Queer cinema Susan Hayward states that queer cinema existed for decades before it was given its official label, such as the films of French creators
Jean Cocteau ( in 1934) and
Jean Genet (''
Un chant d'amour'' in 1950). Queer cinema is associated with
avant-garde and
underground films (e.g.,
Andy Warhol's 1960s films). In avant-garde film, there are lesbian filmmakers, who laid the heritage for queer cinema, notably
Ulrike Ottinger,
Chantal Akerman and
Pratibha Parmar. An important influence on the development of queer cinema was
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1970s and 1980s European
art films, which added a "gay and queer sensibility" to film (e.g.,
Querelle from 1982, based on Genet's novel).
Rosa von Praunheim made more than 100 films on queer topics since the late 1960s, many of them have been shown and rated internationally; some of the director's films are considered milestones in queer cinema. Von Praunheim became an international icon of queer cinema. Another influence on queer cinema was the Brazilian filmmaker
Héctor Babenco, whose film
Kiss of the Spider Woman, from 1985, depicted a man in prison, who is seduced by his cellmate. The identification of queer cinema probably emerged in the mid-1980s through the influence of
queer theory, which aims to "challenge and push further debates on gender and sexuality" as developed by
feminist theory and "confuse binary essentialisms around gender and sexual identity, expose their limitations", and depict the blurring of these roles and identities. Rich developed her theory in
The Village Voice and
Sight & Sound, describing films that were radical in form and aggressive in their presentation of sexual identities, which challenged both the status quo of heterosexual definition and resisted promoting "positive" images of lesbians and
gay men that had been advocated by the
gay liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In the films of new queer cinema, the protagonists and narratives were predominantly
LGBTQ, but were presented invariably as outsiders and renegades from the rules of conventional society, who embraced radical and unconventional gender roles and ways of life, frequently casting themselves as outlaws or fugitives.
Generic developments 's critically acclaimed performance as gay hustler
Mikey Waters in Gus Van Sant's 1991 film
My Own Private Idaho helped bring queer cinema to a broader audience. The 1990 documentary
Paris Is Burning introduced audiences to yet another subcultural realm. Director
Jennie Livingston captured the realities of New York's
drag balls and houses, and of the
people of color who occupied these spaces. This was an arguably underground world with which many Americans were unfamiliar. Aesthetic excellence and flamboyance were crucial in drag performances and competitions. Stylized
vogue dancing was also exhibited as central to the drag experience, notably influencing the artistry of pop icon
Madonna. New queer cinema figures like Livingston encouraged viewers to suspend their ignorance, and enjoy the diversity of humanity. Not only did these films frequently reference the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, the film movement itself can be seen as a response to the crisis. The tone and energy of these movies reflected the assertive outrage of
AIDS activist organizations of the past decade. Given the relative invisibility of references to AIDS in mainstream Hollywood film-making, the work of new queer cinema was hailed by the gay community as a welcome correction to a history of under-representation and stereotyping of gay and lesbian people.
Laurie Lynd's
RSVP (1991),
Isaac Julien's
Young Soul Rebels (1991),
Derek Jarman's
Edward II (1991),
Tom Kalin's
Swoon (1992), and
Gregg Araki's
The Living End (1992). All the films feature explicitly gay and lesbian protagonists and subjects; explicit and unapologetic depictions of or references to gay sex; and a confrontational and often antagonistic approach towards heterosexual culture. and Hong Kong director
Wong Kar-wai's
Happy Together (1997).
Go Fish (1994), directed by
Rose Troche and co-written by
Guinevere Turner, was acclaimed for its authentic and nuanced portrayal of lesbian relationships. The film premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival, where it became the first title in the 1994 lineup to be acquired by a distributor. In 2024, Go Fish was digitally restored to commemorate its 30th anniversary. ==In the 21st century==