"...It's like the Oscars for queer film..." - Jim Chuchu, TEDDY AWARD winner 2015
Channel: TEDDY AWARD
Date: 2015-11-22

Birthday greetings from Jim Chuchu, Kenya
Jim Chuchu, the director of the 2015 TEDDY AWARD winning film "Stories Of Our Lives", talks about the impact of winning the 'queer Oscar' and what influence film making has on the situation for queer people in Kenya.

About the movie
Members of the multi-disciplinary art collective NEST spent several months travelling Kenya collecting stories of young LGBTI people – stories about their experiences and their lives in a country that is still extremely homophobic. Based on countless anonymous interviews, they developed five screenplays for short films which provide an insight into the current situation and the problems of these sexually marginalised young people. These short, unadorned scenes are presented by director Jim Chuchu in crisp, poetic black-and-white images and accompanied by a measured soundtrack. The episodes, which address topics such as the search for identity and self-determination, enforced heterosexualisation and the struggle for acceptance, have one thing in common: they all describe the need for love and the fear of fulfilling this love openly. Time and again, their fears prompt the question: it is better to hide away, resign oneself to the situation and leave the country, or to stay and fight openly for sexual diversity? In spite of the film being banned from public screenings in Kenya, the members of NEST have opted for the latter and are determined to continue their struggle for recognition.

Jury Statement
"This film portrays great strength and tenacity in the face of adversity, and displays a vital amount of hope for the LGBTQI community. It sheds light on homophobia and aims to dismantle the stigma and discrimination that still occurs today, especially in countries where homosexuality is criminalised and individuals in our community are threatened with violence for their love. This is brave and beautiful filmmaking, based on true stories that cannot fail to touch each one of us." - The International Teddy Award Jury 2015

Find more Information about the film at http://news.teddyaward.tv/en/program/?a-z=0&id_film=584

About this clip
This clip is part of a series dedicated to the 30th birthday of the TEDDY AWARD in 2016. The Teddy winners take a look back in queer film history, reflect on the meaning of a queer film prize and talk about the impact that the TEDDY AWARD had on their films as well as on their artistic lives.