The Criterion Collection is THE channel for the most discerning cinephiles with a penchant for the very best in both contemporary films….. and important classic ones too. It is, therefore, no surprise that its programming for Pride Month is once again something out of the ordinary …. and a sheer delight too. For June they will be streaming ‘MASC, a 19-film series spotlighting Trans Men, Butch Lesbians, and Gender-Nonconforming Heroes.
Curated by queer filmmaker Jenni Olsen and critic Caden Mark Gardner it is a collection of films that take us on journeys through nearly four decades of cinema history in search of authentic, complex representations of masculine identity as it exists outside the realm of cisgender men. From nuanced explorations of gender-nonconforming youth (Vera, Tomboy) to powerfully moving documentary portraits (Shinjuku Boys, Southern Comfort) to innovative narratives that deconstruct both gender and genre (By Hook or By Crook, Maggots and Men), these films celebrate the courageous queer visionaries who have blazed these trails and who continue to show the way forward and inspire us all.
They feature
Vera, Sérgio Toledo, 1986
Shinjuku Boys, Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams, 1995
By Hook or By Crook, Harry Dodge and Silas Howard, 2001
Lifetime Guarantee: Phranc’s Adventures in Plastic, Lisa Udelson, 2001
Southern Comfort, Kate Davis, 2001
The Aggressives, Daniel Peddle, 2005
Maggots and Men, Cary Cronenwett, 2009
Tomboy, Céline Sciamma, 2011
Stud Life, Campbell X, 2012
Chavela, Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi, 2017
No Ordinary Man, Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt, 2021
Shorts
Storme: The Lady of the Jewel Box, Michelle Parkerson, 1987
Max, Monika Treut, 1992
Stafford’s Story, Susan Muska, 1992
Ifé, H. Lenn Keller, 1993
Trans, Sophie E. Constantinou, 1994
Vamónos, Marvin Lemus, 2016
Monsieur Le Butch, Jude Dry, 2022
Pete, Bret “Brook” Parker, 2022
Labels: 2023, butch lesbians, Criterion Channel, MASC, nonconforming heroes, trans men
