Films and Documentaries to watch for FREE during Pride Month
By: Mayra
A clean, light teal bedroom, an improvised couch and shelves full of movies covering the entire wall. Growing up, my brother’s bedroom was the safest place on earth. I spent countless hours there, devouring stories. Browsing through his huge collection of DVDs to pick a movie, or lying on his couch, waiting for him to bring something new for us to watch and then listening to him speak passionately about what we had just seen.
If there’s anything I’ve learned from him, it’s his contagious love for good films and his unwavering curiosity for exploring the nuances of the human experience in all its shades and colours.
This list isn’t just a naturally subjective selection of good films to celebrate Pride Month. It’s also a testament to a brother’s love. A brother who believed in teaching his little sister to move through the world with more compassion, curiosity, and love – through queer cinema.
Plus, these films are free to watch at Kanopy and Hoopla, with your student email or Mississauga Public Library account. Enjoy! 🎬
This is without a doubt the favourite film I have watched this year. It made me laugh, scream, cry, gasp and all in between. It is a story of a traditional Pakistani family centring the youngest unemployed, married son who ends up working as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque show, quickly becoming infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs the show, bringing tension and secrets within his family.
2. Maurice (1987)
Referred to by critics as “Not only a classic of gay cinema, but also a classic on its own terms”. This movie serves boys love with the raw constraints of being queer in the 1900s. The story follows Maurice Hall as he navigates the complexities of love, identity, and societal expectations. There’s longing, repression, and butterflies-in-the-stomach kind of love. What I love most is how the story gives space to the messy, quiet courage it takes to live your truth, even when the world around you isn’t ready for it. It's tender, a little heartbreaking, and surprisingly hopeful.
3. The Watermelon Woman (1996)
Part mockumentary, part romantic comedy. Written, directed, and edited by Cheryl Dunye, making it the first feature film directed by a Black lesbian. The main character, Cheryl, a young filmmaker, decides to make a documentary about a forgotten Black actress from the 1930s known only as “The Watermelon Woman.” As she pieces together this hidden history, she also starts to unravel parts of her own identity, art, and love life. What I love most is how it blends playfulness, politics, and desire in a way that still feels bold and relevant decades later.
Click here to watch The Watermelon Woman.
4. 20,000 Species of Bees (2023)
This heartfelt drama explores the tenderness and beauty of questioning one's identity as a kid. The story unfolds in the Basque hills, at a family's beekeeping farm where Coco, an eight-year-old, leads the entire family to confront their fears and prejudices when she decides she doesn't want to be referred to as a boy. Told with care and impeccable Photography Direction, this film will leave your heart feeling warm.
Click here to watch 20,000 Species of Bees.
5. Close (2022)
This film is absolutely breathtaking. The cinematography, the actors, the script, EVERYTHING is *chef’s kiss*. Close tells the story of Leo and Remi, two thirteen-year-old best friends, whose unbreakable bond blurs the line between friendship and love while exploring identity, heartbreak and independence. Watch this film when you want to watch something incredibly beautiful and have the will to have your heart a little bit broken.
6. Rafiki (2018)
Set in Nairobi, Rafiki tells the story of Kena and Ziki, two girls who find connection, joy, and eventually fall in love, even with the family's and society's disapproval of their relationship. What I love about this film is how it captures those quiet, magical moments of falling for someone (even when the world tells you not to).
7. PRIDE (2014)
A light and wholesome film based on a wild true story. The film takes place in post Thatcher-era in Britain, where a group of queer activists organize to support a group of striking miners no one seems to be listening to. This movie is everything from hilarious to political, heartwarming, and inspiring. It's a reminder that solidarity can come from the most unexpected places, and when it does, it’s powerful. With a brilliant cast and great 80s soundtrack, this is one of those feel-good films that will feed your faith in humanity.
8. The Mask You Live In (2015)
The Mask You Live In is one of those documentaries we should all watch out of pure social responsibility (in my opinion, at least). It dives into how masculinity is shaped in Western culture and how those narrow definitions harm not only boys, but kids of all genders from a very young age. With powerful testimonies and insights from experts in psychology, education, neuroscience, and gender studies, it shines a light on the so-called “boy crisis” and the toxic norms young boys are pressured to follow. It's eye-opening, emotional, and an important reminder of the work we still have to do to let people (especially kids) just be themselves.
Click here to watch The Mask You Live In
9. Paris is Burning (1990)
Classic and iconic. More than a documentary, Paris is Burning is a legacy. Set in 1980s New York, it gives us an intimate glimpse into the birth of drag balls, voguing, and the fierce, chosen families that shaped queer culture as we know it today. Through the voices of Black and Latinx trans women, queens, and outcasts, it captures both the glamour and the challenges of a community that dared to live freely and authentically. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, this film is essential viewing. Not just because it’s iconic (which it is), but because it celebrates the resilience, creativity, and deep wisdom of those who built joy from the margins. As Dorian Corey says: “You’re not really throwing it. You’re living it.”.
Click here to watch Paris is Burning
In an age where a wide range of human identities is finally being represented, streamed, celebrated, and shared in films and popular media, it’s important to remember how far we’ve come.
Not so long ago, films like Maurice (1987) were among the only ones to depict same-gender love with dignity and depth. Rafiki (2018) was banned in its home country simply because its creators refused to alter the story. And not so long ago, I was sitting next to my brother, devouring those stories, exposing myself to other lives and struggles, and somehow, seeing myself reflected on screen.
So, I hope one of these cinematic gems finds its way to your screen, and maybe even to your heart. Because nothing makes this world better than the willingness to see each other with curiosity, dignity, and compassion. And really, what better way to do that than through film? (Well, at least in my opinion.)
Looking for queernspiration? 🌈
Explore our content and find queer books, films, art and music to celebrate and honour Pride Month. ✨
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