Since 2017 the Russian republic of Chechnya has detained, tortured and executed people for the crime of being gay. As the Kremlin looks the other way, it’s up to ordinary citizens to try to stop the authorities from committing pogroms. In this nerve-wracking documentary we follow a group of activists working covertly to smuggle LGBT people out of Chechnya. Filmed in secret and using state-of-the-art “deep fake” technology to anonymize its subjects, WELCOME TO CHECHNYA is one of 2020’s bravest and most important documentaries.
WELCOME TO CHECHNYA is the winner of the Checkpoints Award, our competition section for human rights films. The film will have an extra screening Sunday 18 October.
This film can be streamed on BIFF+ 12–31 October 2020. Limited amount of rentals on BIFF+.
David France
David France (USA) Filmography: THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON (2017), HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE (BIFF 2012)
