June is Pride Month, commemorating the 1969 Stonewall riots and asking all of us to remember how we got where we are today. So in our second annual Pride Month poll here at /bent, we asked our readers to tell us the films, television shows, songs and people (both fictional and real) that have been important to them in the past 46 years.
Check out all the results for every poll here.
127 people responded, and we’ll be sharing the results over the next few weeks, with the second list out today: The most important LGBT filmmakers of the last 46 years (in that they have at least completed one film after Stonewall). Now, before we get to the results: We do realize doing this kind of thing is highly subjective, which is why we’re going with “most important” and not “best.” We hoped that what resulted was eclectic mix of filmmakers that have helped shape the queer cultural landscape. And we think it really is. But here are some interesting things to note before you go through the list:
-As expected, queer men made up for the vast majority with 42 (of 53 — there were three male teams co-listed). Though in those polled’s defence: Its not your fault that the vast majority of filmmakers you have to pick from are queer men.
-Eleven women made the list (including one trans woman), but only one in the top 10.
-Twenty-two of the filmmakers were born in the 1960s, the most represented decade in that regard by double. Nine came out of the 1950s, 7 from the 1940s, 5 from the 1920s, 4 from the 1970s, and 1 each from the 1900s, 1930s, and 1980s. The latter example was by far the youngest filmmaker on this list (guess who!), and was born in 1989. Also note: Two filmmakers do not have their ages publicly listed.
-Filmmakers that emerged out of the late 1980s/early 1990s “new queer cinema” were all over this list, making up almost half the top 10
-Only seven filmmakers on this list have directed films that have grossed over $100 million
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Velvet Goldmine” (1991)
4. Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Pink Flamingos” (1972)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Caravaggio” (1986)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “The Kids Are All Right” (2010)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): Daniels hasn’t really made a “LGBT film” per say, and didn’t get any votes on our list.
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Tropical Malady” (2004)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “I Killed My Mother” (2009)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2001)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): Vachon produced a ton of films on our recent list, with “Boys Don’t Cry” (1999) leading the pack.
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Boys Don’t Cry” (1999)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Totally Fucked Up” (1993)
16 (tie). Kenneth Anger
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Scorpio Rising” (1963)
Died: 2003 in Palm Springs, California
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (1971)
18. Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “The Time of Harvey Milk” (1984) for Epstein; “The Celluloid Closet” (1995) for Friedman
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Water Drops on Burning Rocks” (2000)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Weekend” (2011)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Death in Venice” (1971)
22 (tie). Dustin Lance Black
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Milk” (2008, as screenwriter — though none of his directorial efforts got votes)
22 (tie). Lana Wachowski
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Bound” (1996)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Tongues Untied” (1989)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): No Warhol films got votes.
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Young Soul Rebels” (1991)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “The Hours” (2002)
27 (tie). Bryan Singer
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): Singer hasn’t really made any explicitly LGBT films, though 2 points went to “X2: X-Men United” (2003) anyway, which has very much been read as an allegory for gay rights.
29. Jodie Foster
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): Considering she still has trouble openly discussing her sexuality, it’s no surprise that there’s little LGBT content in her films (though “Home For The Holidays” has a prominent LGBT character).
30. Ira Sachs
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Love is Strange” (2014)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Maurice” (1987)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Pariah” (2011)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): Davies hasn’t included a lot of LGBT content in his films, none of which got votes in our poll.
34. Bill Condon
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Gods and Monsters” (1998)
35. Tom Kalin
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Swoon” (1992)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): Marshall’s filmography doesn’t include an explicitly LGBT films.
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “The Fluffer” (2001)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “The Watermelon Woman” (1996)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “The Normal Heart” (2014)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Go Fish” (1994)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): His only feature directing effort didn’t get a vote, but he’ll be very present on our upcoming TV series list.
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Super 8 1/2” (1994)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Desert Hearts” (1986)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Lillies” (1996)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): He hasn’t made an explicit LGBT film yet, though “Stonewall” will change that later this year.
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “I’ve Heard The Mermaids Singing” (1987)
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): His writing effort “Chuck & Buck”
Most Important LGBT Film (According To You): “Yossi & Jagger” (2002)
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