It will be necessary to watch late to see Chechnya: The Purge on France 3 this Friday. The short film about homophobic repression in Chechnya will be broadcast on the night from Friday to Saturday at 1:35. But rest assured, the movie will then be visible in replay for a week.
The film tells the story of Doga, who works in the family restaurant, including the man he loves in secret. One day he is arrested by the Chechen police and his lover’s turn will not be long. When that happens, Doga finds himself in a gear that can only end badly.
Jordan Goldnadel, the director of Chechnya: La Purge , tells us that it was Evgeny Gordeyev, the main actor himself, who inspired this project:
“Four years ago, at the end of a difficult shoot, I found myself in the evening with people I did not know, friends of friends. And there, at 3 o’clock in the morning, I met Evgeny, who told me all his story, how he was from the Caucasus on the Chechen border, how he was beaten and humiliated in prison with his boyfriend just because they were homosexuals before finally settling in France.
I did not see him again after that night, but his story touched me a lot and it was then that I started thinking about making a film about the treatment of homosexuals in this part of the world.
Years later, when I heard about what was happening in Chechnya, I thought the time had come, we could not wait, there was a real urgency. is that friends in common then put us in touch with Evgeny, who had meanwhile become a comedian.He passed the auditions and immediately, I knew that the role was for him, since it’s a little history that we tell and who is at the origin of the film. “
Evgeny Gordeyev, in Chechnya: The purge
The only salvation for Chechen homosexuals is indeed exile.
The shooting was not easy. The team had to keep the filming locations secret, following threats. Finding comedians was complicated too, as Jordan Goldnadel says: “We contacted talent agencies in Russia who at first were very excited about working with a French production, but who, by the time they learned from what to talk about the film, were unable to help us out of fear for their talents. (Even if off, they supported our approach!).
The casting was done through a word of mouth. We finally organized hearings. I also contacted myself Sacha Bourdo, who plays the role of the father, whom I loved very much as an actor. I had seen him in Gondry’s films and in the Western movie , for which he had been named to the Caesar. He immediately accepted. ”
Since its release, the short film connects the festivals. And the spectators do not come out unscathed:
“People are usually very shocked, many do not know what is happening in Chechnya. Some sensitive people sometimes get up and leave the room in the face of violent images (despite the fact that our film does not include terribly raw images). All are moved by the universal message of tolerance and respect for human rights.
The Russian newspaper Novaia Gazeta revealed in April 2017 the wave of anti-LGBT repression in Chechnya.
According to an OSCE report, published in late 2018, “There were several” waves “or” purges “: The first wave took place from December 2016 to February 2017, the second began in March 2017 and was continued until May, the month of Ramadan, after which the third wave began, before stopping largely due to international protests.
Asked about these persecutions in July 2017 , Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said: “We do not have those kinds of people. There are no gays here. If they are brought to Canada. Take them away from us that we do not have that anymore at home. To purify our blood, if there are any, take them away. “
We’re inviting you to make a difference today by donating to the Chechyna Appeal.
Every dollar, euro and pound you give will help evacuate LGBTI people in the most danger. And to pressure the Chechen authorities to stop this persecution.
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