June on the Criterion channel highlights masc movies
June on the Criterion Channel, a movie lover’s dream, includes 19 films spotlighting MASC identity, curated by queer filmmaker Jenni Olson.
Spotlighting the rich stories and courageous lives of trans men, butch lesbians, and gender-nonconforming heroes, this collection—curated by writer-archivist-filmmaker Jenni Olson and critic Caden Mark Gardner—journeys through nearly four decades of cinema history in search of authentic, complex representations of masculine identity as it exists outside the realm of cisgender men. From nuanced explorations of gender-nonconforming youth (Vera, Tomboy) to powerfully moving documentary portraits (Shinjuku Boys, Southern Comfort) to innovative narratives that deconstruct both gender and genre (By Hook or By Crook, Maggots and Men), these films celebrate the courageous queer visionaries who have blazed these trails and who continue to show the way forward and inspire us all.
Features
Vera, Sérgio Toledo, 1986
Shinjuku Boys, Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams, 1995
By Hook or By Crook, Harry Dodge and Silas Howard, 2001
Lifetime Guarantee: Phranc’s Adventure in Plastic, Lisa Udelson, 2001
Southern Comfort, Kate Davis, 2001
The Aggressives, Daniel Peddle, 2005
Tomboy, Céline Sciamma, 2011
Stud Life, Campbell X, 2012
Chavela, Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi, 2017
No Ordinary Man, Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt, 2021
Shorts
Storme: The Lady of the Jewel Box, Michelle Parkerson, 1987
Max, Monika Treut, 1992
Stafford’s Story, Susan Muska, 1992
Ifé, H. Lenn Keller, 1993
Trans, Sophie E. Constantinou, 1994
Maggots and Men, Cary Cronenwett, 2009
Vamónos, Marvin Lemus, 2016
Monsieur Le Butch, Jude Dry, 2022
Pete, Bret “Brook” Parker, 2022