Born This Way (film)

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Movie
Original title Born This Way
Country of production United States
original language French , English
Publishing year 2013
length 82 minutes
Rod
Director Shaun Kadlec , Deb Tullmann , Jamie Wolf
production Shaun Kadlec, Deb Tullmann, Jamie Wolf
music Joan Jeanrenaud
camera Kaspar Koepke
cut Josh Peterson

Born This Way is a 2013 documentary directed by Shaun Kadlec and Deb Tullmann . It is about the life of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( LGBT ) people in Cameroon . The film was shown in the panorama of the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival .

The title refers to the song Born This Way by the artist Lady Gaga , for which one of the protagonists is enthusiastic.

content

The film mainly follows two people, Cedric and Gertrude, who live in Douala , the largest city in Cameroon. They tell of their lives between the secret LGBT scene and their jobs and families facing an outing would be impossible, since homosexuality is punishable in Cameroon and is socially ostracized. They can only move around freely in the rooms of the organization “Alternatives Cameroun”, the first LGBT center in Cameroon, for which Gertrude works and which offers advice and cultural events.

The film also documents the work of the lawyer Alice Nkom , who is the only lawyer in Cameroon to offer legal advice to people who are on trial for homosexuality.

background

In Cameroon, it is illegal to make a documentary without government approval. Knowing that a film about the LGBT scene would not be approved, Kadlec and Tullmann applied for a film about HIV prevention. This was approved, but on the condition that a government representative must be present at all times. Since this could have endangered the people involved in the film, the filmmakers decided to shoot the film illegally. So they filmed almost all sequences outside of private apartments or rooms of "Alternatives Cameroun" with hidden cameras.

Together with the people portrayed, the film team decided not to show the film in Cameroon or in France, where many of them have family members, in order not to expose them to the risk of being disowned by their families or being victims of attacks.

See also

Web links