Notable Gay Directors
by qempyrean | created - 24 Jan 2017 | updated - 1 week ago | PublicPast and present.
1. Xavier Dolan
Actor | J'ai tué ma mère
Xavier Dolan was born on March 20, 1989 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as Xavier Dolan-Tadros. He is an actor and writer, known for I Killed My Mother (2009), Tom at the Farm (2013) and Heartbeats (2010).
2. Julián Hernández
Writer | Mil nubes de paz cercan el cielo, amor, jamás acabarás de ser amor
Julián Hernández was born as Hernandez Perez Julian. He is a writer and director, known for A Thousand Clouds of Peace (2003), Broken Sky (2006) and Long Sleepless Nights (2000).
3. Scud
Writer | An fei ta ming
Scud was born as Danny Cheng Wan-Cheung. He is a writer and producer, known for Amphetamine (2010), Voyage (2013) and City Without Baseball (2008).
4. George Cukor
Director | My Fair Lady
George Cukor was an American film director of Hungarian-Jewish descent, better known for directing comedies and literary adaptations. He once won the Academy Award for Best Director, and was nominated other four times for the same Award.
In 1899, George Dewey Cukor was born on the Lower East Side of...
5. Pier Paolo Pasolini
Writer | Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma
Pier Paolo Pasolini achieved fame and notoriety long before he entered the film industry. A published poet at 19, he had already written numerous novels and essays before his first screenplay in 1954. His first film Accattone (1961) was based on his own novel and its violent depiction of the life ...
6. Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Writer | Faustrecht der Freiheit
Above all, Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a rebel whose life and art was marked by gross contradiction. Openly homosexual, he married twice; one of his wives acted in his films and the other served as his editor. Accused variously by detractors of being anticommunist, male chauvinist, antiSemitic and...
7. Pedro Almodóvar
Writer | Hable con ella
The most internationally acclaimed Spanish filmmaker since Luis Buñuel was born in a small town (Calzada de Calatrava) in the impoverished Spanish region of La Mancha. He arrived in Madrid in 1968, and survived by selling used items in the flea-market called El Rastro. Almodóvar couldn't study ...
8. Gus Van Sant
Director | Elephant
Gus Van Sant was born on July 24, 1952 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA as Gus Greene Van Sant Junior. He is a director and producer, known for Elephant (2003), Drugstore Cowboy (1989) and My Own Private Idaho (1991).
9. Casper Andreas
Actor | Hawaii Five-0
Casper is an accomplished actor, writer, film director and producer.
In 2020, he was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the Sprit Awards for producing "Wild Nights with Emily", Madeleine Olnek's comedic biopic about Emily Dickinson starring Molly Shannon. Also in 2020, Casper premiered his ...
10. Gregg Araki
Writer | Mysterious Skin
Gregg Araki was born on December 17, 1959 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Mysterious Skin (2004), White Bird in a Blizzard (2014) and Kaboom (2010).
11. Rikki Beadle Blair
Director | Kickoff
Rikki Beadle Blair is a director and writer, known for Kickoff (2011), Stonewall (1995) and Fit (2010).
12. Marco Berger
Director | Ausente
Marco Berger was born on December 8, 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a director and writer, known for Absent (2011), The Blonde One (2019) and Butterfly (2015).
13. James Whale
Director | The Invisible Man
James Whale was an English film director, theatre director and actor. He is best remembered for his four classic horror films: Frankenstein (1931), The Old Dark House (1932), The Invisible Man (1933) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). He also directed films in other genres, including what is ...
14. F.W. Murnau
Director | Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
F.W. Murnau was a German film director. He was greatly influenced by Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Shakespeare and Ibsen plays he had seen at the age of 12, and became a friend of director Max Reinhardt. During World War I he served as a company commander at the eastern front and was in the German air ...
15. Lino Brocka
Director | Gumapang ka sa lusak
Lino Brocka is a Philippine director who gained attention in the international film community for his films about the Marcos dictatorship. He's is most famous for the film Insiang which was well received in Cannes.
16. Q. Allan Brocka
Writer | Rick & Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World
Q. Allan Brocka's work as a director and screenwriter spans a range of genres in television, animation, live action, documentary, commercial, and feature film. He is best known as the creator, director and showrunner of Rick & Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World, a prime time animated ...
17. Bruce La Bruce
Director | L.A. Zombie
Bruce La Bruce was born on January 3, 1964 in Southampton, Ontario, Canada as Justin Stewart. He is a director and writer.
18. Derek Jarman
Director | Caravaggio
Derek Jarman was born on January 31, 1942 in London, England as Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman. He was a director and cinematographer, known for Caravaggio (1986), Edward II (1991) and Wittgenstein (1993). He died on February 19, 1994 in London.
19. Everett Lewis
Director | The Natural History of Parking Lots
20. Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Director | Loong Boonmee raleuk chat
Apichatpong Weerasethakul (b. 1970, Bangkok) grew up in Khon Kaen, a city in the north east of Thailand. He has a degree in Architecture from Khon Kaen University and a Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has been making films and videos since the ...
21. Quentin Lee
Director | White Frog
A member of Producer's Guild of America, Quentin Lee has directed and produced over ten features. His first feature SHOPPING FOR FANGS (co-directed with Justin Lin) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and became a cult classic as part of Asian American New Wave 1997. His subsequent...
22. Bavo Defurne
Director | Noordzee, Texas
Writer-Director Bavo Defurne is best known for _Souvenir_ starring Academy Award Nominee Isabelle Huppert . Defurne encourages his cast and crew to transform the story material into a visually beautiful and expressive tale. Unspoken desire, the human body and nature play a prominent role in his ...
23. Simon Chung
Director | Oi do chun
Simon Chung is a director and writer, known for End of Love (2009), Innocent (2005) and I Miss You When I See You (2018).
24. Olivier Ducastel
Director | Drôle de Félix
Olivier Ducastel was born on February 23, 1962 in Lyon, France. He is known for his work on The Adventures of Felix (2000), Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo (2016) and Côte d'Azur (2005).
25. Jacques Martineau
Director | Drôle de Félix
Jacques Martineau was born on July 8, 1963 in Montpellier, France. He is a director and writer, known for The Adventures of Felix (2000), Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo (2016) and Côte d'Azur (2005).
26. William E. Jones
Director | Finished
27. Jenni Olson
Producer | The Royal Road
Jenni Olson's 16mm essay films have earned awards and acclaim for their uniquely contemplative storytelling style. Jenni's debut feature, The Joy of Life had its world premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and went on to play a pivotal role in renewing debate about the need for a suicide ...
29. Cheryl Dunye
Director | The Watermelon Woman
Cheryl Dunye was born on May 13, 1966 in Liberia. She is a director and producer, known for The Watermelon Woman (1996), The Owls (2010) and Mommy Is Coming (2012).
30. PJ Raval
Director | Call Her Ganda
PJ Raval is an award winning filmmaker whose work explores the overlooked subcultures and identities within the already marginalized LGBTQ+ community. Named one of Out Magazine's "Out 100", PJ's credits include TRINIDAD: TRANSGENDER FRONTIER (Showtime) and BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, which follows the ...
31. Arthur Dong
Producer | Hollywood Chinese
Arthur Dong is an Oscar®-nominated and triple Sundance award-winning filmmaker, author and curator whose work centers on Asian American and LGBTQ stories. A common theme that underscores his films is personal stories of survival and resistance set against backdrops of social and cultural ...
32. Anthony Asquith
Director | Underground
British film director Anthony Asquith was born on November 9, 1902, to H.H. Asquith, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and his second wife. A former home secretary and the future leader of the Liberal Party, H.H. Asquith served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1908-1916 and was ...
33. Arthur J. Bressan Jr.
Director | Forbidden Letters
One of the pioneers of independent gay cinema in the 1970s and '80s, Arthur J. Bressan, Jr. is best known for his 1985 drama, Buddies (the first feature film about AIDS). Working across multiple genres including documentary, narrative, adult and short form filmmaking, Bressan's boldness and ...
34. John G. Young
Director | Parallel Sons
The Village Voice called Young's first feature, Parallel Sons "...one of the best independent films of the decade." After its premiere in the Dramatic Competition at Sundance, it won Best Feature awards at the Florida Film Festival, OutFest and Frameline. It screened at over 40 national and ...
36. Richard Glatzer
Writer | Still Alice
Richard Glatzer was born on January 28, 1952 in Flushing, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He is known for his work on Still Alice (2014), Quinceañera (2006) and Grief (1993). He was married to Wash Westmoreland. He died on March 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
37. Wash Westmoreland
Director | Still Alice
Hailing from Leeds, England, Westmoreland earned his college degree in Politics at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and soon after moved to America to pursue filmmaking. His 2014 film, "Still Alice," starring Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin and Kate Bosworth, saw Moore win ...
38. John Greyson
Director | Lilies - Les feluettes
John Greyson was born in 1960 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is a director, known for Lilies (1996), Fig Trees (2009) and Zero Patience (1993).
39. Rob Williams
Producer | Make the Yuletide Gay
Rob Williams is a producer and writer, known for Make the Yuletide Gay (2009), Shared Rooms (2016) and Out to Kill (2014).
40. Andrew Ahn
Director | Spa Night
Andrew Ahn is a director and producer, known for Spa Night (2016), Andy (2010) and Driveways (2019).
41. Tom Gustafson
Director | Were the World Mine
Writer/ Director Tom Gustafson's films have won over 40 awards and screened at more than 200 film festivals around the world. His feature directorial debut, the celebrated musical fantasy, Were the World Mine, was chosen by The New York Times as Critics' Pick. Among Tom's honors are a Heineken Red ...
43. Thom Fitzgerald
Director | Cloudburst
Thom Fitzgerald: Since his 1997 feature debut, Thom has won over two dozen international awards including the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Award (Genie), The FIPRESCI European International Critics' Prize, The Emerging Master Award at the Seattle International Film Festival, and the ...
44. Patrik-Ian Polk
Writer | Punks
Patrik-Ian Polk (Director, Writer, Producer), attended Brandeis University in Massachusetts and received his undergraduate degree in film and theatre from the University of Southern Mississippi in his hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He then attended graduate film school at the prestigious ...
45. Andrew Haigh
Director | 45 Years
Andrew Haigh was born on March 7, 1973 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. He is a director and producer, known for 45 Years (2015), Lean on Pete (2017) and Weekend (2011).
46. Mauritz Stiller
Director | Erotikon
Moshe "Mauritz" Stiller, born July 17, 1883, in Helsinki, Finland, was a director, writer and actor. He began his artistic activity in the theatre, as an actor at 16. Mauritz Stiller portrayed 87 roles from 1899-1916 and directed 16 productions 1911-28. Together with Viktor Sjöström ( director, ...
47. Todd Haynes
Director | Far from Heaven
Todd Haynes was always interested in art, and made amateur movies and painted while he was still a child. He attended Brown university and majored in art and semiotics. After he graduated he moved to New York City and made the controversial short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988). ...
48. Céline Sciamma
Writer | Portrait de la jeune fille en feu
Céline Sciamma was born on November 12, 1980 in Pontoise, Val-d'Oise, France. She is a writer and director, known for Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), Tomboy (2011) and Girlhood (2014).
Tell Your Friends