University Libraries

With the University Libraries’ subscription to Kanopy, an on-demand streaming video service for public libraries and educational institutions, people at UD have access to a large collection of classic films, independent productions and documentaries. In honor of Pride Month, Kanopy assembled a list of 256 LGBTQ-related documentaries and stories. Some highlights:

'Regarding Susan Sontag: Portrait of a Feminist Icon' (2014)

An intimate and nuanced investigation into the life of one of the most influential and provocative thinkers of the 20th century. Curious, passionate and gracefully outspoken throughout her career, Susan Sontag became one of the most important literary, political and feminist icons of her generation. Documentary tracks Sontag's life through experimental images; archival materials; accounts from friends, family, colleagues and lovers; and her own words as read by Patricia Clarkson. From her early infatuation with books to her first experience in a gay bar and from her early marriage to her 15-year relationship with legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, this is a fascinating look at a towering cultural critic and writer whose works on photography, war, illness, and terrorism continue to resonate. Winner of a Special Jury Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival.

'States of Grace:  An Inspiring Journey of Resilience, and Renewal' (2014)

Winner of multiple audience awards, States of Grace intimately captures the transformation of a revered physician and her family in the wake of a life-changing accident. For Dr. Grace Dammann, a pioneering AIDS specialist who was honored by the Dalai Lama, a routine commute across the Golden Gate Bridge turned tragic when another driver crashed head-on into her car. After seven weeks in a coma and a dozen surgeries, Dammann awakened with her cognitive abilities intact, though her body was left shattered. States of Grace follows her return home to the Buddhist community where she and her partner live with their teenage daughter, who was born with cerebral palsy.

'We Were Here: The AIDS Years in San Francisco' (2011)

An intimate history of the AIDS years in San Francisco, as told through the stories of five longtime San Franciscans, this film documents the coming of what was called the "Gay Plague" in the early 1980s. It illuminates the personal and community issues raised by the AIDS epidemic as well as the broad political and social upheavals it unleashed. The film offers a cathartic validation for the generation that suffered through and responded to the onset of AIDS. It provides insight into what society could and should offer its citizens in the way of medical care, social services, and community support.

'Real Boy: A Son’s Transition. A Mom's Transformation' (2016)

As 19-year-old Bennett Wallace navigates sobriety, adolescence and the evolution of his gender identity, his mother makes her own transformation from resistance to acceptance of her trans son. Along the way, both mother and son find support in their communities, reminding viewers that families are not only given, but chosen. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Frameline Film Festival.

'Gen Silent: Discrimination Against LGBT Seniors' (2012)

The generation that fought hardest to come out of the closet is going back in to survive. What would you do if you were old, disabled or ill — and the person feeding you put down the spoon and said that you are going to hell unless you change your sexual preference? Sound absurd? Social workers around the world say it’s happening every day. Gen Silent is the critically acclaimed documentary from filmmaker Stu Maddux that asks six LGBT seniors if they will hide their friends, their spouses — their entire lives — in order to survive in the care system.

ACCESSING KANOPY

To view these or other films on Kanopy,  sign in at https://udayton.kanopy.com/ with your University credentials.