Top 10 gay films on the BFI Player

Lesbian angels, a Palme d’Or winner and a film that arrived ‘like a loud smack on a bare butt cheek’ all feature in our list.

Updated:

The BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival may be over for a year, but the fun continues over on the BFI Player, our VOD platform making great film accessible to the widest possible audience in the UK.

Our landmark collection of LGBT films is the richest archive of gay cinema online. Here’s a countdown of the 10 most popular gay films now available on the BFI Player.

10. Circumstance (2011)

Circumstance (2011)

Circumstance (2011)

A wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager’s growing sexual rebellion.

Watch Circumstance on BFI Player

9. Caravaggio (1986)

Derek Jarman’s unique and refreshing biopic of the 17th-century Italian artist.

Watch Caravaggio on BFI Player

8. Rosebud (1991)

Rosebud (1991)

Rosebud (1991)

A lesbian couple arouse the interest of their new neighbour in this erotic tale of voyeurism, power-dressing and fantasy.

Watch Rosebud on BFI Player

7. The Fish Child (2009)

A gripping South American tale of forbidden love, crime and long-buried secrets.

Watch The Fish Child on BFI Player

6. G.B.F. (2013)

Three high-school girls wage war to win the latest must-have social accessory – a Gay Best Friend.

Watch G.B.F. on BFI Player

5. Alfalfa (1987)

A freebie for the cash-strapped: the queer alphabet – from AC/DC to Zipper.

Watch Alfalfa for free on BFI Player

4. Interior. Leather Bar. (2012)

Interior. Leather Bar.

Interior. Leather Bar.

James Franco and Travis Mathews recreate explicit footage cut, rumoured to be lost, from one of the most notorious gay features ever made.

Watch Interior. Leather Bar. on BFI Player

3. Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)

Blue Is the Warmest Colour

Blue Is the Warmest Colour

The epic, passionate and strikingly naturalistic Palme d’Or-winning romance.

Watch Blue Is the Warmest Colour on BFI Player

2. Baby (2001)

A teenager (Ben Whishaw) pays a sexually charged visit to the swimming pool.

Watch Baby on BFI Player

1. Stranger by the Lake (2013)

Stranger by the Lake (2013)

Stranger by the Lake (2013)

“Stranger by the Lake – released last month like a loud smack on a bare butt cheek” – Ben Roberts, Director of the BFI Film Fund

A young man witnesses a violent crime at a gay cruising ground and becomes obsessed with the killer in Alain Guiraudie’s acclaimed mystery-thriller.

Watch Stranger by the Lake on BFI Player

Read more

Back to the top

See something different

Subscribe now for exclusive offers and the best of cinema.
Hand-picked.