Teddy Award German foundation gave 2000 Euro prize to "Side by side" LGBT movie festival for its valuable contribution into Russian LGBT life.

Mrs. Menni de Guer, the organizer of the Russian LGBT movie festival, said that "it was a great honour for them to receive the prize from the world famous cinema foundation Teddy. The money would be used for further development of the "Side by side" festival in Saint-Petersburg and other Russian regions.

We will continue to acquaint the Russian audience with LGBT films and stir up discussions of LGBT and gender minorities' issues. It is very important because these issues, regretfully, are still a taboo and strictly censored in the Russian mass media".

For reference: Teddy Award, reports the official site of the Side by side movie festival, was established in 1987 by Wiland Shpeck and Manfred Saltzgeber - German stage directors for favouring those films of the Berlin movie festival that promote gay rights, equality and depict the life of LGBT community, establish the clear understanding of the gay life in the society, raise the problem of gay hatred.

On Friday, February 19th the winners of the Teddy Award in three categories are to be announced: the best documentary, the best short-movie, the best fiction film. The Russian "Veselchaki" pretend to win one of these nominations.

Translated by Yerdna Bananes