From Academy Award-nominated director David France (How to Survive a Plague, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson) comes Welcome to Chechnya, a powerful and eye-opening documentary about a group of activists risking their lives to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ persecution in the repressive and closed Russian republic of Chechnya.
With unfettered access and a commitment to protecting anonymity, this documentary exposes Chehnya’s underreported atrocities while highlighting a group of people who are confronting brutality head-on. The film follows these LGBTQ+ activists as they work undercover to rescue victims and provide them with safe houses and visa assistance to escape persecution.
Welcome to Chechnya is a Public Square Films production, directed by David France and produced by Alice Henty, Joy A. Tomchin, Askold Kurov, and David France.
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Learn more about the organizations that provide support, services, shelter, and more for LGBTQ+ people in Russia and around the world.
Go Deeper Into Chechnya

In this HBO Real Sports segment featured in Welcome to Chechnya, correspondant David Scott talks with Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov about the alleged torture of LGBTQ Chechens by the Russian republic's MMA fighters, and speaks with a journalist who is fighting to call out the ongoing persecution this community faces.

Welcome to Chechnya director David France and LGBTQ+ advocate Roxane Gay discuss how the documentary came to be and the importance of raising awareness around the LGBTQ+ cleansing campaign in Chechnya.
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As the violence around Chechnya's anti-LGBTQ+ purge continues, brave activists and organizations are fighting daily to create a safer world for queer Chechens. We hope sharing these stories shines a spotlight on Chechnya and rallies the community to take action.
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