We still cannot believe that WICKED QUEER, Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival, is 41 years old this year ……but then  (i think) we were still in kindergarten back then! Not only is it one of the oldest Festivals of its kind, but it is also one of the best, and we love working with their wonderful team of volunteers who are passionate about screening the best of queer cinema.  Now that QUEERGURU spends the whole summer in Provincetown, just a short ferry ride away, it has become a home from home for our crew.  It is, therefore, an honor and a privilege to officially become one of their Media Sponsors.

As usual, we have scoured the entire diverse program to give you OUR TOP PICKS OF MUST-SEE MOVIES

It’s almost impossible not to fall in love with iconic New York City trans drag performer Peppermint in this very affectionate warts-and-all documentary A DEEPER LOVE from filmmaker Oriel Pe’er This is not just her life story but a brilliant snapshot of the struggles for trans visibility in the current moment.  UNMISSABLE

QUEER AS PUNK  by Yihwen Chen. Although it is 2025 being LGBT is still illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Although same-sex identities alone are not criminalised under the law, the act of anal sex is a crime in the country, with laws enforced arbitrarily.  Despite this trans man Faris and his punk band still travel the country playing gigs and protesting on the streets. This is compelling documentary portrait of courageous people, humorous friendship and the spirit of punk.

‘A BODY TO LIVE IN’ is the story of Fakir Musafar a legendary figure in kink culture. He is named after a Sufi mystic that was misunderstood for using a piercing  and alter ego of Roland Loomis) as a pioneer of the  Queer Art Body Modification Movement that begun in America in 1970s, was  interrupted in the 80s by the AIDS pandemic and  took center stage since 1989 movilizing  a generation of artists, thinkers and seekers up to date.  He also was considered a founder of the Modern Primitives movement in those years. This totally fascinating film shows how piercing practices are a rite of passage.  We are able to watch how the protagonist, at the the age of 61, founded the Body Piercing School to keep the magic flowing and leading to a transformation: physical, mental and spiritual.

We were so impresseed with Elegance Bratton‘s extremely impressive debut feature “The Inspection” is a somewhat harrowing tale of an out gay man being forced back into the closet, that we were ager to see what he would follow it with,.  His “Move Ya Body: The Birth of House” looks at the rise of house music and examines racism in Chicago through the life of Vince Lawrence, one of the genre’s pioneers Nyle DiMarco.  His  sophomore filmis a bold, kinetic film that pulses with the energy of the music it honors,and is completely irresistible

Friends of Dorothy are gettyng quite some attention right now.  Earlier this year there was the indefatigable Miriam Margoyles with a gem of a movie with A Friend of Dorothy, and now there is a dazzling short film from Randy Schmidt.  In Friends of Dorothy: The Yellow Brick Code, he explores the queer legacy of Oz, from L. Frank Baum’s book to the camp of the 1939 MGM classic and the world of Wicked. Featuring drag superstar Ginger Minj and author Gregory Maguire, it celebrates Judy Garland as a gay icon and Oz as a haven for LGBTQ+ fans. A spirited tribute to chosen family, fabulousness, and the enduring magic of Oz.

The  second short film we love in this festival is Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens.    We LOVE queer history and this ine pays homage to the legendary Mother Cavallucci by weaving together the present and past to provide a striking portrait of belonging and memory. Joseph “Josie” Cavallucci (aka Mother Cavallucci) is a legendary New Hope drag queen that would host annual wedding celebrations in the 70s and 80s that served as fundraisers and a community party. Poetically merging archival photographs and present day footage from a community drag show, the film sparks conversation about the modern day issues Mother Cavallucci revolutionized.

for full reviews on over 2000 queer films check out www.queerguru.com and whilst you are there be sure to subscribe to get all the latest raves and rants on queer cinema …best of all its FREE