Documentary Filmmakers From the LGBTQ Community

A documentary film is a non-fiction production that reflects the opinions or facts around a specific person, event, place or thing through the medium of film. They consist of heavily researched material that is presented with the objective of recording the subject matter in a way that brings awareness of the subject matter, influences the viewer's perception about it, and inspires the viewer. They tend to include interviews and archival material such as photos and film.

Most producers and directors of documentaries created by members of the LGBTQ focus on issues relevant to the community. These tend to be issues around rights, historical events of importance, or profiles of members of the community itself. They tend to reflect the interests of the producer of the documentary, such as transgender issues, HIV/AIDS, the struggle for equality, and so on. In some cases, the LGBTQ documentary filmmaker is an expert in a general issue of interest to everyone.

Many LGBTQ documentary filmmakers have received the highest honours available in the film industry. These include the Academy Award for Best Documentary won by Canadian Norman McLaren or Americans Edward Field, Roger Ross Williams, Robert Epstein, Debra Chasnoff, Sandy Gallin and Jeffrey Friedman, and the Emmy Awards won by Americans Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Andrea Weiss and Jeffrey Schwarz. Many film festival awards have been presented to lesbian, gay and transgender documentary filmmakers, including from the Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and Berlin International Film Festival. There are numerous festivals around the world that focus exclusively on presenting documentaries.

Their popularity is reflected in the number of countries from which LGBTQ documentary filmmakers can be found.

We have identified the following LGBTQ individuals who are notable documentary filmmakers. Simply click on their name to read their fascinating biographies.

Belgium