Discover the top 10 quality queer films to look forward to in 2018
The past few years have been solid for queer cinema, from the release of Oscar-nominated Call Me by Your Name, to 2017 Best Picture winner Moonlight, to breakthrough hit God’s Own Country, to Sean Baker’s Tangerine – the list goes on.
Hollywood continued to expand its reach with a slate of films that dug into the queer experience and celebrated the LGBTQI community. Here are the ten titles that defined that moment, now viewed with the clarity of completed runs and awards circuits.
A Fantastic Woman
Hailed as “trans cinema’s breakthrough moment”, Sebastián Lelio’s Best Foreign Language Oscar nominee, A Fantastic Woman follows Marina (Daniela Vega), a waitress and singer whose life is thrown into array by the death of her older boyfriend (Francisco Reyes). Instead of giving up hope, Marina is forced to confront his family & society, and fight to show them who she is: complex, strong, forthright, fantastic.
The film premiered at the 2017 Berlinale with the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay, then won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Teddy Award.
The Wound
The Wound faced initial release delays in South Africa after local theaters postponed screenings amid boycott threats. The South African feature from John Trengove still found its audience elsewhere, winning the Sutherland Award for best debut feature at Sundance. The narrative focuses on closeted sexuality set in the remote mountains of Eastern Cape, looking at the customs and practices of the Xhosa community with extraordinary authenticity.
Disobedience
The man of the moment, Sebastián Lelio, strikes again with his drama based on the novel by Naomi Alderman. Starring Rachel Weisz (The Lobster) and Rachel McAdams (The Notebook), the story is set in an orthodox Jewish community in London, focusing on a woman who stirs things up when her relationship with an old friend progresses into something more.
Rachel McAdams took home the BIFA for Best Supporting Actress, while the film earned additional nominations across the British awards season.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Tackling the ever-controversial concept of gay conversion camps, the Sundance-hit indie from writer & director Desiree Akhavan is adapted from Emily Danforth’s coming-of-age novel about a girl who is sent to a conversion center after being caught hooking up with the prom queen. Starring Chloë Grace Moretz (Let Me In) as the orphaned high school junior who develops mutual feelings for a girl she meets at Sunday school.
The film won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and later picked up GLAAD recognition and casting honors.
Vita and Virginia
Chanya Button’s Vita and Virginia tells the fascinating true story of the relationship and love affair between Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf. Definitely one for the modernist literary fans out there, this beautifully told story of female desire and sexuality is enjoyable enough on its own terms. To the lighthouse, we go!
The adaptation collected one win and two nominations on the festival circuit and earned steady praise for its literary fidelity.
Believer
This one’s a non-fiction exploration of the Mormon Church and its disapproval of homosexuality. In light of a rising suicide rate among teens in Utah, Believer sees Imagine Dragons’ Mormon frontman Dan Reynolds take on a new mission to explore how the Church treats its LGBTQ members. As he delves deeper into the Church’s policies, the singer is taken down an unexpected path.
Released as an HBO documentary, the film sharpened national conversations about the LDS Church and LGBTQ youth.
Freak Show
Our favourite misfit actor, Alex Lawther (The End of the F***ing World), is back on the big screen as a glitter-bedecked, crossdressing teen sent away by his mother (Bette Midler) to live with his father (Larry Pine), where he’s forced to attend a straitlaced school. The Adam Ant-esque Billy Bloom is the coolest of the cool and, undaunted by the bullies who don’t understand his style, Billy makes a truly fabulous run for homecoming queen. Directed by Trudie Styler, this is a definite pick for any misfits and oddballs who feel they just don’t belong.
The film premiered at the 2017 Berlinale and reached U.S. theaters in 2018 with supporting turns from Laverne Cox alongside the announced leads.
Saturday Church
Saturday Church has been described as Moonlight meets La La Land, so you know you’re in for an interesting ride. Writer & director Damon Cardasis’s debut feature uses song & dance to mark out the exploration of sexuality and gender identity of a Bronx teenage boy, played with subdued intensity by Luka Kain.
Adam
This comedy from Rhys Ernst follows the story of a teen (Nicholas Alexander) who spends the summer in New York City with his older sister, an active member of the city’s lesbian and trans activist scene. Upon meeting the girl of his dreams, she mistakes him for being trans, and he can’t find a way to break the truth to her. Awkward!
The film reached theaters in 2019 under the direction of trans filmmaker Rhys Ernst and sparked debate over its handling of source material.
Boy Erased
Another film tackling the tricky subject of gay conversion therapy, this drama became one of the year’s most discussed queer titles. The plotline follows teenage Conley (Lucas Hedges), sent to a conversion camp by his fundamentalist Christian parents, played by Nicole Kidman (The Beguiled) and Russell Crowe (The Mummy). Based on Garrard Conley’s memoir, Boy Erased will likely prove to be a big conversation topic upon its release later this year.
The film earned a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Limited Release and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor and Best Original Song.
Queer Cinema in 2025-2026: Standout Releases
Blue Moon, The History of Sound, Hedda, and Come See Me in the Good Light topped recent best-of lists for LGBTQ+ titles. Iván & Hadoum claimed the Teddy Award for Best Queer Feature at Berlinale 2026, extending the momentum that began with the 2018 slate.
Evolution of Trans Representation on Screen
A Fantastic Woman remains the clearest benchmark, still referenced in 2026 Berlinale retrospectives after its Oscar and Teddy wins. Recent festival lineups continue to surface international trans-led stories that build on that foundation.
Conversion Therapy Narratives: From Boy Erased to Today
Boy Erased and The Miseducation of Cameron Post both earned awards attention for their handling of conversion therapy. Later queer cinema roundups still cite the pair as essential reference points.
Festivals and Recognition: The Role of Teddy and Sundance
The Teddy Award marked its 40th anniversary in 2026 with special programming and honoree Céline Sciamma. Sundance’s Grand Jury win for The Miseducation of Cameron Post sits inside the same institutional thread that continues to surface new voices.
