To Russia with Love | |
---|---|
Directed by | Noam Gonick |
Written by | Noam Gonick |
Produced by | Jill Burkhart Laina Cohn Elle Flanders Howard Gertler Laura Michalchyshyn Johnny Weir |
Narrated by | Jane Lynch |
Edited by | Jennifer Honn |
Music by | Kerry Muzzey |
Production companies | Little Punk Public Studio Sundance Productions |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
Countries | Canada United States |
Language | English |
To Russia with Love is a 2014 documentary film by Canadian director Noam Gonick. [1] Shot in Sochi, Russia during the 2014 Winter Olympics, the film centres on the controversial Russian gay propaganda law, and the ethical dilemmas faced by openly LGBT athletes such as Johnny Weir, Belle Brockhoff, Anastasia Bucsis and Blake Skjellerup around whether to speak out against the law while competing in Russia. [2]
The film was narrated by Jane Lynch, and also included interviews with Billie Jean King, Greg Louganis, Simona Meiler, Charline Labonté, Brian Burke, Mark Tewksbury, David Remnick, Stephen Fry and Jason Collins. [3]
The film premiered on the Epix cable network in the United States in August 2014. [2] It had its Canadian premiere at the Inside Out Film and Video Festival in 2015, [4] and received selected other theatrical screenings before being broadcast by CBC Television. [1]
The film received a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding Documentary at the 26th GLAAD Media Awards. [5]
Noam Gonick, is a Canadian filmmaker and artist. His films include Hey, Happy!, Stryker, Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight and To Russia with Love. His work deals with homosexuality, social exclusion, dystopia and utopia.
The 2014 Winter Paralympics, the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were an international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), held in Sochi, Russia, from 7 to 16 March 2014. 45 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) participated in the Games, which marked the first time Russia ever hosted the Paralympics. The Games featured 72 medal events in five sports, and saw the debut of snowboarding at the Winter Paralympics.
The Inside Out Film and Video Festival, also known as the Inside Out LGBT or LGBTQ Film Festival, is an annual Canadian film festival, which presents a program of LGBT-related film. The festival is staged in both Toronto and Ottawa. Founded in 1991, the festival is now the largest of its kind in Canada. Deadline dubbed it "Canada’s foremost LGBTQ film festival."
Blake Skjellerup is a short track speed skater who competed for New Zealand at the 2010 Winter Olympics; finishing sixteenth.
Anastasia Bucsis is a Canadian former speed skater. She competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver in the women's 500-metre competition. In addition, she participated in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics for women's long track, placing 27th in the 500 metres. She now is a sportscaster and personality for CBC. Bucsis lives in Toronto, and is a passionate advocate for mental health issues, eradicating homophobia in sport, and telling the stories of athletes.
Pride House is a dedicated temporary location which plays host to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) athletes, volunteers and visitors attending the Olympics, Paralympics or other international sporting event in the host city. The first was organized for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
There were many controversies and concerns affecting the 2014 Winter Olympics. There were disputes with Circassians, who demanded the events be cancelled or moved unless Russia apologized for the 19th century Circassian genocide, environmental and economic issues, lack of political stability and governance, and the safety and human rights of LGBT athletes and journalists, in light of Russia's "gay propaganda" laws, which sparked Olympic-focused protests. However, all of these events were overshadowed by the massive Russian state-sponsored doping program uncovered in the aftermath of the Games.
During the lead-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics, protests and campaigns arose surrounding the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Russia.
Athletes and artists who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, non-binary, queer, and/or intersex, and/or who have openly been in a same-sex relationship (LGBTQI+) have competed in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, either openly, or having come out some time afterward.
Belle Brockhoff is an Australian snowboarder, who has represented Australia at the FIS Snowboarding World Championships and the Winter Olympics. She competes in snowboard cross. She competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Women's snowboard cross.
For the Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating a Denial of Traditional Family Values, commonly known as the Russian anti-LGBT law or as the Russian anti-gay law, is a law of Russia. It was unanimously passed by the State Duma on 11 June 2013, unanimously passed by the Federation Council on 27 June 2013, and signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on 30 June 2013.
The Principle Six campaign, also Principle 6, or P6, was launched in January 2014 as an Olympic protests of Russian anti-gay laws in conjunction with the 2014 Winter Olympics being held in Sochi, Russia. Principle 6 refers to the sixth principle of the Olympic Charter that says any form of discrimination "is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement."
Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.
Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy is a 2013 one-man show by Alec Mapa. It was made into a concert film that screened at film festivals in 2014 and premiered on Showtime in 2015.
Mala Mala is a 2014 Puerto Rican documentary film directed by Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles, starring Jason "April" Carrión, Samantha Close and Ivana Fred. The film shows several stories of the transgender community in Puerto Rico, including April Carrion, a well-known drag queen who participated in the reality show RuPaul's Drag Race. Mala Mala also includes the historic victory of the LGBT community with the approval and signature of Law 238-2014, which prevents discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Mala Mala has been presented in festivals around the world, including London, Ukraine, Los Angeles, Austin, Costa Rica and Mexico, in addition to schools such as The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, University of Pennsylvania, New York University and Harvard University.
Two Soft Things, Two Hard Things is a Canadian documentary film, written, produced and directed by Mark Kenneth Woods and Michael Yerxa, which debuted at the Inside Out Film and Video Festival on June 3, 2016. The film was produced by MKW Productions and was shot in Nunavut.
Welcome to Chechnya is a 2020 documentary film by American reporter, author and documentarian David France. The film centers on the anti-gay purges in Chechnya of the late 2010s, filming LGBT Chechen refugees using hidden cameras as they made their way out of Russia through a network of safehouses aided by activists.
The broadcasting career of American figure skater Johnny Weir began in October 2013, after he retired from figure skating competition and joined NBC as a figure skating analyst at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He is a two-time Olympian, the 2008 World bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, the 2001 World Junior Champion, and a three-time U.S. National champion (2004–2006).
Hunted: The War Against Gays in Russia is a 2014 HBO documentary film by Ben Steele on anti-gay violence in Russia. It is narrated by Matt Bomer.