East Bloc Love

Sergey Yenin is a young, liberated homosexual activist from Belarus. He is no stranger to violence; his sexual orientation has had the police and the radical right coming after him more than once. When his partner is shot and killed, he embarks on his open fight for justice and equality.

Sergey belongs to a group of LGTB activists from the Belarusian capital of Minsk. They want to organise their own version of the Gay Pride Parade in their city – despite the threats from skinheads and the ban imposed by the government. Their actions are intended to show the people of the East Bloc countries that homosexuality exists and that they have a right to their own lives. But public opinion is extremely negative and the stigma associated with LGTB lifestyles is intense. Nikolai Alekseev, the well-known Russian LGBT activist, comes to their aid. Besides Belarus, Australian filmmaker Logan Mucha also visits five neighbouring countries where gay rights are far from assured. Sergey will not let his voice be silenced easily: ‘I will not allow dictator Alexander Lukashenka to dictate my silence. Homosexuals in Belarus have no voice, so I will speak for them. I want to communicate our mission to the European community.’ In addition to directing this film, Mucha is currently working on a film about Nikolai Alekseev.