1st lesbian & gay international film festival ◊ Saint-Petersburg, Russia ◊ October 2008
Side by Side LGBT International Film Festival
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The idea of holding the first International LGBT Film Festival called "Side by Side" planned for this fall, is growing into a real scandal.
by Andrei Knyazev
February 11 2008, Press-Attache.ru
Original article in Russian
Famous filmmakers are ready to duel � maybe not with rapiers, but definitely with words � accusing each other in either being too conservative and old fashioned, or in trying to establish a good reputation with the sexual minorities.
The first to speak out against the Festival was the well-known advocate for moral values, director, actor, and president of the Christian Orthodox Film Festival "Golden Knight," Nikolai Burlyaev. Mark Rudinshtein also opposed the Festival, urging "not to impose your feelings that are harmful to society." Although, hearing this remark, some friends of Nikita Mikhalkov, the filmmaker who opposed Rubinshtein�s International Film Festival "Saint-Petersburg," were quick to accuse Mark Rudinshtein of simple jealousy � after all, he had been prevented from holding a film festival in Saint-Petersburg for which he had already spent a million in preparations.
By the way, Nikita Mikhalkov himself displayed a tolerant attitude towards the idea of the "Side by Side" Festival. After all, such a marginal forum cannot possibly compete with the Moscow International Film Festival. Whereas the "festival of film about natural sex," called the "Faces of Love" that Mark Rudinshtein for some reason has been unable to hold for already two years, can. And Nikita Mikhalkov has plenty of reason to gloat � when planning both the Saint-Petersburg and the "Faces of Love" film festivals, Rudinshtein kept talking about how his ideas would be more interesting and substantial than Mikhalkov�s. As for other famous people, their opinions regarding the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival are also divided.
Oleg Basilashvili, following Burlyaev and a number of other notable artists, also spoke out against the Festival, noting that "promotion of non-traditional movements is amoral." On the other hand, a famous filmmaker Aleksandr Sokurov and a rock singer Svetlana Surganova expressed their support for the idea of holding the "Side by Side" Film Festival. Now they will probably have to face accusations of practicing same-sex love. Though Surganova has nothing to lose - she already created a real PR for herself with this Festival by saying in one of her interviews that this event would help Russia become progressive in the eyes of the democratic world and the youth of other countries.
Incidentally, the governing authorities of Saint-Petersburg have not yet expressed their "yuck" towards the Festival, carefully noting that they are ready to consider it being held, but only in closed spaces�
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