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| Via Don Jon's Addiction |
In my last entry I wrote about the things that are stopping us from equality. This time I'd like to talk about some ways that we could achieve equality. Of course, one of the most effective ways to fight for equality is to increase positive, realistic visibility. And cinema, being one of the most popular and accessible art forms, is definitely a great place to make that visibility happen! However, even though mainstream cinema nowadays is unashamed of heterosexual relationships and there is rarely a movie without a kiss, people still tend to turn into god-fearing nuns when the movie offers something else than your usual “boy-meets-girl” story. And, even if the local cinema offers a movie with an LGBT character, don't get too happy too soon - we’ve all had that uncomfortable moment when you just want to rip your hair out, because the character is just so unrealistic, flat, two-dimensional and stereotypical.
So what’s holding us back? Well, one of the reasons – the belief that a gay, bisexual or transgender character will alienate the (straight, cisgender) masses, and the movie will be unsuccessful. That’s why mainstream cinema is always behind with anything controversial, or any kind of visibility. That may also be a reason why people may be reluctant to speak up about controversial topics. The less voices there are, the less acceptable it is to talk about a topic, the less enthusiastic people are to break the silence. However, controversial and challenging movies have often been a real success, and directors that loved to provoke and push their viewers out of their comfort zone have often enjoyed no less, if not greater success!
Another big reason may be the belief that only people whose identities and sexualities are out of the ordinary are considered “sexual”, while people whose sexualities are normative are considered “the default”, “simply normal”. That’s why the display of, for example, a kiss between two gay men, is considered more shocking and visible than the display of a kiss between a man and a woman. Even though both are the same display of affection (a kiss), people think that one is somehow “more sexual”, so it's somehow less acceptable. That’s why gay couples don’t display the same levels of affection in media as their straight counterparts, even if the audience is accepting. This kind of attitude, along with antiquated beliefs about gay, bisexual and transgender people, has been the main fuel for all sorts of laws against “Gay Propaganda”. Which are really just laws to keep LGBT people invisible and to keep existing homophobic attitudes.
“Porno Melodrama” was created as a response to such homophobia in the Lithuanian legal system. It is a story about Jonas, a young gay man who lives with his boyfriend (Matas), and wants to emigrate from Lithuania due to the intolerance and homophobia that he has faced. In order to save money he agrees to act in a pornographic movie with his ex-girlfriend (Akvile). Even though the movie has been widely criticized, it is certainly important, as it is one of the first movies containing an actual gay storyline, and also accurately tackling homophobia. The movie is directed by Romas Zabarauskas, who is also campaigning for LGBT-friendly spaces in Vilnius. “Porno Melodrama” is widely available on the web, for all you foreign movie fanatics and free movie fans (that means everybody). Moreover, the director is openly gay himself, and we all know that there is no better way to increase visibility, than to increase the visibility of gay authors themselves! Since we're all want to know more, let's ask a couple of invasive questions!
What was the main inspiration for the story in “Porno Melodrama”? What encouraged you to make a movie about homophobia?
So what’s holding us back? Well, one of the reasons – the belief that a gay, bisexual or transgender character will alienate the (straight, cisgender) masses, and the movie will be unsuccessful. That’s why mainstream cinema is always behind with anything controversial, or any kind of visibility. That may also be a reason why people may be reluctant to speak up about controversial topics. The less voices there are, the less acceptable it is to talk about a topic, the less enthusiastic people are to break the silence. However, controversial and challenging movies have often been a real success, and directors that loved to provoke and push their viewers out of their comfort zone have often enjoyed no less, if not greater success!
Another big reason may be the belief that only people whose identities and sexualities are out of the ordinary are considered “sexual”, while people whose sexualities are normative are considered “the default”, “simply normal”. That’s why the display of, for example, a kiss between two gay men, is considered more shocking and visible than the display of a kiss between a man and a woman. Even though both are the same display of affection (a kiss), people think that one is somehow “more sexual”, so it's somehow less acceptable. That’s why gay couples don’t display the same levels of affection in media as their straight counterparts, even if the audience is accepting. This kind of attitude, along with antiquated beliefs about gay, bisexual and transgender people, has been the main fuel for all sorts of laws against “Gay Propaganda”. Which are really just laws to keep LGBT people invisible and to keep existing homophobic attitudes.
“Porno Melodrama” was created as a response to such homophobia in the Lithuanian legal system. It is a story about Jonas, a young gay man who lives with his boyfriend (Matas), and wants to emigrate from Lithuania due to the intolerance and homophobia that he has faced. In order to save money he agrees to act in a pornographic movie with his ex-girlfriend (Akvile). Even though the movie has been widely criticized, it is certainly important, as it is one of the first movies containing an actual gay storyline, and also accurately tackling homophobia. The movie is directed by Romas Zabarauskas, who is also campaigning for LGBT-friendly spaces in Vilnius. “Porno Melodrama” is widely available on the web, for all you foreign movie fanatics and free movie fans (that means everybody). Moreover, the director is openly gay himself, and we all know that there is no better way to increase visibility, than to increase the visibility of gay authors themselves! Since we're all want to know more, let's ask a couple of invasive questions!
What was the main inspiration for the story in “Porno Melodrama”? What encouraged you to make a movie about homophobia?
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| Romas Zabarauskas |
As a filmmaker, I search for difficult, tragic and political stories. Homophobia is a major problem in Lithuania, so it’s just the natural thing for me to react, especially because I’m gay myself. I also wanted to challenge a homophobic Protection of Minors law, that was later substituted for a softer version - I still find it homophobic but I’ve to admit it’s not actually effective in any way. It is just another populist law.
Did you face any problems with this movie? Any problems during production, or difficulty finding a place to screen it?
Did you face any problems with this movie? Any problems during production, or difficulty finding a place to screen it?
I didn’t face any substantial legal or otherwise dangerous problems. The film was selected and premiered at the Berlinale Panorama section, and after that it even received national funding and was shown at the most popular film festival in Lithuania, “Kino Pavasaris”. However, I got plenty of negative reactions from film critics and viewers, and while they were criticizing the film’s quality rather than its plot, I do think it is partly due to homophobic public opinion in Lithuania. And this ambiguity is actually the worst - it is difficult to fight such homophobia. The kind that is “in the air”, but is subtle, hidden, silent, difficult to prove.
It is no secret that there isn’t much gay visibility in Lithuanian cinema. What do you think might be holding artists back from including more gay people in their movies?
They’re simply afraid! Or some of them are homophobic themselves. It is interesting that often even if the filmmakers do touch upon such subjects, they don’t speak up for LGBT rights. For example, a film by Saulius Drunga, “Anarchy in Zirmunai”, told a story of what could be interpreted as a lesbian relationship, but he never actually admitted it publicly in Lithuania, even though it is distributed by foreign LGBT film distributors.
To be honest, there aren’t that many openly gay people, either! What encouraged you to be out? Do you face any hostility?
It is my honest and fair reaction to what’s happening around me - I just feel it’s normal to stand up for my rights. I don’t really face any hostility, I got lucky with having a loving family and friends. However, as I said, it’s sometimes difficult to fight ambiguous, subtle homophobia or even just plain ignorance of LGBT problems from the people of my age. I feel that LGBT rights are something every educated person should stand for in Lithuania, not only the LGBT community.
“I’m Seventeen” talked about suicide. “Porno Melodrama” tackles homophobia. What other issues are you planning to cover in your films?
My new film, “We Will Riot”, tells the story of a New York DJ who goes to Lithuania to discover his roots. Here he meets a wild girl he falls in love with, cool beatmakers to work with and a corrupt mayor to challenge... This time it will tackle the issues of racism and a corrupt political system, as well as homophobia.
What do you think is the biggest social issue in Lithuania right now, and what is the biggest recent victory in terms of human rights?
Hm... I would say that the biggest issue right now is that our intellectuals are being too elitist and don’t contribute enough to the public sphere by trying to solve any of the important issues we’re facing: nationalism, racism, homophobia, etc.. Biggest recent victory – well, our government didn’t succeed in making their conservative “traditional concept of family” a part of the constitution, but I’m not sure if that can be called a victory.
Recently you did a campaign for LGBT-friendly public spaces. What inspired you to do it? Do you think a city like Vilnius is ready for it?
I spent last year studying film in New York, which is overall a pretty amazing place for human rights. Back in Vilnius, I was very disappointed by the non-existent visibility of LGBT people. So, I contacted a few places I thought are gay-friendly and asked them to put up these stickers in support of the LGBT community. 17 places have already agreed to have them, which certainly shows that we’re ready!
What do you think might be the main reasons behind the backlash that your campaign received?
Do you think there is a backlash?.. I mean, it’s difficult to do anything in Lithuania – people are critical of anything here, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that there was some criticism. But the places themselves agreed, and a lot of people got interested in this campaign, joined our Facebook page, and actually visited those bars, so I think it’s quite a success!
Do you think your campaign managed to change Vilnius in some way?
I think we need a lot more campaigns and various kinds of activism to change the situation in Vilnius and Lithuania. This campaign is just one of them.
Why are LGBT-friendly spaces and businesses important, and why is it important to support these campaigns?
Because, frankly, I have more hope in these businesses that are often owned by young and intellectual people, than in the Lithuanian politics or media magnates...
Are you planning to do any more social campaigns in the future?
It is no secret that there isn’t much gay visibility in Lithuanian cinema. What do you think might be holding artists back from including more gay people in their movies?
They’re simply afraid! Or some of them are homophobic themselves. It is interesting that often even if the filmmakers do touch upon such subjects, they don’t speak up for LGBT rights. For example, a film by Saulius Drunga, “Anarchy in Zirmunai”, told a story of what could be interpreted as a lesbian relationship, but he never actually admitted it publicly in Lithuania, even though it is distributed by foreign LGBT film distributors.
To be honest, there aren’t that many openly gay people, either! What encouraged you to be out? Do you face any hostility?
It is my honest and fair reaction to what’s happening around me - I just feel it’s normal to stand up for my rights. I don’t really face any hostility, I got lucky with having a loving family and friends. However, as I said, it’s sometimes difficult to fight ambiguous, subtle homophobia or even just plain ignorance of LGBT problems from the people of my age. I feel that LGBT rights are something every educated person should stand for in Lithuania, not only the LGBT community.
“I’m Seventeen” talked about suicide. “Porno Melodrama” tackles homophobia. What other issues are you planning to cover in your films?
My new film, “We Will Riot”, tells the story of a New York DJ who goes to Lithuania to discover his roots. Here he meets a wild girl he falls in love with, cool beatmakers to work with and a corrupt mayor to challenge... This time it will tackle the issues of racism and a corrupt political system, as well as homophobia.
What do you think is the biggest social issue in Lithuania right now, and what is the biggest recent victory in terms of human rights?
Hm... I would say that the biggest issue right now is that our intellectuals are being too elitist and don’t contribute enough to the public sphere by trying to solve any of the important issues we’re facing: nationalism, racism, homophobia, etc.. Biggest recent victory – well, our government didn’t succeed in making their conservative “traditional concept of family” a part of the constitution, but I’m not sure if that can be called a victory.
Recently you did a campaign for LGBT-friendly public spaces. What inspired you to do it? Do you think a city like Vilnius is ready for it?
I spent last year studying film in New York, which is overall a pretty amazing place for human rights. Back in Vilnius, I was very disappointed by the non-existent visibility of LGBT people. So, I contacted a few places I thought are gay-friendly and asked them to put up these stickers in support of the LGBT community. 17 places have already agreed to have them, which certainly shows that we’re ready!
What do you think might be the main reasons behind the backlash that your campaign received?
Do you think there is a backlash?.. I mean, it’s difficult to do anything in Lithuania – people are critical of anything here, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that there was some criticism. But the places themselves agreed, and a lot of people got interested in this campaign, joined our Facebook page, and actually visited those bars, so I think it’s quite a success!
Do you think your campaign managed to change Vilnius in some way?
I think we need a lot more campaigns and various kinds of activism to change the situation in Vilnius and Lithuania. This campaign is just one of them.
Why are LGBT-friendly spaces and businesses important, and why is it important to support these campaigns?
Because, frankly, I have more hope in these businesses that are often owned by young and intellectual people, than in the Lithuanian politics or media magnates...
Are you planning to do any more social campaigns in the future?
Why not!
Do you have any advice for any young gay people who are planning to come out?
I can understand that, in some situations, it can be dangerous and difficult to come out. But if you feel that your parents will accept you or that you would be ready to live on your own - just do it, because it’s far healthier and easier to live this way.
Do you have any advice for any young gay people who are planning to come out?
I can understand that, in some situations, it can be dangerous and difficult to come out. But if you feel that your parents will accept you or that you would be ready to live on your own - just do it, because it’s far healthier and easier to live this way.
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