Crystal Waterton
May 2016
If interested in making LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transsexual, Gender non-conforming) films, one may be interested in a journey of more than only filmmaking, but of also being a civil rights activists. The places that need LGBT films the most can be places where they are not so eagerly accepted, or worse, outlawed. Festivals like Outfest and Newfest, are two great US festivals that readily promote LGBT films (4). These festivals create environments for LGBT people and filmmakers to represent the diversity in the community and to amplify those representations. Having a voice in film is important for the LGBT fight for equality that luxury is available everywhere, especially in Russia. Many filmmakers and film festivals are being silenced in Russia, due to the country’s latest attempt to de-westernize itself by passing a law forbidding homosexual propaganda, i.e films, making the small amounts of festival close down due to absorbent violation fees (The Moscow Premiere). These film festivals are gathering the hubs for growing movements. These festivals debut films that mirror society and more than just being a film contest, festivals are centers of education for the LGBT community and help them organize and change the look and scope of future cinema and society.
The LAW
We have all heard about Russia’s extremely strict anti homosexuality laws, but what are they really? In June of 2013, President Vladimir Putin signed into law, a ban on propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations. The law is supposed to protect children from homosexual propaganda, however, all it actually does is impose fines and jail time to citizens who portray homosexual relations as equivalent to heterosexual ones. The fines are double if this information is provided over the Internet such as a website or resource for troubled LGBT youth, youth who in Russia are considered non-existent. These laws and politics have a tremendous effect on the individuals that live in Russia. People in support of the LGBT community in Russia are victimized and murdered everyday. Like 23 year old Russian LGBT student who was tortured and murdered in the southern city Volgograd in a savage homophobic attack. His killers, friends of his, beat him to death with a concrete block after raping him with bottles because he was “a fag” (3).
What kinds of things are being done to counter act situations like these on a social level? Organizations like the Human Rights Campaign and film festivals like Side by Side are making strides in the right direction. Side by Side, is a LGBT International Film Festival in Saint Petersburg, Russia that was founded by Manny De Guerre in 2007. Says De Guerre “through the medium of high-quality, intelligent film we seek to create a forum for discussion with society at large dismantling myths and obsolete stereotypes that continue to hamper the development of the LGBT community in Russia. By generating a positive dialogue we endeavor to facilitate change, fostering respect of human rights of LGBT persons and fundamentally bringing about greater tolerance and broader acceptance of sexual minority groups within Russian society today” (6).
Regional Law
*Between 2006 and 2013, ten regions enacted a ban on “propaganda of homosexualism” among minors. The laws of nine of them prescribe punishments of administrative sanctions and/or fines. The laws in some of the regions also forbid so-called “propaganda of bisexualism and transgenderism” to minors.
Ten Russian regions passed laws banning the distribution of “propaganda” relating to homosexuality, and/or other LGBT relationships to minors.
Dark red: Ban on the promotion of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism.
Medium Red: Ban on the promotion of homosexuality and bisexuality.
Light Red: Ban on the promotion of homosexuality.
*Map and Graphic (2)
FESTIVAL DRAMA
The festival has not met without it problems in the fight for equality for the LGBT community. In November of 2013, the festivals closing ceremonies were held up because a bomb threat had to be investigated. This threat was the fifth bomb threat during the ten-day festival. But Bomb threat or not the Festival attendees pressed on showing up in drones sending an even more powerful message that equality is worth standing up for. To make matters even worse for the festival The courts “had found festival guilty of violating the foreign agents law and fined the organization 400,000” Luckily thanks to the help of media coverage around the world the organizations founder Manny Guerra was able to raise the money to pay and continue forward with the important human right’s work of the organization. (5)
The Side by side Film Festival is an important step to increase Russia’s tolerability toward the LGBT community. The Festival not only wants to debut LGBT films from around the world, but they also want to create an open dialogue to foster respect and break down negative stereotypes propagated by the countries government and ridiculous laws. It’s important to be able to have people be able to create and distribute LGBT films that reflect their everyday existence. So more than just being a film contest, these festivals are centers of education for the LGBTQ+ community to help them organize and change the look and scope of future cinema and society. Much like the film The Master and Divino, (8) The Master was able to teach the natives about filmmaking and look at how Divino, his student, was able to become a successful filmmaker by giving his audience a deeper insight into his own people with the skills he learned. I believe the same can be said for these film courses, a story is best told by its owner as oppose to an outsider looking in and observing.
IMPORTANT FILM FESTIVALS
Its important to have film festivals like Side by Side that encourage LGBT films and deal with the harsh realities of being a LGBT person in Russia. They release films like To Russia with Love, which explores human rights thorough the lens of LGBT Olympic Athletes and follows them as they deal with being Russian, managing their athletic careers, and dealing with the probing questions about the anti LGBT Law.
Other film festivals that are important to speak about here are One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, which takes place in over 30 cities in Czech Republic and is one of the largest human rights film festival in the world. This film festival recently premiered Children 404, which deals with the absolute erasure and harassment of LGBT teens in Russia and examines the consequences of Vladimir Putin’s anti-gay law on Russia’s LGBT youth.(7) It was directed by Pavel Loparev and Askold Kurov and won the Audience Award at the Mezipatra Queer Film Festival.
In Prague and Brno The Mezipatra Queer Film Festival is a queer festival whose aim is to bring world-class cinema to as large and diverse an audience as possible. They want to offer a balanced portrayal of people who are generally depicted in mainstream culture and media in terms of stereotype and cliché.
The “Mardi Gras Film Festival” is an Australian LGBTIQ film festival held in Sydney, New South Wales annually as part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations. It is organized by Queer Screen Limited, a non-profit organization, and is one of the world’s largest platforms for queer cinema. In 1976, Australia had the world’s first gay film festival, entitled A Festival of Gay Films.
GLITCH is a queer (or LGBT) film festival organized by Scottish charity Digital Desperados. The Festival focuses on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for the best of Singapore cinema. Over the decades, it has grown to become an iconic date in the Singapore arts calendar. Glitch runs free filmmaking courses for trans women of color where each participant makes their own short film.
SQIFF takes place in Glasgow, Scotland and promotes LGBTQ+ cinema and works for more equality in film culture. SQIFF’s goal is to get people watching, talking about, and making more queer films. They offer free workshops including TransActing, a performance workshop for trans and non-binary performers, scriptwriting, workshops for writers, and radical filmmaking.
SIFF focuses on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for the best of Singapore cinema. Over the decades, it has grown to become an iconic date in the Singapore arts calendar. With its focus on groundbreaking Asian cinema, this prestigious event is known for its dynamic programming and commitment to the development of a vibrant local film culture.
- The Moscow Premiere
Moscow Premiere has showcased movies that Russian audiences would consider pretty edgy, including LGBT themes. The thirteenth edition of the fest was scheduled but was cancelled due to funders backing out last minute because of the anti-gay laws. One of the movies set to debut was Zimny Put (Winter Journey), a gay-themed feature about an aspiring opera singer who falls in love with the thug who steals his phone.
Midsumma Festival is an annual celebration of queer, intersex, transsexual, transgender, bisexual, lesbian and gay culture, held during January and February in Melbourne, Australia.
The London Russian Film festival includes feature films as well documentaries and animated films. The festival encompasses Q&A sessions with actors, directors and producers presenting the films, discussion events about contemporary Russian films and culture, and film showings especially for children. In 2013 Winter Journey premiered here.
NGO’S
In Russia, LGBT youths are immensely discriminated against, but when asked about it, president Putin says “gays and lesbians are not discriminated against in Russia and the law is aimed at protecting children”(6). Not only was Putin incorrect, but discriminatory attacks on the LGBT community were on the rise. The Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest LGBT civil rights advocacy organizations in the U.S., decided to get involved and sent a letter to the heads of six major American film studios and the Motion Picture Association of America (1). The letter spoke of way they could oppose the new Anti –LGBT Law enacted in Russia. The intention, to raise awareness about the law and encourage filmmakers not to support these industries as well as to encourage filmmakers to make the kinds of films that spread the message of equality.
In spite of the hostility happening in Russia, organizations and film festivals continue to lend there support acting as centers of education and change for the LGBT community and by encouraging and promoting LGBT themed films. Russia’s journey gives us a deeper understanding of how integral the film industry is on culture and how the small meeting grounds of film festivals act as a platform for change. Filmmakers can be the mirrors of society and film festivals can act as a means of change for that society.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- “HRC CALLS ON FILM STUDIOS TO ADVOCATE FOR REPEAL OF ANTI-LGBT LAW IN RUSSIA.” States News 1 Aug. 2013. Academic OneFile. Web.
- “LGBT Rights in Russia.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web.
- Smith, Lewis, ed. “Sir Elton Lashes out at Russia Anti-gay Laws in Moscow.” The Independent [London] 7 Dec. 2013, Second ed.: 1. Print.
- “NewFest.” Outfest. N.p., 08 July 2012. Web.
- “ANOTHER SIDE OF THE STRUGGLE FOR LGBT RIGHT IN RUSSIA.” States News Servive 13 Feb. 2014. General One File. Web.
- “PUTIN DEFENDS RUSSIA’S, VISITORS.” States News Service 19 Jan. 2014. Academic OneFile. Web.
- Petrou, Micheal. Error: cannot be found: children 404 gives voice to a group that all but vanished from Russian public life.” Maclean’s May 2014: 58. Academic OneFile. Web.
- Master and Divino. Dir. Tiago Campos Torres. Prod. Amandine Goisbault. Perf. Adalberto and Divino (Xavante). 2013. Film.