R 081208Z SEP 09
FM AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2837
INFO AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 
AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG 
AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 
AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG 
EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ST PETERSBURG 000118 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: RS PHUM
SUBJECT: LGBT FILM FESTIVAL FACES CONTINUED LOCAL HOSTILITY 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  Last year's St. Petersburg LGBT 
(Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender) community "Side-by-Side" film 
festival generated an intense media and political backlash, with 
access to several planned film venues repeatedly shut down due 
to strong political pressure.   "Side-by-Side" organizers hope 
for better results for their film festival this year, and report 
that public discourse regarding homosexual rights is slowly 
spreading to a wider audience in the city.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) St. Petersburg's LGBT community developed the 
"Side-by-Side" international film festival in 2007 as a way to 
fight discrimination and to promote gay rights in the city. 
Their goal was to use film as a tool with which to challenge 
negative stereotypes of the LGBT community prevalent in St. 
Petersburg.  Organizers planned to present both documentary and 
feature films, and, by reaching out to a large and varied 
audience, attempted to place the discussion of gay rights at the 
forefront of local discourse.  At a meeting with both BPAO and 
Poloff, the festival's organizers discussed the string of 
difficulties they have experienced in this regard, and their 
plan for moving forward. 
 
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2008 Film Festival Plans Severely Disrupted 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) As originally planned, the first Side-by-Side film 
festival was scheduled for October 4-5 in 2008, and Dom Kino, a 
well known and prominent movie theater in St. Petersburg, agreed 
to host the festival.  However, the planned event produced a 
strong outcry in the local media.  Nikolay Burlyayev, actor and 
president of the Association of Cinematographers for Slavic and 
Orthodox peoples, was quoted during this period as stating that 
the festival was a result of "the provocation of those who wish 
Russia to perish," and Burlyayev urged Governor Matviyenko to 
ban the festival outright. 
 
¶4. (SBU) During the ensuing media storm, Dom Kino informed the 
organizers of Side-by-Side that it had to close for renovations 
and would no longer be able to host the festival. 
Off-the-record, however, as related to us by the Side-by-Side 
organizers, Dom Kino management revealed that pressure from the 
St. Petersburg Cultural Committee had caused its change of heart. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The festival organizers then turned to another local 
theater, "Kinocenter Pik".  Once again, soon after 
advertisements went up and tickets were sold, the theater 
informed "Side by Side" that technical difficulties would 
prevent them from hosting the festival.  Like Dom Kino, Pik's 
director confided in the organizers that pressure from local 
authorities, and not technical difficulties, was the reason for 
the theater's decision. 
 
¶6. (SBU) After deciding on smaller, and less prominent, venues, 
the Side-by-Side organizers turned to two local clubs and began 
again to advertise the event.  This time, the festival was 
cancelled less than twelve hours before the first film was 
scheduled to screen when city firefighters arrived to shut down 
both clubs down because of various unspecified safety 
violations.  Protesting these actions, the festival organizers 
attempted to hold an impromptu press conference, but claim they 
were prevented from doing so by local authorities. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The organizers then rented two halls at the last 
minute, and advertised the new locations by word of mouth and 
text message only.  Approximately 150 people attended each of 
the five films screened and the discussion sessions held 
afterwards. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Since October 2008, Side by Side has continued to host 
films at various small, unpublicized venues, with advertising 
conducted mostly by word of mouth.  Resistance and interference 
from local authorities has been minor and sporadic. 
Side-by-Side played a small role in the March 2009 
anti-xenophobia film festival "Opened Eyes".  The final day of 
the three day festival focused on the problem of discrimination 
against the LGBT community. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Side-by-Side decided to take a more prominent role in 
the June 2009 "Festival of Festivals" film festival.  However, 
theaters again balked at showing the Side-by-Side films shortly 
after the events were publicized.  Dom Kino did show the 
originally planned five films, but only after Side-by-Side 
agreed to cease advertising for them.  This led to smaller 
audience numbers at all showings, according to the organizers, 
and reduced the possibility of discussion between individuals 
with differing viewpoints on the issue of gay rights, which had 
been one of Side-by-Side's main objectives. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Side-by-Side's organizers then requested a meeting 
with the St. Petersburg Cultural Committee to discuss their 
concerns about perceived discrimination.  The cultural committee 
representatives stated they would not support any programming 
that could be viewed as encouraging homosexuality or a 
homosexual lifestyle.  The organizers also were told that since 
their activities were not of "general interest" to the city, 
they would not be permitted to meet directly with the chair of 
the committee. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Organizers Working Proactively to Prevent a Repeat in 2009 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Side-by-Side organizers are searching for ways to 
offset possible interference by local authorities in this year's 
planned upcoming October film festival.  The organizers 
currently plan to hold a seven day festival at seven different 
locations which they believe cannot be closed.  Foreign 
consulates top their list of desirable venues, and Side-by-Side 
has been discussing the matter with the U.S., British, German, 
Swedish, and Norwegian consulates.  The organizers also plan on 
participating in another film festival hosted by the German 
consulate in December. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Side-by-Side, LGBT Network and the LGBT Organization 
"Coming Out" have recently written a letter to the Saint 
Petersburg Human Rights Ombudsman Mikhaylov, listing a range of 
abuses that they allege have been committed against LGBT 
organizations, businesses and persons.  The letter  calls for 
greater governmental attention to such abuses, and requests a 
meeting with and statement from the Ombudsman condemning the 
abuses. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Additionally, Side by Side, with the support of LGBT 
Network, has written a letter to the Council of Europe's 
Commissioner of Human Rights.  The letter details the various 
challenges they have faced in dealing with the local 
administration, and requests he issue a statement in support of 
the upcoming film festival.  They have also asked the 
Commissioner to raise the issue with Vladimir Lukin, Ombudsman 
to the Russian Federation, during their meeting in Samara on 
September 3 and 4, 2009. 
 
¶14.  (SBU) The difficulties faced by Side-by-Side have focused 
local and national  attention on the local LGBT community. 
Activists have become more visible since last year, and, in 
December 2008, the first LGBT NGO ("Coming Out") was registered. 
 Coming Out has since published a regional report on the status 
of discrimination against the LGBT community.  Lawyers from the 
St. Petersburg Human Rights Resources Center were able to assist 
Coming Out through the registration process, and are working on 
helping another NGO, "Gender-L," to register as well. 
 
¶15.  (SBU) Comment.  Ironically, local government pressures on 
the Side by Side film festival, along with media criticism of 
the group, actually seems to have aided the LGBT cause here. 
While the government and other groups might have hoped that 
blocking the festival would have a chilling effect on discussion 
of LGBT issues in St Petersburg, those efforts have been largely 
ineffective as the organizers continue to promote their 
festival.  Also, the LGBT community now has its own NGO to help 
fight for LGBT rights and document discrimination within the 
city.  We are working with Side by Side to host a film showing 
that would highlight acceptance of diversity in sexual 
orientation. 
 
 
GWALTNEY