St. Petersburgs queer cinema festival Bok o Bok (skin to skin) finalized the results of Siberian tour. Just remind you that during the four-day period of April 15-18 of 2010 people of Novosibirsk watched the best lesbian and gay movies of the festival program and discussed the topics connected to homophobia, the rights of gays and lesbians in Russia as well as got acquainted with a photo exhibition of Lida Mikhailova "Coming out of the Closet".
In Kemerovo the fessival was to take place from 17th till 19th of April at two cinemas: in a State cinema - the Palace of Youth and a private cinema Planeta Kino. The city administration had expresseâ support for the festival earlier. However, the day before the festival opening it changed its attitude. As a result, the Palace of Youth refused to host the festival, and Planeta Kino got under such an administration pressure that also caused the refusal.
As noticed the organizers of festival in their press-release in Novosibirsk the festival of LGBT-movies drew the attention of spectaculars and press. About 700 people visited the activity Bok o Bok, and journalists were actively interested in the festival events. As Mr. Vladimir Miller, the representative of Culture Department, who attended the opening of photo exhibition Coming out of Closet, which was the important composition part of festival, noticed: "We are building an open democratic society, and we respect the theme of cinema festival."
Despite the prohibition of festival Bok o Bok in Kemerovo, the members of organization committee managed to make an agreement with an alternative cinema in which the people of Kemerovo watched movies for three days and shared their opinions on the existing situation.
According to Article 5 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, each person has the right to carry out and visit a cultural event. We realized this right in Novosibirsk, and this was a vivid and successful event of cultural and social life in the capital of Siberia. But we faced the discrimination in Kemerovo. However, we will continue to work and achieve the realization of our rights", assessed the results of Siberian tour Menni de Guar, the organizer of LGBT-movies festival Bok o Bok.
