! Tickets available at Kino Krokodil !

Film Screening “And Then We Danced” & Talk: Being LGBTQI in Eastern Europe

Kino Krokodil

Greifenhagener Str. 32, 10437 Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg)

January 20, 2020 | 19.00

On January 20, 2020 we invite you to an exclusive pre-screening of the movie “And then We Danced”, set to be released in German theaters in March. The movie tells the story of Merab, a dancer at the Georgian National Ensemble. His world turns upside down when Irakli joins the Ensemble and becomes his strongest rival and desire.

Director Levan Akin, a Swedish national with Georgian heritage, describes the film as a piece “about owning your identity in a culture that doesn’t want to accept you. […] It’s a film about not allowing anybody to tell you what tradition is, not allowing anybody to define your tradition.” The movie has received wide critical acclaim and is nominated as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.

In Georgia, however, not everybody was positively excited about the film. In fact, movie theatres had to be protected by the police when it premiered in the country. Ultra-conservative actors, deeming homosexuality a “threat to Georgian traditions,” threatened to use violence in order to prevent the screening. Hundreds came to protest against the movie in Tbilisi and the police detained 11, including one for assaulting a journalist. 

Given the widespread intolerance and hatred, LGBTQI persons in most parts of Eastern Europe often feel pressured to hide their sexual identity, with grave consequences for their health and social life. Nevertheless, there are also encouraging developments: In 2019, Kyiv held its largest ever gay pride with around 8000 attendees, which remained peaceful. In Georgia, the rise of club culture has been accompanied by increasing possibilities for queer self-expression and community-building. 

Following the screening we’d like to discuss the movie and LGBTQI rights in Eastern Europe with the following guests:

• Dr. Regina Elsner, theologian and researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) focussing on churches and human rights
• Javid Nabiyev, International Advocacy Officer at Nefes LGBT Azerbaijan Alliance
• Andreas Schmiedecker, project manager UNIT (Network for LGBT Journalists from Central Asia and Eastern Europe) at n-ost 

Tickets for the screening cost 6,50€ and can only be bought at Kino Krokodil. It is possible to reserve tickets via kinokrokodil@email.de or 030/44049298 (during the opening hours of the movie theatre). The movie will have English and German subtitles, the talk will be held in English.

We look forward to seeing you at the event! 

Any questions? Get in touch at Sonja.Schiffers@polis180.org.