SASOD's 10th
annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) film festival, Painting
the Spectrum 10 continues next week with films focusing on mental health,
homophobic violence and transphobic abuse from Guyana, Jamaica and India.
On Tuesday,
June 17, “And the Unclaimed” will be screened. “And the Unclaimed” chronicles
the events surrounding the suicide of two young girls in Nandigram, one of the
interior villages in West Bengal, India. As the story unfolds the story of
their love affair, and non-acceptance of the village community, as well as
their families, became evident. To deal with such ‘abnormality’, one of the
girls was married off in a hurry, which perhaps pushed them towards the end of
the road – committing suicide. But their death did not end societal
non-acceptance, even after death their dead bodies lay unclaimed in the police
morgue for several days. The last letter by one of the girls tells the story of
love and loathing; it also asked that their parents cremate them together,
which did not happen. Their unclaimed bodies were disposed of by the police,
unattained, uncared for.
The screening of “And the Unclaimed”
will be followed by a panel discussion of Guyanese experts on mental health and
suicide prevention discussing these issues in the context of homophobia and
transphobia in Guyana, and this affects LGBT people’s mental health.
And then on Thursday,
June 19, a documentary short produced by SASOD, titled “Selina’s Voice,” and a
documentary set in Jamaica called “Taboo Yardies” will be screened.
In “Selina’s Voice,” this
Guyanese trans-woman recounts suffering a violent attack at a bar on the East
Coast of Demerara, Guyana. Selina survived multiple stab wounds, and lives to
share her story with the world. She is now publicly advocates for the human
rights of LGBT people.
“Taboo Yardies” is a
feature-length documentary that captures the violence against LGBT people in Jamaica
and the many violations of their human rights; as well as the socio-economics,
socio-political, mental health and the intergenerational trans-Atlantic
transmission of homophobia. “Taboo Yardies” provides a unique visual experience
of how violence is generated on one side of the Atlantic, and is perpetrated, preserved
and re-enacted on the other (in the US).
The film
festival continues every Tuesday and Thursday in June and closes Sunday, June
29, at the Dutch Bottle Café, 10 North Road (between Light and Cummings Streets),
Bourda, in Georgetown. Show time is 6pm each night.
There is no
charge for admission to attend the film festival. All firms are intended for
mature audiences. Person must be 18 years and over to attend.
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