EAST/WEST - Sex & Politics

Fresh from its world premiere at this year's Berlin Film Festival, EAST/WEST an in-depth account of the attempts to mount a Gay Pride parade in Moscow in 2006 and 2007. Although providing a valuable record of headline grabbing attacks on demonstrators such as Peter Tatchell, Richard Fairbrass and German Euro MP Volker Beck, the film is as much a portrait of the lives of the march organisers.

Moscow's seemingly vibrant club and bar scene, a gay friendly Orthodox priest, a gay magazine and a lesbian cruising ground are all seen in stark contrast to local rightwing fascist neo-Nazi thugs, whose opposition to gay life is violent and unchecked by the police. There seems to be a sinister collaboration between the office of the mayor and the police who share President Putin's fears for the future of humanity if lesbian and gay lifestyles are encouraged. This film offers a chilling reminder of the fragile state of the rights of sexual minorities in Russia.

Brian Robinson