (Cox, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford, and others), it provides an “unprecedented, eye-opening look” at transgender representations in film and TV and how those images shape public attitudes. By dissecting decades of media depictions, Disclosure sparked widespread discussion about authenticity and bias in storytelling, strengthening calls for more accurate and humane trans representation.

Call Me Kuchu (2012)

This award-winning film follows Ugandan LGBT activists (notably organizer David Kato) as they confront state- and church-sanctioned homophobia. The documentary gives voice to Uganda’s embattled gay community, highlighting the murder of Kato and the violent media campaigns against queer people. Its release brought international attention to the brutality of Uganda’s anti-LGBT laws; the film earned festival acclaim (winning awards at Berlin and other festivals) and helped galvanize global support for LGBT rights in Uganda.

How to Survive a Plague (2012)

This Oscar-nominated film chronicles the early AIDS crisis through the eyes of ACT UP and TAG activists in New York and Washington. It covers their direct-action protests and the struggle to get effective treatments. Critics praise How to Survive a Plague as “angry, powerful, and stirring” – a “brilliantly constructed documentary about the activists who pushed for action to combat the AIDS epidemic”. The film’s depiction of grassroots protest (including activist Larry Kramer) underscored how patient advocacy sped drug approvals. It revived public memory of that era, showing how activist efforts “refuse the erasure” of AIDS history.