The Autostraddle Encyclopedia of Lesbian Cinema

The Autostraddle Encyclopedia of Lesbian Cinema in white on a blue background with a collage of stills from the films.

Since I started writing at Autostraddle in 2018, updating and expanding our Best Lesbian Movies list has been one of my primary projects. I’ve watched hundreds of films, seeking out lost hidden gems and keeping up with new films released each year. The updated 100 turned into 200 and as it grew I knew the list needed to split. There were just too many movies to limit to any manageable number. And so The Autostraddle Encyclopedia of Lesbian Cinema was born, a companion to our ranked list.

Last year, that ranked list got a makeover with input from 78 queer writers and artists who submitted ballots. Now it’s time for the Encyclopedia to get a makeover of its own. Even at its former 200 titles, the list was too unwieldy for our regular site. Now it’s expanded to over 375 films and I’m adding more every day. That’s why I’m so excited to announce encyclopedia.autostraddle.com, a site for AF+ members with a sortable collection of the best (and worst!) sapphic cinema.

So how does it work?

If you’re an AF Media or AF+ member, you can just enter the email attached to the account. If you’re not, you can become one for as little as $4 a month. Once you’re in the site, you’ll see all the films listed alphabetically. You can search for a title or a browse via genre, star rating (these ratings are very loose don’t be mad!!), or identity if you only want to search through films with trans main characters or characters of color. You can then add films to either your favorites list or your watchlist.

Each film also has its own page with a short review written by me. And if you want more info either before or after watching, any film that’s been covered by Autostraddle has links to those reviews, essays, and interviews.

Ready? Start exploring!

It’s called The Autostraddle Encyclopedia of Lesbian Cinema, but we’re using the word lesbian in a very expansive 20th century sort of way. This list is inclusive to all women and nonbinary characters romantically or sexually involved with women or nonbinary characters. Unlike past versions of the list, there’s no quality cap. While I prioritized films I like, the site also has some movies I’d include on a worst lesbian movies list. It also includes movies with lesbian subtext when that subtext is widely agreed upon and part of the text — for example, Rebecca (1940) is included, but Bring It On (2000) is not. (Sorry.)

I have my own private list of movies to add as I continue to expand the site, but there’s also a feature where you can make recommendations! It’ll be helpful for me in recommending films I might not know about and in deciding what I should prioritize as adding from my own list.

Okay I think that’s everything! If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. Or just let me know what films you’re excited to watch from your watchlist!

WELCOME TO THE AUTOSTRADDLE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LESBIAN CINEMA!

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!
Related:

Drew Burnett Gregory

Drew is a Brooklyn-based writer, filmmaker, and theatremaker. She is a Senior Editor at Autostraddle with a focus in film and television, sex and dating, and politics. Her writing can also be found at Bright Wall/Dark Room, Cosmopolitan UK, Refinery29, Into, them, and Knock LA. She was a 2022 Outfest Screenwriting Lab Notable Writer and a 2023 Lambda Literary Screenwriting Fellow. She is currently working on a million film and TV projects mostly about queer trans women. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Drew Burnett has written 704 articles for us.

41 Comments

  2. CONGRATULATIONS DREW!!!!!! nothing NOTHING else exists like this anywhere else but here. i love the sheer size of this project and the voice you bring to it, too <3

    Reply to This Comment

  9. Thank you for this list, there are plenty of recent and older titles I wasn’t familiar with, and a good reminder of a lot of movies I’ve enjoyed. I also have quite a few titles to submit for consideration which I will come back to do!

    Reply to This Comment

  10. I watched 8 Femmes on Logo while dog sitting for the gay couple across the street in what feels like a fever dream from 20 years ago. So fun, so entrancing…if anyone knows how I could find this masterpiece my eternal thanks would be yours.

    Reply to This Comment

  15. Following on from the above, these are my fave suggestions to add:

    April’s Shower – low budget
    and of its time, but sweet
    The Baby Formula –
    mockumentary, interesting concept
    of both women being pregnant at
    once, not to mention the “science”
    behind it
    Being John Malkovich – I’ve seen
    Jude Doyle’s read of this as a trans,
    rather than lesbian, film but I can’t
    recall without a rewatch how it
    comes across, certainly a very
    original film
    Bye Bye Blondie – very
    mainstream-style romance with
    major French actors
    Clouds of Sils Maria – YMMV on
    the explicitness of the queer content
    but a fantastic film that feels so
    queer. I love how Juliette Binoche’s
    character traverses the entire gender presentation spectrum like that ‘futch’ meme.
    Dual – lovely quiet Slovenian film
    about two women who connect
    briefly
    The Edge of Heaven – classy German-Turkish film with a lovely lesbian couple, though not a happy film at all
    A Family Affair – a low-budget
    2000s Jewish family coming out
    film
    French Twist – this film is very French!
    The Girl Who Played With Fire
    and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – these sequels to the
    Swedish film are the better stories
    for me and the middle one (at least)
    has more explicit queerness.
    Ghostbusters – it’s a small part of the movie but Holtzman’s queerness is clear
    Girl, Interrupted – the kiss between Winona and Angelina in this movie is my root
    Girltrash: All Night Long – I know this didn’t turn out quite the way the director wanted it, but I think it’s such an enjoyable film in a class with DEBS
    Henry and June – sexy, serious, literary
    Jamie and Jessie Are Not Together – cute musical romcom
    Kaboom – it’s a trip
    Kinsey – it’s a small role but Lynn Redgrave is so powerful as an older woman with a beautiful “it gets better” story
    The Laramie Project – play adaptation with various queer characters
    Laurence Anyways – gradually developing love story between a trans and a cis woman

    The Monkey’s Mask – I don’t love this film but it’s one of the biggest Australian lesbian films, and an adaptation of an excellent book
    The Mountain/Fjellet – slow burn romantic drama
    Nathalie… and Chloe – I love the complex screenplay of the original, but I also love the explicit sexiness of the remake so they each have their advantages
    The Other Side of the Bed and
    The Two Sides of the Bed – Spanish musicals with the tone of 8 Women although I can’t vouch for how they’ve aged. In the first film, one of two male friends thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him with her lesbian friend. In the second, both girlfriends are indeed cheating and in love with each other.
    Prey for Rock and Roll – rock music drama with some heavy storylines and a bunch of queer women
    The Ring Thing and That’s Not Us
    – interesting, low-budget Canadian
    talkies. One is about and the other
    features a lesbian couple.
    Room in Rome – I know many
    don’t consider this a good film, but I
    find it romantic and sexy and enjoy
    the lush hotel and the music
    The Spanish Apartment and its
    sequels Russian Dolls and Chinese
    Puzzle – the lesbian here is never
    the main character, but we get to see her love life and her close friendship
    with the male character as she grows over the years
    Tru Loved (2008) – early and cute
    example of a portrayal of lesbian
    parents of a teenage kid
    Vivere – don’t remember this well
    but it was a thoughtful drama
    What’s Cooking – an early holiday
    movie with lesbian representation
    Wild Side – a must-watch for fans
    of Bound. Not as good but very very
    similar and came out the same year.
    A classic Antz/A Bug’s Life
    situation!

    Reply to This Comment

  16. thank you so much for this, Drew. actually I had been waiting for this sort of thing. <3 merci. I love your passion for cinema, I guess you are partially responsible for my own exploration of cinema

    Reply to This Comment

  18. https://flashbak.com/a-time-before-netflix-vintage-tv-movie-of-the-week-adverts-365256/

    “A triad of lesbian movies aired in the late 1970s: (1) The War Widow (1976), about a woman who falls for another gal while her spouse is off fighting in World War I. (2) This little gem from 1977 starring Barbara Hershey as a lesbian on trial for murdering her blackmailer. And, finally, (3) the 1978 drama A Question of Love which was hugely popular and paved the way for a tidal wave of lesbian TV flicks in the 1980s.”

    In (2) Barbara Hershey and Diana Scarwid have a sizzling jail scene in “In the Glitter Palace/ A Woman Accused.” As a reviewer noted, “I had to give it two stars just because it was so much fun to see Chad Everett get tromped by misanthropic lesbians in a bar.” There’s also also a corrupt closeted lesbian judge.

    Sadly the transfer for VHS/DVD has trash audio. Hopefully someday it will get a proper release.

    Reply to This Comment

  20. This is so cool, if you haven’t seen these lesbian movies you should definitely watch them and possibly add them to this list as well. Elisa y Marcela (2019), amazing movie, and then Desire (AKA “Q”, 2011), only certain parts of that one were amazing if you know what I mean.

    Reply to This Comment

  21. Ok but the Perfection is actually a wicked good film…. the twists are stellar?? Yes some content is hard to swallow but please tell me why it’s bad? It’s artful, twisty, edgy…

    Reply to This Comment

  22. It is an online gambling website that has the most members. Because it is a gambling website that has been trusted by a large number of people, there are many service users and there is also a fast service that makes users with us impressed and trusting us.

    Reply to This Comment

  25. This list is absolutely wonderful- without it, my DVD cabinet would be sadly devoid of anything sapphic. I know you are very busy, but when you can, could you maybe say what the films were that you couldn’t access to watch, apart from ‘me siento extrana’?

    Reply to This Comment

  27. Thank you for reminding me that this exists, as I never got around to making use of it the first time it was posted!!! Great collection here, and I’m so impressed at how many movies you’ve watched, and I can’t wait to watch a bunch of these movies! I have a question about the title system. Is there a certain rule for when the original title of a film is shown and when the English translation (and is there a reason that sometimes it’s both)? Would it be possible to always have both in a set order? Also, do you think it’s technically possible to navigate by first letter (or at least by numbered pages instead of only one giant scroll)? I just wanted to look through the whole catalogue and it was a pain in the butt that every time something went wrong or I exited out I needed to click “see more” a bazillion times to get to where I was before. Love the watchlist function and I love that the entries link to Autostraddle reviews where possible :) Amazing work!

    Reply to This Comment

    • Thank you!!! This feedback is so helpful. I’d also noticed the “see more” issue and will definitely pass that along to the designers.

      And the English translation vs. original titles was basically done by what they’re known as/advertised as? (Like Je Tu Il Elle is almost never I You He She, but Portrait of a Lady on Fire is known as that.) But it isn’t always consistent, so I’ll do a pass to try to keep that clearer.

      Thanks again!

      Reply to This Comment

Contribute to the conversation...

Yay! You've decided to leave a comment. That's fantastic. Please keep in mind that comments are moderated by the guidelines laid out in our comment policy. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation and thanks for stopping by!