19 Queer Themed Films that Slayed the Academy Awards

The 98th annual Academy Awards will be presented tonight on March 15th. The prestigious occasion rewards the best in feature film and over the years, this has included queer-themed movies. This year, there are no queer films nominated for Academy Awards, making it the perfect time to put the spotlight on 19 queer-themed films that previously slayed the Academy Awards. Leave a comment below if we missed any of your favorites. Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

California Suite (1978)
Best Supporting Actress 
The legendary Maggie Smith won her second, and final, Oscar in 1979 for the slapstick comedy California Suite. Smith played Diana Barrie, the wife of a barely-closeted Sidney Cochran (Michael Caine). The British couple experiences comedic misadventures while staying at a Beverly Hills hotel inhabited by three other couples that find themselves dealing with romantic dilemmas. Sidney's secret bisexuality was a major part of their storyline.

 

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
Best Costume Design 
The popular Australian dark comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert told the story of drag queens Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) and Felicia (Guy Pearce) and transgender performer Bernadette (Terence Stamp) on their journey to a resort town in the remote Australian desert aboard their lavender bus, Priscilla. The queer road trip romp won an Academy Award in 1995 for the only category where it was nominated, Best Costume Design.

 

Rocketman (2019)
Best Original Song
The biographical docudrama Rocketman was a musical fantasy that chronicled the life of gay icon Elton John (Taron Egerton) through the breakthrough years of his music career, from his time as a music prodigy through his long-running musical partnership with Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell). The film won an Oscar in the only category where it was nominated as Elton John himself scored an Academy Award for Best Original Song, along with Bernie Taupin, for their collaboration "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again."

 

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Best Original Screenplay 
Based on a true story, Dog Day Afternoon follows Sonny (Al Pacino), a Vietnam veteran turned bank robber who takes hostages inside a bank, looking to steal enough money to help his trans partner Leon (Chris Sarandon) secure gender reassignment surgery, until his plans go very wrong. The acclaimed drama scored six Academy Award nominations in 1976, including acting nods for Pacino & Sarandon, but ultimately won only for Best Original Screenplay.

 

Beginners (2011)
Best Supporting Actor
The character drama Beginners follows graphic artist Oliver Fields (Ewan McGregor) attempting to move on with his life after the death of his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer) from cancer. Hal's late-in-life coming out has a major impact on his relationship with his son, as shown in extensive flashbacks during the film. Christopher Plummer became the oldest actor to win an Academy Award when he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2012. 

 

Gods and Monsters (1998)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Taking place in 1957, the biographical drama Gods and Monsters chronicled the final months in the life of James Whale (Ian McKellen), the noted director known for horror classics of the 1930s including Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards in 1999, including Best Actor for McKellen, but its only Oscar win came for Best Adapted Screenplay, which went to Bill Condon, who also directed the film. 

 

The Imitation Game (2014)
Best Adapted Screenplay
With a script based on Andrew Hodges' book, The Imitation Game told the story of Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the British mathematical genius who worked to crack the German Enigma code during World War II and was ultimately persecuted for his homosexuality. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, though it only won for Best Adapted Screenplay which went to writer Graham Moore. 

 

Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Best Adapted Screenplay
The year after Moonlight's win for Best Adapted Screenplay, the award went to another gay-themed film, as Call Me by Your Name picked up the Academy Award in 2018 for its coming of age story about the romance that develops between the teenager Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and his father's intern Oliver (Armie Hammer) during a restless summer in 1983. For his role as the queer lead Elio, Chalamet also received his first of four Oscar nominations.

 

Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
Best Actor
Based on the Manuel Puig novel, Kiss of the Spider Woman told the story of a gay man Luis Molina (William Hurt) and political prisoner Valentin Arregui (Raul Julia) who are placed together in a Brazilian prison, where they bond and develop feelings as Molina narrates film stories about sacrifice and his own life. Kiss of the Spider Woman was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, with Hurt being the sole winner in the Best Actor category. 

 

Boys Don't Cry (1999)
Best Actress
Based on a true story, the controversial true crime drama Boy's Don't Cry starred Hilary Swank as young transgender man Brandon Teena, as he navigates life, love, and identity after moving to a rural Nebraska town. Once his trans identity is discovered, Brandon's life is soon torn apart. The docudrama was nominated for two Academy Awards for acting, with Swank winning her first of two Oscars in the Best Actress category for her portrayal of Teena. 

 

Capote (2005)
Best Actor
The biographical drama centered around openly gay writer Truman Capote and his research into a grizzly murder plot for his book "In Cold Blood" scored five Academy Award nominations in 2006. The film's sole victory came for leading man Philip Seymour Hoffman who won the Best Actor Oscar for playing Capote. This would be Hoffman's only Academy Award win, though he would receive three later nominations, all in the Supporting Actor category. 

 

The Whale (2022)
Best Actor, Best Makeup and Hairstyling
The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky, centered on reclusive morbidly obese English teacher Charlie and his efforts to build a relationship with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink). Two of the film's most heralded aspects were the performance of leading man Brendan Fraser and his transformation into the obese Charlie, through makeup effects. The film won the 2023 Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

 

Philadelphia (1993)
Best Actor, Best Original Song
Tom Hanks won his first Academy Award in 1994 for his acclaimed performance as Andrew Beckett, a gay man stricken with HIV who sues his law firm for wrongful termination after they discover his condition. The film was loosely based on a true story and Hanks would follow-up with another victory the following year for Forrest Gump. With five total nominations, Philadelphia also scored with it's music as Bruce Springsteen won the Oscar for Best Original Song. 

 

Milk (2008)
Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay 
The film about the life of openly-gay politician Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) chronicled his fight for gay rights that ultimately led to his election as California's first openly gay official in the 1970s. The drama picked up eight nominations for the 2009 Academy Awards. Penn won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Harvey Milk. Out gay writer Dustin Lance Black also took home an Oscar for the script, which won Best Original Screenplay. 

 

Green Book (2018)
Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay
Two years after winning the Best Supporting Actor award for his straight role in the queer film Moonlight, Mahershala Ali scored the same award again, this time for playing a gay man in the 2019 Best Picture Oscar winner Green Book. The Best Original Screenplay chronicled the bond between working-class Italian driver Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) and classically-trained pianist Dr. Donald Shirley (Ali) on a 1960s road trip through the south for Shirley's performance tour.

 

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Best Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing
The docudrama Bohemian Rhapsody told the story of Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) and his rock band Queen during their rise to superstardom in the 1980s. Despite the success, Mercury grappled with his ego, queerness, and ultimately a fatal AIDS diagnosis. The musical drama was nominated for five Academy Awards in 2019, winning four of them, including Rami Malek for Best Actor. Interestingly, the only Oscar that the film lost was for Best Picture. 

 

Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score 
Brokeback Mountain, the iconic queer love story of Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), was a major player at the 2006 Academy Awards. Garnering eight nominations, the film won three, including a historic win for director Ang Lee, who was the first winner of Asian descent in the Best Director category. The compelling story led to a win for best Adapted Screenplay. The film was also rewarded for its music, winning Best Original Score.

 

Cabaret (1972)
Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Song Score, Best Art Direction, Best Sound
The legendary musical Caberet centered on Sally Bowles (Liza Minelli) a club entertainer living in Berlin, where she enters a throuple with her gay roommate (Michael York) and wealthy baron Maximilian (Helmut Griem), while grappling with the rise of Nazi power surrounding them. The acclaimed film dominated the 1973 Academy Awards, with ten nominations and eight wins. Joel Grey, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor would come out as gay in 2015.

 

Moonlight (2016)
Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor
The critically-acclaimed drama Moonlight scored three Oscars for its dramatic story centered on Chiron, a young gay black male coming of age across three different time periods in his life. The queer-themed film's big 2017 win for Best Picture was marred when fellow nominee La La Land was incorrectly announced as the winner during the live ceremony. This led to confusion and controversy for the first queer film, and first film with an all-black cast, to ever win the Best Picture Academy Award.