LONDON, April 9, 2008 – A row is brewing over the screening last week of a German/Russian film at the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival amid allegations of breaches of copyright and even a forged signature on a ‘release’.
Last month, the organisers of Moscow Gay Pride asked the film festival not to screen East-West: Sex & Politics, a documentary about gays in Russia and Moscow Pride.
It was screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February.
“The final version of this film was made without any input of the Russian LGBT activists,” said Nikolai Alekseev of Moscow Pride.
“As a result, it features totally incorrect facts. Some information is completely misleading and does not show the reality.
“One of the main protagonists shown in the film has been removed from all LGBT organisations for improper activities and undermining of LGBT community. His story that is featured in the film is totally false.
“Two weeks before the screening of the film, London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival was informed about the problems.
“Despite several oral and written remarks of Russian LGBT activists, the [German] film director Jochen Hick decided not to correct the misleading sections of his documentary. I personally requested to be taken out of the film as I do not want to appear in this masquerade.”
“After first screening in Berlin in February, I immediately informed Jochen Hick about all our requests but nothing was possible to do in such a short timing as the second screening was next day,” he explained.
“Then I said to him that the film will not go anywhere if it is not corrected, but he still sent it to London which showed it.
“It was not possible to stop it in Berlin as I saw it first time myself during its first public screening when it was too late.
“We had an agreement with film director that it would be shown to me before the festival but then they decided not to do it.”
Mr. Alekseev went on to say that the film director had assured the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival that he got his permission for the use of the images of my participation.
“While I never signed any papers for this film, I understand that Mr. Hick showed to the organisers of London festival my written consent to this film which I never gave,” he said.
“Despite being aware of this, the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival decided not to cancel the screenings of the film, opting to mislead its audiences.
Last year, an “authorised” film of the first Moscow Gay Pride in 2006, Moskva. Pride '06 was shown at the Berlin Film Festival, after having a ‘sneak preview’ in London in 2006.
Mr. Alekseev claims that footage from this film has been used in East-West: Sex & Politics without permission.
“We will continue to do everything possible to prevent any further screenings of this film in its current form,” Mr. Alekseev said, adding that legal action over the film’s screening in London has not been ruled out.
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