From disco floors to folk stages and marathon performances, queer artists have long used music to tell their own stories. These documentaries capture the sound, politics, and cultural impact behind the music.
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution
This three-part documentary series produced by PBS delves into the rise and fall of the disco era of the 1970s and early 1980s. From the genre’s early days in LGBTQ+ and Black communities to becoming a global phenomenon, this documentary series is filled with interviews with the people who danced the night away to the sounds of Sylvester, Diana Ross and many artists who defined disco. Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution never forgets or glosses over disco’s queer roots and ultimately the violent backlash that led to disco’s demise.
The Indigo Girls are one of folk rock and Americana’s most enduring musical acts, and the duo of Emily Saliers and Amy Ray take center stage in this 2023 documentary directed by Alexandria Bombach. Bombach combines four decades of behind-the-scenes and concert footage, intimate new interviews, all set to a soundtrack that is closer to fine.
Love Me Like You Should: The Brave and Bold Sylvester
Filmmaker Lauren Tabak and writer-producer Barry Walters take on disco star Sylvester’s meteoric rise, alongside his unabashed queerness in this short documentary. Sylvester had international success with hits like “Dance (Disco Heat)” and “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” while flipping the gender binary on its head. Sylvester died at 41 from AIDS-related complications, but his legacy lives on in his music and the many artists he inspired along the way.
Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music
This concert film captures nonbinary New York theater artist Taylor Mac in a 24-hour musical performance that travels through time, going back all the way to 1776 and bringing audiences back to the present. Performed as a single marathon performance, Mac moves through American history using sailor songs, disco and pop, reframing national myth through spectacle and critique. This documentary follows Mac, who uses the pronoun judy, through the grueling yet joyous performance, in front of a sold-out crowd.
Dean Johnson was a performer, activist, drag queen and a sex worker who was larger than life. A fixture of the 1980s and 1990s New York nightlife scene, Johnson blazed a trail as an out queer performer and HIV activist, as the AIDS crisis was devastating the New York gay community. Featuring interviews with Lady Bunny, Michael Musto, Penny Arcade and more.
Streaming starting February 27 on Prime Video and Apple TV
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
This documentary chronicles the famed 1990s, female-led music festival started by ally Sarah McLachlan, which ran from 1997 to 1999. The film features behind-the-scenes footage and interviews of the many performers that include queer acts the Indigo Girls, Meshell Ndegeocello and Tegan and Sara. Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery also explores the cultural impact the festival had on a generation of fans and new artists alike.