This list was originally published on June 22, 2021. It has been updated to include more films for Pride Month.

Documentary film bears a specific responsibility in preserving lives and legacies with its ability to visually immortalize historical movements, personal reflections, and community spaces beyond the constraints of memory. By providing communities with the opportunity to share stories of their predecessors, identities, and movements, the relationship between LGBTQ+ women and self-documentation becomes one of unyielding necessity. Whether it be challenging the chronology of queer history or piecing together a profile of an underappreciated individual, documentary film is a vehicle of visibility.

From 1920s lesbians appreciating art in Paris to a retired Illinois couple coming out after six decades together, here is a collection of 16 emblematic LGBTQ+ women-focused documentaries to add to your watchlist this Pride Month.

Established in the 1960s, Maud’s was the longest-lasting lesbian bar in the United …