The Celluloid Closet

Description: A 1996 documentary based on the book of the same name, 100 years of queer cinema is laid out from the first experimental sound test in 1895 up to mainstream releases in the mid-1990s. With interviews from the creators who made them, this film was a groundbreaking look into the censorship that led to, among other things, the development of queer-coded film language and tropes like "Bury Your Gays" that we're still pushing back against today. It also shows, however, the perseverance and creativity of the artists involved, regardless of sexuality, when it came to telling the story they wanted to tell regardless of the constraints laid on them.

Absolutely a must-see for anyone interested in LGBTQA+ media history, this is also a useful glance at affordances and practical constraints, coded language, and behind-the-scenes processes in Hollywood.