On December 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law that calls for a “ban on LGBT propaganda.” Now, Russia’s only LGBTQ film festival has been banned.
In the exclusive interview that follows, Polyakov shares his analysis of the new Kremlin law, the hopes and fears of queer Russians, and the crucial role of cinema in forging LGBT identity and culture.
A person who trusts. He trusts what he is told and doesn’t ask questions. This is what is being sought in the laws, including concerning war. They want to create a system in which you won’t be tempted to resist. In principle, there is a trend on the general ban of any grassroots initiative. People who don’t live in Russia have to understand: even NGOs that take care of sick children or work in areas that are entirely unrelated to politics and war, if they work in some way with the state, for example, receive funding from the state, then these NGOs can’t do anything without the consent of the state. All initiatives that used to be part of the private sector are no longer initiatives.
I worked on five to seven festivals, being there for a whole day or several days in a row, and in general, not a single festival went without confidence that we were doing something right. Every show, every opening, was a full house. To the point that I remember that my acquaintances asked if I could find tickets for them, and I could no longer, although I sold them right that day.
What role do cinema and your festival play — or have played since its inception in 2008 — in helping people discover who they are and have this sense of legitimacy while facing intense homophobia in Russia? Would you say that film — as a medium — is more efficient in uniting and educating people than other works of art? Is there something in cinema that helps to convey the values that Side by Side wants to bring in the best, most effective way?
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