Welcome to Chechnya
Directed by David France
It is so dangerous to identify as LGBTQI+ in Chechnya that those willing to take part in David France’s documentary Welcome to Chechnya needed to have their identities digitally altered, through the use of artificial intelligence and visual technologies. The crew also resorted to the use of phones, hidden cameras and other media devices to ensure that they were not brought to the attention of Chechen authorities.
France’s film follows activists, such as David Isteev and Olga Baranova, who formed part of a network that assisted people caught up in the “gay purges” that occurred in the Chechen Republic, in the south-west of Russia between February and April 2017.
During this time there were reports of the authorities torturing, detaining, disappearing and killing members of the gay community, sometimes imploring family members to kill their children and siblings to eradicate homosexuality and send a message about perceived Chechen values and morals. A predominately Muslim society, homosexuality is viewed as an affront to those in power, particularly the police and security officials.
Advocacy groups, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, called the Chechen officials out for their discrimination and use of torture against the LGBTQI+ community.
The documentary features interviews with Isteev, Baranova and others about their involvement in trying to save hundreds of people from being tortured or killed – despite the great danger this posed.
No one was immune from the purge; in some instances entire families needed assistance due to the threat of extermination by authorities, effectively turning them into asylum seekers. The film also mentioned the disappearance of a famous Chechen singer, Zelim Bakaev, who went missing after attending his sister’s wedding in the capital Grozny. The purge clearly crossed all levels of society.
Welcome to Chechnya is a must watch film. It is essential not only for shining a light on the horrors of the purge, the continual discrimination and mortal danger of the LGBTQI+ community in the Chechen Republic, but also for it’s use of AI which allows for their story to be authentically told – in the hope that it brings international awareness and advocacy for change in the country.
Surviving the Silence
Directed by Cindy L. Abel
Reviewed by Samaya Borom
Cindy L. Abel’s Surviving the Silence is a fascinating documentary about courage and what it takes to live one’s truth – at the risk of everything that an individual has worked so hard for.
We follow the story of Colonel Pat Thompson, a career Army nurse in the US military who was asked to preside over a controversial trial that discharged Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer from service – due to the fact that she was a lesbian. Unbeknownst to the military at the time, Thompson was also a lesbian and was living with her long-time partner Barbara Brass.
At its heart, this film is a love story where we are given a glimpse of how strong Thompson and Brass’ relationship is. This was achieve through interviews and a re-telling of how they both ended up having to shelter that love in order to protect it, particularly during tumultuous times when being part of the LGBTQI+ community was dangerous for those wanting to serve their country in the military.
Interspersed with archival footage and considered animations, the film constructs a narrative around how service to one’s country and service to one’s self was often conflicting as well as where changes needed to be steadfastly fought for in order to allow people to be themselves in a military setting.
The film is all the more important at a time when LGBTQI+ provisions are being actively wound back in the US and should illuminate the ability for the military to follow the path of inclusion, rather than exclusion.
Originally published here.
Samaya Argüello 