The year in queer cinema 2025 was a real mixed bag, but there were some gems to be found — if viewers sought them out. Too many features this year had blink-and-you-missed-it theatrical releases. That includes both low-budget indie films like “Things Like This,” as well as high-profile Oscar bait like out gay filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s button-pushing “After the Hunt.”
The best places to see and discover queer films this year were film festivals. The annual Rendezvous with French Cinema program debuted the intriguing drama, “Foreign Tongue;” the Asian Film Festival offered the provocative “Bel Ami”; and the Chain NYC Festival showcased some terrific shorts, including “Larceny in the Heart,” and “Man Cured.” And, of course, NewFest in June and October provided a cornucopia of queer cinema.
Here is an idiosyncratic rundown of some of the best — or at least most memorable — LGBTQ films that screened in New York this year, albeit some only at festivals.
BEST QUEER FILM: “Kill the Jockey” Bold, fabulous, and very queer, this absurdist Argentine import was one of the most original films this year. Out gay actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, in a sensational performance, plays a once-successful jockey who reinvents himself as Dolores, a handbag-carrying man with a “watermelon” head. Wildly surreal, inventive, and arresting, it killed.
BEST DOCUMENTARY: There is an abundance of Black queer strength and joy in “Assembly,” a fabulous documentary about artist Rashaad Newsome and his stunning 2022 commission for the Park Avenue Armory. The film will make everyone who did not get to see Newsome’s multimedia production in person regretful yet grateful that this fabulous film exists to show them what they missed.
BEST COMING-OF-AGE FILM: A staple of queer cinema, there were several affectionate entries in this genre this year, including “Bonus Track,” “Griffin in Summer,” “Young Hearts,” and “Little Trouble Girls.” But trans actress Tommy Dorfman’s auspicious debut as a writer/director, “I Wish You All the Best,” about Ben (Corey Fogelmanis), a non-binary teenager, has its heart in the right place even if it was as messy as its teen protagonist.
BEST FILM DEBUT: “Cactus Pears,” by out gay writer/director Rohan Kanawade has Anand (Bhushaan Manoj) falling for Balya (Suraaj Duman) when he returns to his family’s villages for a mourning ritual. This tender, slow-burn romance was beautifully made and delicately performed.
HONORABLE MENTION “Pet Shop Days,” by director/co-writer Olmo Schnabel (son of painter/filmmaker Julian), was a lurid little film about the offbeat romance that develops between Alejandro (Dario Yazbek Bernal) and Jack (co-writer Jack Irv), who meet in New York City, hang out, hook up, and eventually commit crimes together.
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE: Kieron Moore, “Blue Film.” As Aaron, a brash and sexy camboy who gets more than he bargained for when he accepts $50,000 from Hank (Reed Birney) for an overnight, newcomer Moore gave a star-making performance. Moore captured Aaron’s insouciance well — arriving with his pants unbuttoned, thinking he’s going to make easy money — only to be curled up in a bathtub after an unsettling sex act a few hours later. The film was disturbing, but Moore proved himself to be someone to watch.
BEST ROMANTIC FILM: Both “On Swift Horses” and “The History of Sound” had moments that were swoon-inducing, and “A Nice Indian Boy” was funny and charming, but the year’s most poignant romance may have been “Unicorns.” As Luke (Ben Hardy) unexpectedly falls for Aysha (Jason Patel), the characters go on an emotional journey that is quietly powerful and quite moving.
BEST NUDITY: Dylan O’Brien in “Twinless.” As Roman, O’Brien displayed his cute caboose in an awkwardly amusing scene where he is interrupted during sex with his girlfriend by Dennis (writer/director James Sweeney). As his gay twin Rocky, O’Brien has sex with Dennis, in a scene that was just hot.
Honorable Mention: François Arnaud, who is currently a thirst trap on TV’s “Heated Rivalry,” displayed his marvelous ass(ets) in the scrappy film, “Fucktoys” as The Mechanic, who has a very intimate and intense encounter with AP writer/director/star Annapurna Sriram.
SEXIEST FILMS: Two very different Brazilian films — both of which played only at NewFest — were incredibly erotic and naughty. The unapologetically horny “Night Stage” had theatre actor Matias (Gabriel Faryas) hooking up with Rafael (Cirillo Luna), a mayoral candidate who likes to have sex in public. In contrast, the mysterious, hypnotic Brazilian film, “Only Good Things,” has the wounded Marcelo (Live Carlos) taken in by Antônio (Lucas Drummond) before the film jumps ahead in time when an older Antônio (Fernando Libonati) is dealing with the sudden disappearance of his husband, Marcelo. This mindbender was stylish, explicit sex and spellbinding.
BEST REVIVAL: A handful of films saw re-releases this year, from Lisa Cholodenko’s lesbian classic, “High Art”; Charles Busch’s campy “Psycho Beach Party”; David Secter’s gem, “Winter Kept Us Warm”; and the provocative, sixties relic, “Who Killed Teddy Bear?” But the best revival this year was the revival of Sherman Alexie’s directorial debut, “The Business of Fancydancing,” about a gay Native American poet who grapples with life back on the rez after the death of a friend. This outstanding experimental film remains as fresh today as when it was made back in 2002.
WORST FILM: The soporific sapphic drama, “Hot Milk” about Sofia’s (Emma Mackey) relationship with the free-spirited Ingrid (Vicky Krieps), was risible, tedious, and meaningless.
