Flatpack Festival
Film for all the senses

Here I Come + Q&A

Friday 24th September, 2021

MAC Birmingham - Cinema | 18:00 - 19:50

Here I Come is the first-ever queer Russian web series, which comes at an important time as the Russian state cracks down on ‘gay propaganda’ - censoring content and imprisoning activists. Despite the various legal and political difficulties the next generation of filmmakers in Russia face, they continue to create; for themselves, for queer youth, and for the world to understand the human rights issues they face.

The 9-episode coming-of-age story of a young queer man in Moscow became the first (and long overdue) series with a queer protagonist in Russia. Here I Come is a valuable example of young filmmakers and collectives continuing to explore issues including coming-out, sexuality and HIV/AIDS, and is a window into the world of Russian youth for English-speaking audiences.

During this special event, we’ll screen all nine episodes (54 mins) from the series followed by a live zoom Q&A discussion with director Andrey Fenøčka and producer-screenwriter Liza Simbirskaya who will discuss the series’ festival success, filming a gay kiss during lockdown on the streets of Moscow and exclusive information about the season two premier.

The screening will be introduced by Maria Alyokhina and Lucy Shteyn, members of the anarchist feminist collective Pussy Riot, which has recently faced unprecedented political repressions and arrests. Maria and Lucy will contextualise the LGBTQ+ political landscape in Russia.

This event has been curated by Talitha Nathan and Olga Doletskaya, selected from Flatpack’s open call for curators from underrepresented groups. It is also part of the BFI’s Film Feels Hopeful season, and we’re grateful for their support in making it happen.

Please note that and Lucy Shteyn and Maria Alyokhina's introduction will be pre-recorded. This is a change from the introduction from Nadezhda Tolokonnikova previously advertised.

Dir: Andrey Fenøčka
Russia 2020 - 54 mins
Suggested cert: 15

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