Watch these 8 movies to make your New Year gay

It has been a pretty good year for LGBT cinema, especially lesbians (let’s go!).

2018 delivered Rafiki the first LGBT film to be released from Kenya; we saw famous writers and their career struggles in Colette and Can You Ever Forgive Me; Nick Robinson stole our hearts in Love, Simon; Rachel Weisz spat in Rachel McAdams’s mouth in Disobedience and made love to a Queen in The Favourite; with The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Boy Erased we saw gay conversion therapy depicted on both sides of the spectrum.

While there have been some trans stories brought to the screen this year, its characters were played by cis actors. However, it’s important to highlight transgender actress Hari Nef, who gave a fantastic performance in 2018’s Assassination Nation.

2019 is bound to be another big year for the gays as films that hit major festivals get their due theatrical release. Here are eight LGBT films we’re looking forward to (all descriptions are taken from press materials):

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Benedetta dir. Paul Verhoeven

The Dutch filmmaker is back with his take on the true story of Benedetta Carlini, a controversial figure in the Catholic church as she was a nun who began a love affair with another woman. The erotic drama is based on the book Immodest Acts – The life of a lesbian nun in Renaissance Italy by Judith C. Brown.

The Death and Life of John F. Donovan dir. Xavier Dolan

This English-language debut for Dolan packs an all-star cast that includes Natalie Portman, Kit Harington, Thandie Newton, and Susan Sarandon. The film deals with themes such as celebrity and homosexuality as it explores the tumultuous life of TV star John F. Donovan and the connection he built through letters to a young fan.

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Giant Little Ones dir. Keith Behrman

Behrman’s film follows Franky (Josh Wiggins), a teenager struggling to cope with all the pressure that comes with being that age. It only gets worse when his father (Kyle MacLachlan) leaves his mother (Maria Bello) for a man. He is left feeling angry towards his father, and confused about his own sexuality.

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire dir. Céline Sciamma

After her lesbian hit, Water Lilies, the French filmmaker is back with another. The film is a period piece set in 1700s Brittany. It follows Marianne, a painter who is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of a bride, Héloïse. Intimacy and attraction grow between the two as they share the reluctant bride to be’s last moments of freedom.

Rocketman dir. Dexter Fletcher

The film is a love letter to one of the most prominent figures in the LGBT community and one of the most accomplished musicians of all time, Elton John. Played by Taron Egerton, the film will explore the artist’s early years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music, through to his career and partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin.

Sorry Angel dir. Christophe Honoré

The French film made waves at Cannes in 2018 and will finally get its U.S. release this year. It tells the love story between a young twenty-two-year-old student, Arthur, and a thirty-nine-year-old Parisian writer, Jacques. Set in 1993, the film explores the effects of the AIDS crisis as Jacques is suffering from the disease.

Tell It to the Bees dir. Annabel Jankel

Starring Anna Paquin and Holliday Granger, this tender period drama is set in small-town, postwar Britain. After Lydia’s (Granger) son takes an interest in the town doctor, Jean’s, (Paquin) bee colonies, the two women form a friendship. Following the eviction of Lydia and her son, Jean opens her home to them, which raises eyebrows throughout the village as their friendship grows into something more.

Vita and Virginia dir. Chanya Button

Based on the play of the same name by Eileen Atkins, this biographical drama explores the romance between socialite Vita Sackville-West and literary icon Virginia Woolf. Gemma Arterton and Elizabeth Debicki are the forces behind this depiction of one of the most fascinating relationships in literary history. Button paints a romantic portrait of the pair from the moment their paths cross, to the publication of the work that would remain their legacy.

Which are you looking forward to seeing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.