Documentary film: The starting point of the film is an event that happened on May 17, 2013 when the Georgian LGBT community and the allies gathered on the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia and Transophobia (IDAHO) to hold a silent protest in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. The rally ( with an estemate of 50 people) never took place as few thousands of conservative counter-protestors (estimated around 40 000 people), led by priests of the Georgian Orthodox Church, broke through police cordons, and attacked the LGBT activists. Throughout the film we follow the personal stories of the activists and community members   who try to survive in the hostile society, find diverse solutions to avoid the violence directed toward the community, or to overcome the frustrations they experience daily.

There are parts in the footage of May 17th of that still after almost a year make me shiver –images of policemen opening barricades for the masses, people running towards the rally – trampling over each other – parents with their children, priests, the elderly – in a strange delirium o rage… throwing rocks, chairs, anything they could grab eager to fight – mad to hunt… but what for? Who are they hunting? Those 50 ‘kids’? Really?

More on shooting From May to May

The aim of the project is to discuss how the visibility of certain identities, the ways of self-expression, are socially controlled and contested. I seek to capture and underline the presence of neglected identities through a series of images reflecting their “absence” in public spaces, their non-recognizable silent existence, and invisible private protests. Throughout  May 2014. I will be working on the materials for the future  multimedia installation that will consist of audio/video/photo material shot over the course of one year (from the May 2013 rally to May 2014).

More on the project