There’s a whole bouquet of reasons to love June – summer solstice, Juneteenth, Father’s Day and Geminis, to name a few – and we’ve picked out a special arrangement of black LGBTQ films just for you. Available to stream, screen and sample through our public media network, these Pride Month-themed projects have all been supported by the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). Click around our website (blackpublicmedia.org) to learn more about the content and filmmakers we invest in – and check out our database of black films that will keep you celebrating all year round!
1. Tongues Untied: Still in Vogue
Marlon Riggs’ pioneering Tongues Untied earned our 1990 NBPC Prized Pieces Documentary Award for its innovative exploration of what it means to be black and gay. Interning filmmaker John Dargan gives the film its due in his homage, Still in Vogue. Dargan incorporates Riggs’ original themes in a meditation on the contemporary face of voguing, and what the practice symbolizes for a new generation of black gay men.
Join us for a special online screening of “Tongues Untied” – on June 28th! RSVP with OVEE.
2. Realness (Parts 1 and 2)
David Barclay Moore’s documentary delves into black male privilege with its portrait of Tika, who is in the process of becoming a man. Tika’s transition makes waves in the way she interacts with family, friends and strangers, as well as with her girlfriend, Nicki, who begins to have misgivings about the effect of testosterone on their relationship.
3. Mondo Black: Black Queer and Beyond
Gabriel Tolliver’s Mondo Black series spotlights performer Daniel Alexander Jones (a.k.a. celebrated diva Jomama Jones), as well as award-winning artist Pamela Sneed, in this episode about black queer activism, gender identity, writing and spoken word.
A decade ago in New York City, seven African American lesbians fought back against a man who threatened them on the street. Charged with assault and attempted murder, and excoriated by tabloids, three of the women pleaded guilty to avoid a trial. The other four insisted they were innocent. blair dorosh-walther’s award-winning doc focuses on these four women – Renata, Patreese, Venice and Terrain – and their experiences within the U.S. criminal justice system.
Out in the Night premiered on “POV” back in June 2015, co-presented by NBPC.
Travel with twin brothers George and Ben to their ancestral homeland of Ghana in George Amponsah’s meditative short One Plus One, which chronicles the siblings’ pilgrimage, their different life trajectories despite their shared DNA and their reunion with their father after a twenty-year separation.
6. Dr. Al’s Rebels
There’s a reason David Barclay Moore appears twice on our list: Not only does he have a photographer’s eye, he has a knack for exploring LGBTQ subjects in a nuanced and compelling way. Take Dr. Al’s Rebels, which follows Nigel and his husband, Dr. Al, who run a softball team together and parent three children. This two-part, Pride Month-friendly film even takes place during June, as Dr. Al and Nigel celebrate Father’s Day and have a heart-to-heart about parenthood, athletics and their relationship.
Season 8 of our series AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange featured perhaps the most colorful of the films on this Pride Month list: “Tchindas,” named after its star, takes place in São Vicente (a small Cape Verdean island off the west coast of Africa), where transwoman Tchinda Andrade has become so beloved that her name is now synonymous with LGBT people in the area. This documentary salutes gay Cape Verde as well as Tchinda – out and proud since 1998 – as she and her cohorts prepare for the island’s beloved annual Carnival.
Check out our exclusive interview with Tchinda Andrade and director Marc Serena!
Do you have a favorite black LGBTQ film? Share it with us and tweet @BLKPublicMedia!
