True to Queer

‘True to Queer’ is a collection of short films about diversity and courage. These are the stories of Ukrainians from the LGBTQIA+ community who remain true to themselves despite the judgment of their loved ones, social pressure, and Russian military aggression.

With the temporary occupation of Crimea in 2014, the international queer community lost the iconic gay resort Simeiz. Now it exists only as a summer memory in Anton Shebetko's film of the same name. The story of Crimea is also recalled in ‘QIRIM’ with a Ukrainian non-binary protagonist, who participated in the Crimean Tatar activities and the Euromaidan protest and now joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The road movie ‘It’s a Date’ refers to the difficulties that arise in the relationships of the LGBTQIA+ military due to the lack of a civil partnerships law. The uncertainty of the future is also discussed by the partners in the documentary film ‘Kittens’. The performative film ‘With Love, Koptev’ follows the avant-garde work of a couturier who left occupied Luhansk. The film ‘Black Dog’, filled with urban poetry, leads to a conversation about protecting the LGBTQIA+ community from violence. In ‘I am Michelle’, we see a traditional Galician family almost accepting their transgender daughter.

A special film in the collection is the short film ‘I Have a Friend’, which immerses us in the atmosphere of the Ukrainian queer scene in Kyiv in the late noughties (available only for the Takflix Tovarystvo community).

Through their life strategies, the collection's protagonists prove that rights are not given, but taken. As allies of the LGBTQIA+ community, we call on everyone to stand in solidarity in building a new equal Ukraine.

10% of each ticket goes to the 4,000,000 Pride fundraiser for the defenders of Ukraine. The funds raised will go to 5 trusted foundations and organizations that help the military in the Bakhmut, Kupyansk, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Sumy areas.