As corporations and big business world over prepare to revert from the rainbow tinted logos they designed for Pride, POV is here to remind you that the end of the month does not mean the end of representation. For doc fans looking to keep the festivities going and take Pride into the long weekend, we have compiled a list of films that celebrate 2SLGBTQ+ experiences in their own individual ways. There is something for everyone in this list that includes shorts, biographies, small-towns, aggressives, activists, and athletes. We hope that viewing them makes you feel as recognized and celebrated as the people featured in these films.
Small Town Pride (2021) – CBC Gem
While one might be familiar with the inviting celebrations that accompany the festivals in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, Small Town Pride takes us into unfamiliar territory by centering on the feeling of Pride in the country’s smaller, less advocated for cities. Moving away from the wave of rainbow-washing that drowns our metro cities each year, the doc shares stories of Pride organizers in Norman Wells, Northwest Territories; Taber, Alberta; and Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. This tour constructs a sensitive portrayal of the spirited nature of the towns and their respective residents. In doing so, the film becomes a much-needed reminder of the importance of Pride not merely as a celebration, but also as an urgent fight for human rights.
Tongues Untied (1989) – Kanopy
An experimental approach to the intersection of sexual and racial identity in America, Tongues Untied emphasizes the systemic ‘silencing’ of Black gay men. Marlon Riggs artfully conveys the myriad ways in which one’s racial and sexual identities are deeply intertwined and inevitably determine one’s social standing. The subtext Riggs’ film explores the ways that these identifies take shape amid social structures both invisible and omnipresent and should make for a rewarding watch for anyone seeking to think about Pride.
The Aggressives (2005) – Tubi
The Aggressives captures a New York City subculture of trans men, lesbian butches, and their femme counterparts as they define what it means to be an Aggressive, a fluid term that broadly refers to doms in feminine relationships. The film brings together an easy-to-root-for crew of aggressives as they share how they embody the term and the importance that it holds for them. Filmed over five years and shot in the early 2000s, the doc also functions as a time capsule of sorts, rife with flip phones and Y2K fashion that complements the slick, swag-infused narrative.
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) – Apple TV
This heart-touching portrait of the late American poet and activist Andrea Gibson won the Festival Favorite Award at Sundance and went on to become one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. Ryan White’s film relays Gibson’s story in their own words, sharing their early struggles with identity and trauma, discussing poetry as a source of expression and awareness, and taking us through their battle with ovarian cancer. Come See Me in the Good Light is a deeply personal film which, in the words of POV’s Pat Mullen, “provides refreshing space to experience grief, joy, and heartache, but above all: love.”
Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1992) – NFB
An exciting blend of archival footage, contemporary interviews, and a fictional segment styled after the pulp novels of yore, Pride staple Forbidden Love creatively explores the experiences of queer women in Canada in the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. The doc entertains by making what is essentially a history film into a thoroughly enjoyable cocktail of comedy, passion, desire, and queerness. It’s essential viewing for anyone seeking a film that pushes the boundaries both in its form and in its function.
Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance (2025) – NFB & TVO
In the words of POV’s Susan G. Cole, the doc that opened the 2025 Hot Docs film festival, is “a moving film tracking well-known events and some wonderfully surprising discoveries and characters…who, bolstered by a trove of archival footage, help trace some of the key moments in Canada’s 2SLGBTQ+ history.” Equally as politically charged as it is emotionally directed, the doc crafts a narrative that offers a warts-and-all document of the push for gay rights in Canada, making it a must watch for anyone looking for a history lesson delivered with unwavering passion.
Killing Patient Zero (2020) – TVO
In Killing Patient Zero, Laurie Lynd addresses the AIDS epidemic by charting the life and legacy of Gaétan Dugas, who was wrongfully branded as the first person to have brought HIV to North America. Lynd interviews a host of people to debunk this misguided theory and in the process relays quite emotionally, the magnitude of the AIDS epidemic in those early years, and the impact of the societal divisions that arose as a result of it.
I Am Divine (2013) – MUBI
While readers may be familiar with Divine’s work through the films of John Waters, including Hairspray and Pink Flamingos, I Am Divine takes us behind the scenes in putting together a comprehensive portrait of this cult artist and drag icon. Tracing the entire history of Divine, the doc simmers with a similar pulsating energy that he carried with him throughout his life and career. A must watch for anyone familiar with Divine’s work but not his story.
John Was Trying to Contact Aliens (2020) – Netflix
Despite its 16-minute runtime, John Was Trying to Contact Aliens leaves you with a lifetime of warmth. A delightfully sensitive doc from Matthew Killip about the eponymous John Shepherd, who has sought to make contact with extra-terrestrial life for most of his 60-ish years on this planet. However, there is more to this doc than meets the eye and for anyone seeking to make contact with a tender, heartwarming film this Pride month, look no further.
Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story (2022) – Netflix
Moving away from the heated and often misguided debates on trans athletes and instead focusing on the life and inner conflict of one, Stay on Board follows professional skater Leo Baker as he publicly comes out as trans. The doc takes us behind the scenes into the decisions, desires, and dilemmas of trans athletes that they navigate while the world around them passes misinformed judgments of their identity and their sportsmanship. In centering Baker, the film presents the glorious story of an athlete who surpassed the golden metric of going to the Olympics, by instead being one of the only professional athletes in history to say, “fuck the Olympics.”
