The 10 Most Anticipated Queer Movies of 2026
Politically, the world appears to be on a one-way trip to hell in a handbasket. Cinematically, it’s never been a better time to be queer. 2026 is loaded with big-deal queer movies, including the BDSM biker-daddy thriller Pillion and the Brat Summer mockumentary film The Moment starring Charlie XCX. If gay filmmaking trends continue this year (and they appear to be doing just fine), then 2026 is set to be one of the best years for queer cinema in recent memory. These are the 10 most anticipated queer films of the year, from star-studded blockbusters to quiet indie bangers that deserve more hype.
Mother Mary
Directed by David Lowery, Mother Mary is a psychological drama film about a pop singer’s sapphic love affair with her costume designer. The singer, known by the mononym “Mary,” is set to be played by Anne Hathaway — an iconic, pop-cultural mother to all. Her lover will be played by Michaela Coel, known for her Emmy award-winning comedy-drama series I May Destroy You. The cast is rife with other big-name queer icons, including Euphoria‘s Hunter Schaffer and the musician FKA Twigs. The music for the film will be composed by David Hart, who scored the supernatural drama film A Ghost Story and Lowery’s earlier dark fantasy epic The Green Knight. Additional songs will be provided by Charlie XCX (scream) and Jack Antonoff, the producer and co-songwriter behind Lorde’s Melodrama and Lana Del Ray’s Norman F*cking Rockwell! All this to say, Mother Mary is set to hit like a pop-culture truck.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is the third feature film by Jane Schoenbrun, the visionary director responsible for the nostalgia-drenched trans coming-of-age parable I Saw the TV Glow and the internet-horror film We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. Honoring the long-standing horror tradition of slashers set at summer camp, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma‘s film-within-a-film plot follows a queer director hired to shoot the next installment of the in-universe famous horror franchise Camp Miasma. The director becomes obsessed with hiring the final girl from the original film, an actress who has aged into a reclusive shut-in. As the pair attempt to make movie magic, their psycho-sexual relationship soon explodes into full-blown mania. The film, the crew, and creators may not survive the ride. According to Schoenbrun, the film is about the euphoria of post-transition sex and the difficulty of enjoying sex in a pre-transition body, with a horror twist.
Heartstopper Forever
Piggybacking off the impact of queer cultural touchstone series Heartstopper, Heartstopper Forever stars high-school lovebirds Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring in their first-ever feature film. Kit Connor and Joe Locke will reprise their roles as the beloved couple, and the film will serve as a feature-length finale to the series. One of Netflix’s most popular series, Heartstopper ranked seventh in the Global Top 10 for English-language television series in the first week of its release, and climbed to fifth most-viewed in week two. Beloved by critics and fans alike, Heartstopper is a modern classic in the teen romance canon, and one of the most groundbreaking queer TV series in history. With all these accolades, it’s safe to say nothing will stop Heartstopper Forever from becoming a cultural landmark.
Girls Like Girls
Directed by songwriter Hayley Kiyoko, Girl Like Girls is a coming-of-age sapphic romance named after her 2015 hit. An adaptation of her 2023 book, the story follows 17-year-old Coley, a new arrival in a small Oregon town after her mother’s death. Coley soon falls hard for a girl named Sonya, but her budding queer feelings are challenged by abandonment fears and her estranged relationship to her family and her sexuality. A messy story of first love, Girls Like Girls dramatizes the feelings stirred up by a mid-10s anthem that kicked off an era of sapphic pop. The film is sure to continue the song’s legacy, serving as a blueprint for coming-of-age sapphic cinema.
Cry to Heaven
Produced and directed by fashion designer Tom Ford, Cry to Heaven is an adaptation of Anne Rice’s historical novel of the same name. Set in 1700s Italy, the story follows Guido Maffeo and Tonio Treschi. The former is a peasant-born castrato who becomes a composer after losing his singing voice, and the latter is a recently castrated young noble who is taken in as Guido’s new opera student. Rice’s most well-known series Interview With the Vampire is famous for its bloody drama and scenery-chewing passion, and Ford’s film is sure to unfold with similarly dark decadence. Cry to Heaven‘s cast is stacked, featuring Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hunter Schaffer, Lux Pascal, Colin Firth, and even an appearance from Adele. It’s going to be a glamorous and gutting exploration of masculinity, gender roles, and ambition in one of art’s most sophisticated mediums.
Stop! That! Train!
Directed by Adam Shankman, Stop! That! Train! is set to be high camp from the title alone. Giving a new definition to the word “trainwreck” this disaster comedy film stars an ensemble cast of drag queens who are trying to stop a superstorm from derailing the high-speed “Glamazonian Express.” Drag Race alums Ginger Minj and Jujubee are set to play two disgruntled stewardesses given the opportunity to shine by preventing impending doom. Meanwhile, RuPaul is set to play the President of the United States — an unhinged politician named Judy Gagwell. While the details of how the group will stop the “Stromaganza” from wrecking the train aren’t yet apparent, it’s clear that the film will be the wildest of rides.
The Housekeeper
Ever noticed the cut-it-with-a-knife thick sapphic tension in the Old Hollywood classic Rebecca? Evidently so did Richard Eyr, and the director is set to unpack it in his upcoming film The Housekeeper. An adaptation of Rose Tremain’s adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s gothic novel, the film reinterprets the emotionally tortured original into a clandestine love affair between the Manderley mansion’s housekeeper, Danni, and the young author herself. How did Danni transform from a passionate lover into the jealous and lonely woman the reader meets in Rebecca? While the details aren’t clear to anyone who hasn’t read the book, The Housekeeper is set to unfold with the period charm of Carol and the tempestuous feelings of Wuthering Heights. Hopefully, things will end better for Danni this time around.
Leviticus
While queer cinema has historically played conversion therapy for laughs in classics like But I’m a Cheerleader, Adrian Chiarella’s horror film Leviticus refuses to sugarcoat the dangerous practice. Set in Australia, the film follows two teenage boys whose love affair is discovered by their local pastor. In an effort to “cure” their queerness, the pastor subjects them to a bizarre ritual that releases a demonic entity, which takes the form of a victim’s lover. Hunted by both a supernatural darkness and their conservative community, the two teens are forced to go on the run in what is set to be a starkly relevant work of social horror. As queer people are subjected to religious scrutiny in an increasingly conservative world, films like Leviticus are a modern-day necessity.
PERFECT
Recently premiered at SXSW Film Festival, PERFECT is the first feature-length film from director Milicent Hailes. Set in a not-so-distant future dystopia, the film follows a 20-something woman named Kai through a desert world where the rich hoard water. As Kai travels from town to town in search of the new liquid gold, she crosses paths with a wealthy painter named Mallory — the young drifter and older woman soon fall for each other. While the romance begins with the slow burn Western heat of sapphic classic Desert Hearts, the pressures of social class and resource competition cause Kai and Mallory’s love affair to spiral out of control. The film stars queer icon Julia Fox as Mallory, in what may potentially be her best role yet. When it comes to both cinematic legacy and impending climate disaster, only time will tell.
Trial of Hein
Directed by Kai Stänicke, Trial of Hein is the story of a young man who returns to his isolated island home after 14 years to discover that his community no longer recognizes him. Described by the director as a queer coming-of-age parable, Hein is placed on trial and forced to prove his identity by recounting his childhood memories of the island, which contrast with the community’s hazy recollections of him. Written in an archaic dialect of German, Trial of Hein is a heavily stylized film with all the nautical foreboding and queer undertones of The Lighthouse. It’s a story about the inherent isolation that comes with being queer, particularly when a person leaves their old life behind to discover themselves. Upon returning, one’s old home can suddenly feel unfamiliar, even hostile. While Hein’s sexuality might not be at the forefront of the film’s drama, the greater metaphor of seeking acceptance from one’s community holds strong.
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