Blue Fox Entertainment
Blue Fox Entertainment is a global film distribution and sales company founded in 2015 by Todd Slater and James Huntsman. In 2017, Blue Fox merged with Level 33 Entertainment, an independent film distributor, which now operates under the Blue Fox Entertainment banner, alongside Red Hound Films. In 2024, Blue Fox Entertainment released the GLAAD Media Award-nominated film Fitting In, which follows Lindy, a 17-year-old who has MRKH syndrome and struggles with her intersex trait and other teen issues like forming a relationship with Jax, a transmasculine student who also has an intersex trait. They also released Empire Waist, a dramedy that explores themes of friendship, self acceptance, and inclusion in the fashion industry and beyond. One of the students in this film, Marcy, is a proud queer and disabled student who aims to become a future “queer icon.”
Dark Star Pictures
Dark Star Pictures was founded in 2017 by Michael Repsch as a North American distribution company focused on thought-provoking original films. In 2024, Dark Star Pictures released GLAAD Media Award nominee Big Boys, which follows plus size teen Jamie as he goes on a camping trip with his brother, his cousin, and his cousin’s boyfriend Dan. While Jamie’s brother encourages him to pursue women, Jamie finds himself drawn to Dan. Dark Star also released the GLAAD Media Award nominee A Place of our Own, which follows two trans women, Laila and Roshni, as they try to find a home and a place in society. Additionally, the company released Carnage for Christmas, which follows transgender podcast host Lola, who returns home for the first time since transitioning and becomes involved in a mystery surrounding the ghost of a murderer from the past; as well as T-Blockers, from the same filmmaker, following a young Australian trans woman who discovers that parasites are taking over the local men and who gathers a group of vigilantes to put a stop to it. 2025 also saw the release of The Lost Boys, which follows Joe and William, two boys who fall in love while in a juvenile reform center. Other LGBTQ-inclusive films from Dark Star include sci-fi satire The Becomers, romance Chuck Chuck Baby, and drama I Don’t Know Who You Are.
Epic Pictures
Epic Pictures was founded in 2007 by Patrick Ewald and Shaked Berenson and initially focused on acquisition of foreign film rights while developing original features. In 2009 they expanded beyond genre films and in 2013 expanded into U.S. distribution with a new subsidiary, Epic Pictures Releasing. In 2024, Epic Pictures released the GLAAD Media Award-nominated film Before I Change My Mind, which follows nonbinary teenager Robin as they move to a small town in Alberta and befriend the school bully in an attempt to adapt to their new environment.
Film Movement, founded in 2003, is a North American film distributor focused on independent and international films. Based in New York City, the distributor has released more than 250 films and shorts after growing from a DVD-of-the-month club into a theatrical distributor. In 2024, Film Movement released the GLAAD Media Award-nominated film 20,000 Species of Bees, a family drama from Spain that tells the story of Lucia, an eight-year-old transgender girl, who explores her femininity alongside her family as they vacation in the countryside.
Greenwich Entertainment was founded in 2017 by Ed Arentz in partnership with an investment fund led by Edmondo Schwartz. Arentz was the co-founder of Music Box Films before starting this venture. The company specializes in feature length documentary and narrative films. In 2024, Greenwich Entertainment released the GLAAD Media Award-nominated film Close to You, which follows Sam, a trans man who visits his hometown and in the process discovers himself, reconnects with an old flame, and deals with family tensions. The label also released the GLAAD Media Award-nominated documentary Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes, which follows the life and career of the titular George Platt Lynes, one of the first openly gay American artists who was active in the 1930s and 40s. Additionally, Greenwich Entertainment released The Critic in 2024, which follows a gay film critic’s quest for revenge after he is fired from a tabloid paper; Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field, the story of lesbian costume designer Patricia Field who is responsible for costuming on shows like Sex and the City, The Devil and Emily in Paris; Queendom, which tells the story of Gena Marvin, a young nonbinary and queer Russian performance artist who gained the attention of the government by transforming themself in menacing and provocative drag; and Queen of the Deuce, which tells the story of Chelly Wilson, who was married to different men but was openly gay in 1950s New York City and is credited with being one of the first distributors to bring gay porn into the United States.
Mubi is a global streaming service, production company, and film distributor founded in 2007 by Turkish entrepreneur Efe Çakarel as The Auteurs. In 2010, the company was renamed Mubi. In 2016, the company began distributing films in the United States and the United Kingdom, and expanded to Latin America and Germany in 2021. In 2023, Mubi released GLAAD Media Award nominee Passages, as well as French fantasy film The Five Devils, satirical comedy Rotting in the Sun, and family drama Alcarras. In 2024, Mubi released the GLAAD Media Award-winning film Crossing, a drama that follows a retired teacher searching for her long lost transgender niece. Her search leads her to Istanbul where she meets a trans lawyer fighting for her community. Also in 2024, Mubi released The Last Year of Darkness, a documentary that tells the story of queer youth in China as constant change threatens the underground club Funky Town.
Music Box Films specializes in independent and foreign film, and has been releasing them in theaters and on demand since 2007. Past LGBTQ-inclusive releases include the original Swedish-language version of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) and its subsequent sequels, which feature a bisexual lead; A Quiet Passion (2016), an Emily Dickinson biopic; And Then We Danced (2020), which follows a young Georgian dancer who develops feelings for another male dancer; and Italian drama L’Immensita, which follows a dysfunctional Italian family including Andrea, the transmasculine eldest child. In 2024, Music Box Films released Solo, which follows drag queen Simon as he enters a complicated relationship with fellow queen Olivier while simultaneously navigating his relationship with his estranged mother. The label also released Glitter and Doom, a musical set to the songs of the Indigo Girls that follows musician Doom and circus performer Glitter during a summer romance that is tested as they both try to navigate their lives. Finally, Music Box released In the Summers in 2024, which follows Violeta and Eva throughout their lives as they travel during the summers to spend time with their father. Violeta is queer and both Violeta and Eva become attached to a local queer bartender.
Neon was founded in 2017 and has released numerous award-winning and far-reaching independent films. In 2021, Bleecker Street partnered with Neon to create the joint home entertainment distribution company Decal, which launched with the Bleecker Street release Supernova (2021), an LGBTQ love story. Neon’s LGBTQ inclusive highlights include the critically acclaimed lesbian French romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019); GLAAD Media Award and Academy Award nominated animated documentary Flee (2021); Ailey (2021), which paints a portrait of iconic dancer Alvin Ailey; and the GLAAD Media Award and Academy Award nominated documentary All the Beauty in the Bloodshed (2022) which tells the story of bisexual photographer Nan Goldin and her fight against the Sackler family. In 2023, Neon released the GLAAD Media Award-nominated thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline, plus LGBTQ-inclusive dramas Anatomy of a Fall and Eileen. In 2024, Neon distributed GLAAD Media Award nominee Cuckoo, which follows queer teen Gretchen as she reluctantly leaves America to live with her father in the German Alps where she becomes plagued with strange noises and visions as she discovers a secret about her own family. The label also released Stress Positions, which follows a Moroccan-American man who during the COVID pandemic is recovering from a broken leg while quarantining with his gay uncle, as well as Seeking Mavis Beacon, which follows two Black queer women, director Jazmin Jones and collaborator Olivia McKayla Ross, as they search for the woman who served as the face of Mavis Beacon in the popular typing tool Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. The film features a number of Black queer and trans people, including both Jones and Ross, in their search for the real Mavis Beacon.
Strand Releasing was founded in 1989 as a distribution company for LGBTQ films, but has since expanded their repertoire without losing sight of their queer roots. Previous LGBTQ-inclusive films include The Living End (1992); Yossi and Jagger (2002); documentary Mala Mala (2014); Monsoon, Straight Up andJosé (2020); Twilight’s Kiss, Cicada, The Winner, and Minyan (2021); Girl Picture (2022); The Blue Caftan and Mutt (2023). In 2024, Strand Releasing released the GLAAD Media Award-nominated film High Tide which follows an undocumented Brazilian immigrant in Provincetown searching for his purpose in the queer mecca as he sparks up an unexpected relationship with another man.
Tubi was founded in 2014 by Farhad Massoudi and Thomas Ann Hicks. Originally named Tubi TV, the service offered a free way to consume television with ads. In 2019, the service doubled its budget for licensing and partnered with NBCUniversal to stream over 400 episodes of television and films. In 2020, Fox bought Tubi and took it on as a subsidiary and in 2021 Tubi began producing original scripted content. In 2024, Tubi released the GLAAD Award nominated film Wynonna Earp: Vengeance, a movie follow-up of the TV series of the same name which features fan favorite queer couple Waverly Earp and Nicole Haught. Tubi also released You Shouldn’t Have Let Me In, a vampire horror film set at a bachelorette party and which includes a gay vampire hunter, as well as Blood, Beach, Betrayal, a horror film centering on a lesbian lifeguard in a quaint beachside town where things are not what they seem.
Wolfe Releasing is the oldest and largest North American distributor of LGBTQ films, founded in 1985. Past studio releases include Brother to Brother (2004), an unprecedented exploration of Black gay culture during the Harlem Renaissance; GLAAD Media Award nominees Boy Meets Girl and Naz and Maalik (2015); An Almost Ordinary Summer and Good Kisser (2020); Milkwater and The Obituary of Tunde Johnson (2021), Death and Bowling (2022), and The Sixth Reel (2023). In 2024, Wolfe released Sue Bird: In the Clutch which follows NBA legend Sue Bird, the most successful point guard to ever play, as she grapples with retirement and the future alongside her fiancée, soccer star Megan Rapinoe.
XYZ Films was founded in 2008 by Aram Tertzakian, Nate Bolotin, and Nick Spicer and focuses on international genre films. In 2010, XYZ Films partnered with French film distributor Celluloid Dreams and in 2013 expanded into international sales. In 2023, XYZ announced the New Visions label specializing in new and emerging directors. In 2024, XYZ Films released the GLAAD Media Award-nominated film Backspot, a drama that explores the world of competitive cheerleading through the lens of lesbian couple Riley and Amanda. The film also features a number of supporting queer characters throughout, including cheerleading coach Eileen.
