Side by Side is facing a critical financial situation and YOUR HELP is needed.
The freezing of US government grant programmes by the Trump adminisatration has led to Side by Side’s funding support being partially brought to a halt.
This development jeopardises the sustainability of the work we do and significantly reduces our capacity.
Your generous support helps us to keep bringing much needed information through – outreach film screenings and discussions, online events, film streaming, articles, podcasts, literature and much more... – to Russian speaking LGBTQ communities and individuals located around the world.
For over 17 years Side by Side through our vibrant and varied resources has been creating and protecting spaces for LGBTQ persons in highly repressive and challenging contexts. Our range of projects are:
LGBTQ Cinema in Your Hometown makes it possible for organisations and grass roots groups to organise their own film screening and discussion to their community. Over 41 documentary films are available. To date we have co-organised hundreds of events, benefiting thousands of persons.
We organise interactive discussions with a range of experts and leading figures, addressing many issues that are important to the community. Most recently, within the framework of Side by Side on the Sofa with..., an online event was organised on the resistance of transgender people. The activist, director and academic Susan Stryker took part. As part of the event we screened the film Screaming Queens. Still available to watch!
When operating in the Russian Federation Side by Side LGBTQ Film Festival brought to audiences award winning and the most talked about LGBTQ films. Today, through our online film cinema we are again bringing to audiences the possibility to watch high quality films from our back catalogue.
Our opinion columns: LGBTQ+ Cinema, Hot Topic, LGBTQ+ serials and Queer Art we keep audiences informed on the newest and most talked about issues and debates. Each month we publish 2 - 3 articles, creating a rich body of literature relating to LGBTQ cinema, history, social and political debates.
Our Queering Culture podcast series we have the opportunity to talk to artists, writers, directors, activists first hand. Exploring various art forms, the importance of queer represenation and culture as a median of furthering the equality of LGBTQ rights.
Side by Side experiments with new formats and our audio guides of Saint Petersburg and Moscow allowed our audiences to get acquainted and know more about LGBTQ history in the cities.
A range of literature has been produced - Russian LGBTQ history, Queer Spaces and Queer Comics from Around the World. Titles available here is our shop. Furthermore we continue to distribute free content relating to coming out, the global LGBTQ movement, political correct language and much, much more!
The LGBTQ movement, social and political issues are fast moving. We provide webinars to our community, keeping our audiences up to date, skilled and knowledgeable on current concerns and debates.
Our projects bring thousands of people together. We educate and inform, both queer and straight audiences, permitting not only further expression, vocalisation of LGBTQ rights, but a call to action, unifying many dislocated persons and organisations across a significant geographical spectrum in the endeavour to protect and extend where possible the Russian LGBTQ movement and the recognition of LGBTQ rights in the Russian Federation.