This is a weekly newsletter where I will be recommending LGBTQIA2S+ short films from around the world! Each week’s recommendations will add up to no more than an hour cumulatively.
Who am I, and why am I recommending you films?
I’m Deepa, a queer agender Indian-American person in my thirties; please use my name instead of pronouns when you refer to me! And I am in no way someone who has specific expertise in film – I’ve never even taken a film studies class. But I am someone currently going through long covid, so I have both a lot of time on my hands and a short attention span. That, in turn, means that watching short films has been one of the few ways I can keep myself occupied while laying in bed sick! So I thought I would share what I’ve found with people since there are some awesome films out there.
What will you get in these newsletters?
I’ll be giving you a little commentary on what I enjoyed about the film and any information I can find about the filmmakers or the way the film was created, including ways you can support the filmmakers, if that info is available. At the end of each newsletter, I will share content notes a in a way where you will not have to read them if you don’t want to.
What kind of films will be recommended?
I’m choosing films from around the world that cover a broad range of experiences within LGBTQIA2S+ communities. The majority will be dramas, because that is what I have found to be the most common genre, but I’ve also found many wonderful short comedies, rom-coms, documentaries, speculative films, and horror and thrillers.
Some of the films I recommend will be on subscription-only sites that you have to pay to access. I wrestled with whether or not to include these but the truth is that many LGBTQIA2S+ short films are hosted on queer-content sites like GagaOOLala, or film sites like MUBI. If you have the means to subscribe to those sites, I have had a good experience with their content.
One last thing I should note is that I am committed to promoting films that center own voices through their production and casting – in particular, making sure that trans stories are created and portrayed by trans people, that disability stories are created and portrayed by disabled actors, and that films portraying people of color aren’t whitewashed. However, with short films, especially short films in languages I don’t speak, that information is sometimes hard to find. I will make sure to do as much research as I can to determine this for each short film, but sometimes I will have to make a judgment call to recommend a film without knowing much about the actors or creators.
Last notes
You can find the list of the types of content notes that I’ll be including on the About page. If there are additional content notes you’d like to request, please email me!
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