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Top 10 Most Diverse Films of 2025
2025 has just about wrapped, so we’re taking this time to celebrate the most inclusive films that came out this year. Graded on Gender, Race, LGBTQ, Disability, and more
From guest contributor Li Lai – originally posted on Medium and Mediaversity Reviews.
2025 has just about wrapped, so we’re taking this time to celebrate the most inclusive films that came out this year. For folks new to our publication, a quick rundown: We score movies based on metrics for gender parity and racial diversity, taking into account the representation of LGBTQ people, adults over 60, disabilities, religions, and body diversity. (See our full methodology here.)
Our top picks are by no means exhaustive, and great films we didn’t get a chance to review, such as Ponyboi, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and Bob Trevino Likes It, would probably be on this list. Additionally, we only include movies that are in theaters or streaming to keep things accessible for our readers. But that means that several indie films, which disappeared after brief theatrical runs (Cree film Meadowlarks (movie) and trans documentary Heightened Scrutiny (movie), for example) weren’t eligible. These smaller films champion fresh voices, and it’s unfortunate that streaming platforms aren’t making them widely available.
It’s a symptom of Hollywood’s broader and disheartening shift away from inclusive storytelling. But even with movies getting whiter and straighter, stories that reflect reality are out there. Filmmakers and actors are still putting in the work, day after day, to get different perspectives on screen. That’s why—more than ever—we’re still here to celebrate Mediaversity’s Top 10 Most Diverse Films of the year.
10. Twinless
Director James Sweeney (who also plays one of Twinless’ leading roles) puts a messy, relatable gay character front and center in this dark comedy that explores the depths of queer loneliness.
Mediaversity Grade: B
Twinless is currently available for rent on streaming platforms.
9. Jurassic World Rebirth
The dino action may take the spotlight in Jurassic World Rebirth, but it’s the women and people of color who drive the narrative, helping to turn the movie into a global smash hit.
Mediaversity Grade: B
Jurassic World Rebirth is currently streaming on Peacock and rentable on other platforms.
8. Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
In Laura Piani’s directorial debut, Jane Austen Wrecked My Life updates the romcom for a modern audience by portraying a woman whose happiness stems from an internal transformation, rather than from finding a man.
Mediaversity Grade: B
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is currently streaming on Netflix and rentable on other platforms.
7. Hamnet
Everyone has heard of William Shakespeare. But what of the woman he married and who bore him three children? Barely any archival records detail who Agnes Hathaway was, at least as a person distinct from her famous husband. Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet breathes life into this unknown woman.
Mediaversity Grade: B
Hamnet is currently in theaters.
6. One Battle After Another
True to most of Paul Thomas Anderson’s works, One Battle After Another is headlined by a white male lead. But the extended cast of women, most of whom are Black and multiracial, includes incredible actors such as Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, and newcomer Chase Infiniti, whose characters drive the film’s propulsive narrative.
Mediaversity Grade: B
One Battle After Another is currently streaming on HBO Max and rentable on other platforms.
5. Doin’ It
Written and directed by South Asian filmmakers, Doin’ It stars Indian Canadian Lilly Singh opposite a Filipino love interest played by Trevor Salter. This culturally specific sex comedy centers women at every turn and also includes Swiss-Pakistani lesbian comedian Jalees in a prominent role.
Mediaversity Grade: B
Doin’ It is currently rentable on streaming platforms.
4. A Nice Indian Boy
Braving censorship in India for portraying a same-sex Hindu wedding, A Nice Indian Boy deserves its flowers. The likable romcom leans into its diasporic setting and showcases its Indian family with authenticity and humor.
Mediaversity Grade: B+
A Nice Indian Boy is currently streaming on Hulu and rentable on other platforms.
3. Sinners
Earning over $350 million at the box office — the highest gross ever for an R-rated April release—Ryan Coogler’s Sinners puts another feather in the hit-maker’s cap. Not only does the predominantly Black cast explore intraracial tensions between jazz and church, or Christianity and Hoodoo, the film also puts a face to Chinese immigrants who were present in the South in the 1930s, all while challenging Hollywood’s rigid beauty standards that typically only show thin white people as sexually attractive.
Mediaversity Grade: A-
Sinners is currently streaming on Prime Video and HBO Max and rentable on other platforms.
2. The Wedding Banquet (2025)
Though it’s hard to compete with Ang Lee’s LGBTQ classic The Wedding Banquet (1990), director Andrew Ahn’s competent follow-up nails it from an inclusion standpoint. It’s wonderful to see Chinese, Korean, Duwamish, and queer main characters across age groups melding—and humorously clashing—in this heartfelt family drama.
Mediaversity Grade: A
The Wedding Banquet (2025) is currently streaming on Fubo and rentable on other platforms.
1. Worth the Wait
Perhaps an unexpected list-leader, Tubi Original film Worth the Wait and its predominantly Asian cast is more than just a diverse romcom—it shows that inclusive content works. One of the fewer streaming platforms to actually turn a profit, Tubi CMO Nicole Parlapiano explains, “We want to be a place where all sorts of creatives from different backgrounds can platform their stories and you don’t need billions of dollars to do so.” Worth the Wait is a clear product of that strategy, along with other fan favorites like Boarders (which follows British Black teens) and vampire drag movie Slay (2024). We’re here for them all, and for other studios and distributors to remember that it pays—often literally—to support diverse content.
Mediaversity Grade: A+
Worth the Wait is currently streaming on Tubi.
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