Great Freedom (2021): Austrian Oscar Entry (LGBTQ, Gay)

For Hans, the gay protagonist of Austrian entry Great Freedom, life in post WWII Germany is mostly spent at the same prison.

He’s repeatedly convicted under Paragraph 175, the now-defunct law that criminalized any homosexual activity.

The film is a period piece, but its story remains relevant as an examination of human rights that are still denied in many countries — and can’t be taken for granted even where they are permitted. “Conservative forces are getting stronger again in democratic societies the world over: you’re seeing it in Hungary and Poland, but even in Germany and the U.S. Our democratic rights are still endangered, and this film is a reminder of that.”