Dark and Lovely, Soft and Free (2000)

(1) based on 1 votes
A road trip through gay spaces in small town South Africa, Graeme Reid's documentary introduces viewers to hairstylists, preachers, traditional healers, and beauty queens. This moving film provides an alternative vision of acceptance and celebration, in contrast to the wave of homophobia that is sweeping across sub-Saharan Africa.
Release Date
Jan 02, 2000
Runtime
00h 51m
Actors
Genre
Available in streaming on

A road trip through gay spaces in small town South Africa, Graeme Reid's documentary introduces viewers to hairstylists, preachers, traditional healers, and beauty queens. This moving film provides an alternative vision of acceptance and celebration, in contrast to the wave of homophobia that is sweeping across sub-Saharan Africa.

Movies like Dark and Lovely, Soft and Free

My Name Is Violeta

Violeta leads a normal life in a well-off family, with loving parents, surrounded by everything the heart of an eleven-year-old girl might wish for. But she hasn’t always been the pretty girl she is today; she was born a boy. At age 6, she baffled her parents (the famous adult movie stars Nacho Vidal and Franceska Jaimes) when she told them she wanted to be called and dress as a girl. After the initial shock, they decided to give her all their support on the long and tough road that will lead to her becoming a woman someday. Violeta faces many challenges, medical (such as deciding whether or not to take hormone-blockers to stop the development of masculine features as soon as puberty kicks in) and legal (obtaining an ID card with her new name and gender). Later, she may consider getting a sex reassignment procedure, or the possibility of becoming a mother through adoption.
Search similar movies
5.2
My+Name+Is+Violeta
My Name Is Violeta

2019

Search similar movies
The Ring Thing

When Sarah accidentally proposes to her girlfriend in Provincetown, the mixup turns their loving relationship into a minefield of marital exploration.
Search similar movies
4.0
The+Ring+Thing
The Ring Thing

2017

Search similar movies
The King

A cultural portrait of the American dream at a critical time in the nation’s history. Set against the 2016 American election, The King takes a musical road trip across the country in Elvis Presley's 1963 Rolls Royce.
Search similar movies
6.4
The+King
The Last Repair Shop

In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
Search similar movies
7.5
The+Last+Repair+Shop
The Last Repair Shop

2024

Search similar movies
Faces Places

Director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.
Search similar movies
7.7
Faces+Places
Faces Places

2017

Search similar movies
Warriors of the Discotheque

The place is the notorious Starck Club (so called because it was the first major project designed by Philippe Starck in the US.) The Starck Club opened in Dallas in 1984 and not long after hosted the 1984 national Republican Convention. Ironically, it was actually legal to buy MDMA aka ecstasy there, people would put it on their credit cards. The DEA stepped in and made it a category 1 drug on July 1, 1985... In a time when ecstasy was legal & guyliner was cool.
Search similar movies
5.3
Warriors+of+the+Discotheque
Warriors of the Discotheque

2015

Search similar movies
Close to His Chest

These men are undergoing a crucial stage of self-discovery, but for better or worse - they will not go through it alone. A selection of 6 shorts about the complexities of gay and male sexuality. Includes: Along the Road [Längs vägen] (2011); Drives [Pulsiones] (2009); Frozen Princess [Princesa de hielo] (2017); Naked [Desnudos] (2013); Swimming Pool [Piscina] (2017); Visibles (2018).
Search similar movies
5.3
Close+to+His+Chest
Close to His Chest

2019

Search similar movies
Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony

The struggle to eradicate apartheid in South Africa has been chronicled over time, but no one has addressed the vital role music plays in this challenge. This documentary by Lee Hirsch recounts a fascinating and little-known part of South Africa's political history through archival footage, interviews and, of course, several mesmerizing musical performances.
Search similar movies
6.4
Amandla%21+A+Revolution+in+Four-Part+Harmony
Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony

2002

Search similar movies
Dawn of Humanity

Nova and National Geographic present exclusive access to an astounding discovery of ancient fossil human ancestors.
Search similar movies
7.5
Dawn+of+Humanity
Dawn of Humanity

2015

Search similar movies
Acts of Love

When his older boyfriend loses interest in him, the filmmaker relocates to Chicago and uses dating apps to cast new lovers in an amorphous project that his mother hates.
Search similar movies
3.2
Acts+of+Love
Acts of Love

2021

Search similar movies
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

Describing herself as a 'street queen,' Johnson was a legendary fixture in New York City’s gay ghetto and a tireless voice for LGBT pride since the days of Stonewall, who along with fellow trans icon Sylvia Rivera, founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), a trans activist group based in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Her death in 1992 was declared a suicide by the NYPD, but friends never accepted that version of events. Structured as a whodunit, with activist Victoria Cruz cast as detective and audience surrogate, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson celebrates the lasting political legacy of Johnson, while seeking to finally solve the mystery of her unexplained death.
Search similar movies
7.2
The+Death+and+Life+of+Marsha+P.+Johnson
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

2017

Search similar movies
The Hog Farm Movie

A commune of improvisational theatre performers, musicians, light-show artists, film makers, geodesic dome designers and former members of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters takes shape on a mountaintop in southern California, where they have free rent in return for caring for forty hogs. In the summer of 1968 they take off in a caravan of 40 busses to bring the Yippie party presidential candidate, Pigasus the Pig, to Chicago. Along the way they put on free participatory carnivals for thousands in rodeo grounds, indian reservations, and colleges all across the country.
Search similar movies
The+Hog+Farm+Movie
The Hog Farm Movie

1970

Search similar movies
The Perfect Crime: Leopold & Loeb

The shocking story of Richard Leopold and Nathan Loeb, two wealthy college students who murdered a 14-year-old boy in 1924 to prove they were smart enough to get away with it.
Search similar movies
4.7
The+Perfect+Crime%3A+Leopold+%26+Loeb
The Perfect Crime: Leopold & Loeb

2016

Search similar movies
Standing on the Line

In both amateur and professional sports, being gay remains taboo. Few dare to come out of the closet for fear of being stigmatized, and for many, the pressure to perform is compounded by a further strain: whether or not to affirm their sexual identity. Standing on the Line takes a fresh and often moving look at some of our gay athletes, who share their experiences with the camera. They’ve set out to overcome prejudice in the hopes of changing things for the athletes of tomorrow.
Search similar movies
7.3
Standing+on+the+Line
Standing on the Line

2019

Search similar movies
The Boy Who Found Gold

William Hart McNichols is a world renowned artist, heralded by Time magazine as "among the most famous creators of Christian iconic images in the world". As a young Catholic priest from 1983-1990 he was immersed in a life-altering journey working as a chaplain at St. Vincent's AIDS hospice in New York city. It was during this time that he became an early pioneer for LGBT rights within the Catholic church. "The Boy Who Found Gold" is a cinematic journey into the art and spirit of William Hart McNichols. The film follows his colorful life as he crosses paths with presidents, popes, martyrs, and parishioners, finding an insightful lesson with each encounter. McNichols' message as a priest, artist and man speaks to the most powerful element of the human spirit: Mercy.
Search similar movies
10.0
The+Boy+Who+Found+Gold
The Boy Who Found Gold

2016

Search similar movies
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets

A portrait of the lives of a disparate group of patrons and employees at an American watering hole today.
Search similar movies
6.8
Bloody+Nose%2C+Empty+Pockets
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets

2020

Search similar movies
Battle of Soho

In November 2014 the Iconic club Madame Jojos closed its doors. This event being interpreted by many as the death knell of Soho.The gentrification of Soho affects the LGBT community and its Drag Queen sub-culture, but the cabaret atmosphere of the entire neighborhood in enormous ways. This active pursuit to destroy a bubbling and vibrant part of the city's heart is viewed by many as an atrocity akin to turning the lights off on Broadway. Over 3rd of London's music venues have been closed in recent years and no one noticed. An active movement to bring a halt to this disaster has begun to unfold with one organization after another emerging to fight for Soho. Organizations made up of citizens and celebrities have sprung up to combat this onslaught. Will they win this battle and save Soho?
Search similar movies
3.5
Battle+of+Soho
Battle of Soho

2017

Search similar movies
The Colour of His Hair

Based on an unrealized film script written in 1964 for The Homosexual Law Reform Society, a British organisation that campaigned for the decriminalization of homosexual relations between men, "The Colour Of His Hair" merges drama and documentary into a meditation on queer life before and after the partial legalization of homosexuality in 1967.
Search similar movies
6.4
The+Colour+of+His+Hair
The Colour of His Hair

2017

Search similar movies
The Circle

A young teacher in Zurich in the 1950s falls in love with a transvestite star but is torn between his bourgeois existence and his commitment to homosexuality. He joins a gay organization that is eventually seen as the pioneer of gay emancipation in Europe.
Search similar movies
6.6
The+Circle
The Circle

2014

Search similar movies
2 or 3 Things I Know About Him

What would your family reminiscences about dad sound like if he had been an early supporter of Hitler’s, a leader of the notorious SA and the Third Reich’s minister in charge of Slovakia, including its Final Solution? Executed as a war criminal in 1947, Hanns Ludin left behind a grieving widow and six young children, the youngest of whom became a filmmaker. It's a fascinating, maddening, sometimes even humorous look at what the director calls "a typical German story." (Film Forum)
Search similar movies
6.6
2+or+3+Things+I+Know+About+Him
2 or 3 Things I Know About Him

2005

Search similar movies
I Want to See

July 2006. Another war breaks out in Lebanon. The directors decide to follow a movie star, Catherine Deneuve and a friend, actor and artist Rabih Mroue;, on the roads of South Lebanon. Together, they will drive through the regions devastated by the conflict. It is the beginning of an unpredictable, unexpected adventure...
Search similar movies
5.7
I+Want+to+See
I Want to See

2008

Search similar movies
Synonymous With

A student's increasingly intimate line of questioning causes his interview with a local horror host to take a vulnerable turn.
Search similar movies
Synonymous+With
Synonymous With

2021

Search similar movies
Queer Japan

Trailblazing artists, activists, and everyday people from across the spectrum of gender and sexuality defy social norms and dare to live unconventional lives in this kaleidoscopic view of LGBTQ+ culture in contemporary Japan.
Search similar movies
5.0
Queer+Japan
Queer Japan

2020

Search similar movies
Terenci: la fabulación infinita

An account of the life and work of the charismatic Spanish writer Terenci Moix (1942-2003).
Search similar movies
6.0
Terenci%3A+la+fabulaci%C3%B3n+infinita
Terenci: la fabulación infinita

2023

Search similar movies
Rebel Dykes

A heady, energised mash-up of animation, unseen archive footage and interviews, Rebel Dykes provides an intimate insight into the politically charged, artistically radical subculture in 1980s London, and the individuals who helped shape and change their world. Bringing together BDSM nightclubs, inclusive, sex-positive feminism, DIY zine culture, post-punk musicians and artists, squatters, activists and sex workers, these rebel dykes went out onto the streets to make their voices heard. [Feature length version of 2016 short of the same name.]
Search similar movies
5.8
Rebel+Dykes
Rebel Dykes

2021

Search similar movies
It Is Not the Brazilian Homosexuals Who Are Perverse, But the Situation in Which They Live

Two queer Brazilians go skinny dipping in a lake where they talk about love, sex, colonialism and migration, on a pandemic summer afternoon in Berlin.
Search similar movies
1.0
It+Is+Not+the+Brazilian+Homosexuals+Who+Are+Perverse%2C+But+the+Situation+in+Which+They+Live
It Is Not the Brazilian Homosexuals Who Are Perverse, But the Situation in Which They Live

2021

Search similar movies
Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero

A remarkably intimate portrait of an artist on tour navigating identity, family, expectations, and acceptance, all while reflecting on his place within the legacy of Black, queer performers.
Search similar movies
7.0
Lil+Nas+X%3A+Long+Live+Montero
Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero

2023

Search similar movies
Uncle Bob

Robert Oppel's documentary about the life and murder of his uncle and namesake, Robert Opel, the man who streaked the Academy Awards in 1974.
Search similar movies
5.0
Uncle+Bob
Coming to You

Nabi, a veteran fire officer, accepts the coming out from her child Hangyeol, “I want to remove my breasts.” Meanwhile, Vivian, a flight crew, receives a letter from her son Yejoon, “Mom, I’m gay.” Hangyeol and Yejoon confide in their struggles even before the two mothers understand their reality.
Search similar movies
6.9
Coming+to+You
Coming to You

2021

Search similar movies
Beyond Tragedies

Recalling his childhood and relationship with his mother, a film student tries to understand the origin of his love for cinema and tragedies.
Search similar movies
4.0
Beyond+Tragedies
Beyond Tragedies

2022

Search similar movies
Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras

Unprecedented access into one of the world's greatest musical talents and his larger than life lifestyle: Elton John. With frank, funny, and touching filmmaking, this documentary is a fascinating and honest look at the complex character of a modern day composer and performing artist.
Search similar movies
6.6
Elton+John%3A+Tantrums+%26+Tiaras
Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras

1997

Search similar movies
I'm a Porn Star: Gay 4 Pay

Welcome to the curious, surprising and always outspoken world of straight men who go Gay4Pay. Curiously, there is a disproportionate percentage of men working in gay porn who identify as straight. Why would a straight man do gay porn? What motivates him to try this or make a career of it? Why is there such keen interest and debate into the sexuality and personal lives of these men? And what does it say about us, the viewer that so much of gay porn is dominated by images of straight men?
Search similar movies
7.2
I%27m+a+Porn+Star%3A+Gay+4+Pay
I'm a Porn Star: Gay 4 Pay

2016

Search similar movies
I'm a Porn Star

I'm a Porn Star follows the lives of guys in the neighborhood who are likely a lot more famous than you - at least on the Internet. There are an estimated 370 million pornographic websites on-line. Porn is now a thirteen BILLION dollar business. So who's doing all this moonlighting? Turns out -- probably some people you know.
Search similar movies
6.0
I%27m+a+Porn+Star
I'm a Porn Star

2013

Search similar movies
Trans

Trans is a 1982 Venezuelan documentary short film that offers an intimate look into the lives of a group of trans women and drag performers in Caracas, exploring their experiences in a society marked by transphobia and homophobia. Through interviews and performances, the documentary highlights the resilience and dignity of these women in the face of widespread discrimination and violence. Premiering at the Venezuelan National Cinematheque in 1982, Trans is considered a pioneering work in the representation of the trans community in Latin American cinema.
Search similar movies
Trans
Léa & I

Best friends travel though Latin America meeting shamans, experimenting with plant medicines, and wondering about what makes a life well-lived when one of them might have half the time to live it.
Search similar movies
5.5
L%C3%A9a+%26+I
Blink

The Pelletier family sets out on an epic journey to see the beauty of the world when three of their four children are diagnosed with an incurable eye condition.
Search similar movies
8.1
Blink
Our Baby: A Modern Miracle

What's it like starting a family when you're both transgender? This intimate film follows Hannah and Jake Graf on a journey through prejudice and surrogacy to birth during lockdown.
Search similar movies
Our+Baby%3A+A+Modern+Miracle
Our Baby: A Modern Miracle

2020

Search similar movies
PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation

It’s the resilience and love that keeps this community marching to the beat of its own drum; each generation redefining what it means to be queer and to be seen.
Search similar movies
7.5
PRIDE%3A+To+Be+Seen+-+A+Soul+of+a+Nation+Presentation
PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation

2022

Search similar movies
#BKKY

Jojo, a 17-year-old girl from Bangkok, is about to graduate from high school. After her friend Q reveals a secret to her, the two girls grow close and spend all their time together. Jojo's father wholeheartedly approves of the friendship and is just glad that Jojo is not going on any dates with boys.
Search similar movies
4.8
%23BKKY
Before Stonewall

New York City's Stonewall Inn is regarded by many as the site of gay and lesbian liberation since it was at this bar that drag queens fought back against police June 27-28, 1969. This documentary uses extensive archival film, movie clips and personal recollections to construct an audiovisual history of the gay community before the Stonewall riots.
Search similar movies
6.7
Before+Stonewall
Before Stonewall

1984

Search similar movies
The Times of Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world.
Search similar movies
7.3
The+Times+of+Harvey+Milk
The Times of Harvey Milk

1984

Search similar movies
Serviced

Serviced explores touch based service businesses including cuddling, erotic massage, sex surrogacy and sex work. Meet the men who have foregone the 9-5 grind or are adding on a side-hustle service-based job. From cuddling to sex work we're looking at the world's oldest profession with eyes wide open.
Search similar movies
4.0
Serviced
The Celluloid Closet

What "That's Entertainment" did for movie musicals, "The Celluloid Closet" does for Hollywood homosexuality, as this exuberant, eye-opening movie serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Lily Tomlin narrates as Oscar-winning moviemaker Rob Epstein ("The Times of Harvey Milk" and "Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt") and Jeffrey Friedman assemble fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s. Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Curtis, Harvey Fierstein and Gore Vidal are just a few of the many actors, writers and commentators who provide funny and insightful anecdotes.
Search similar movies
7.2
The+Celluloid+Closet
The Celluloid Closet

1996

Search similar movies
The Belgian Road to Cannes

A cheerful road movie all about Belgian films at Cannes over the past 70 years. Filmmakers from the past converse with those from the present to paint the portrait of a cinema that is both diverse and free. An account of Belgium’s participation in the greatest film festival in the world.
Search similar movies
The+Belgian+Road+to+Cannes
The Belgian Road to Cannes

2017

Search similar movies
Outrage

An indictment of closeted politicians who lobby for anti-gay legislation in the US.
Search similar movies
6.3
Outrage
Hold on Tight

A short documentary exploring the ways LGBT couples show affection, and how small interactions like holding hands in public can carry, not only huge personal significance, but also the power to create social change.
Search similar movies
4.7
Hold+on+Tight
Hold on Tight

2011

Search similar movies
All Male, All Nude: Johnsons

Journey into the unique world of male stripping at a small gay strip club located in America's Second Gayest City per capita in this follow up to the popular 2017 feature documentary All Male, All Nude. All Male, All Nude: Johnsons is set in Florida's newest gay strip club, Johnsons, located in Wilton Manors, Florida and new home to the creator and owner of Johnsons - Matt Colunga, an award-winning body builder, who has been in the male entertainment industry for 23 years and was introduced in the first film. From 42-year-old Matt, to 26-year-old Alexander, who spends his days dressed as Spider-Man creating early memories for children at kid parties and spends his nights stripping down to his G-String for gay men, to single fathers and young men putting themselves through college with their stripping income, to entertainers in the adult film world - the men who compose the heart of Johnsons are diverse, unique and captivating.
Search similar movies
4.0
All+Male%2C+All+Nude%3A+Johnsons
All Male, All Nude: Johnsons

2019

Search similar movies
1991: The Year Punk Broke

David Markey's documentary of life on the road with Sonic Youth and Nirvana during their tour of Europe in late 1991. Also featuring live performances by Dinosaur Jr, Babes in Toyland, The Ramones and Gumball.
Search similar movies
6.7
1991%3A+The+Year+Punk+Broke
1991: The Year Punk Broke

1992

Search similar movies
Growing Up Trans

Just a generation ago, it was adults, not kids, who changed genders. But today, many children are transitioning, too—with new medical options, and at younger and younger ages. Told from the perspective of parents, doctors, and, most revealing of all, the kids themselves, the documentary takes a powerful look at this new generation, exploring the medical possibilities, struggles and choices transgender kids and their families face today.
Search similar movies
6.0
Growing+Up+Trans
Growing Up Trans

2015

Search similar movies
Bones of Contention

A history of the political and social repression carried out by the ruthless regime of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco between 1936 and 1975 that focuses on the lives of gays and lesbians during those dark years and the death of the Spanish gay poet Federico García Lorca.
Search similar movies
6.0
Bones+of+Contention
Bones of Contention

2018

Search similar movies