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Welcome to Chechnya

  • 2020
  • TV-MA
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.3K
YOUR RATING
Maxim Lapunov in Welcome to Chechnya (2020)
Documentary

A group of activists risk their lives fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Chechnya.A group of activists risk their lives fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Chechnya.A group of activists risk their lives fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Chechnya.

  • Director
    • David France
  • Writers
    • David France
    • Tyler H. Walk
  • Stars
    • Olga Baranova
    • David Isteev
    • Ramzan Kadyrov
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    3.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David France
    • Writers
      • David France
      • Tyler H. Walk
    • Stars
      • Olga Baranova
      • David Isteev
      • Ramzan Kadyrov
    • 30User reviews
    • 39Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 25 wins & 17 nominations total

    Photos38

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    + 34
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    Top cast5

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    Olga Baranova
    Olga Baranova
    • Self - Director, Moscow Community Center for LGBT+ Initiatives
    David Isteev
    • Self - Crisis Response Coordinator, The Russian LGBT Network
    Ramzan Kadyrov
    Ramzan Kadyrov
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Maxim Lapunov
    • Self
    Vladimir Putin
    Vladimir Putin
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • Director
      • David France
    • Writers
      • David France
      • Tyler H. Walk
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews30

    7.93.3K
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    Featured reviews

    7Xstal

    Prejudice & Hate...

    ... have been around for a long time but fortunately the people of the world have been able to learn, discover and evolve to recognise the power of diversity and to remove most prejudices and hatred from their cultures - especially over the last 50 years. How sad that there remain isolated examples of evil and that there are those who seek to build a culture on it. No different to the Nazis in the 1930s and 40s and it should be dealt with as such. Excellent and informative documentary highlights one such example.
    10mcartisable

    Genocide of nowadays

    Russia is a dangerous place. I live here so I can say it. And this film tells a small part of all the horrors that a lot of us see everyday: from total poverty when people literaly has nothing to eat, and alkoholism, domestic violence and police violence. And all such problems seem to be solvable but the most horrible truth is that all these happen becasuse of the government which are ex-communists and criminals who usurped power in 90s. This film will show you a little part. Bet, the next doc. you gotta watch (due to the anti-police protests in USA and other countries) is the situation about the police violence here. "Welcome to Chechnya" contains some part of the whole situation. But police violence happens all over the country in such scales it's hard to imagine!
    9russell-415-618666

    More inspiring than disheartening

    I've read a bit about Chechnya and the brutality of its regime and recall the stories of its brutal crackdown against LGBT people {stories which rarely make the news now) so I was expecting this doco to be a hard slog. The makers were deft at taking us on the underground railway of the network which saves gay and lesbian people by sneaking them out of Chechnya. We see the best qualities of humanity in the folk who risk so much to help others from being persecuted for being who they are. I was worried there'd be too many descriptions of torture and bashings etc. but they were just enough to give a sense of the horrors being committed. It was disheartening to hear how the people doing good are finding it harder to get asylum for the threatened. It's ad if the world is turning a blind eye. The film presents a forceful argument that persecution of a group in society is an ever present threat when leaders have impunity to express their dictatorial side: looking at you Putin and Trump.
    8martajochym

    Important document

    Strong, important document about violation of human rights in Czecznia in the context of LGBT community. Everybody should see it. The documentary shows heroic efforts and risks that some people take to help those in need. I could see similarity between the situation of gays in Czecznia now and Jews in Europe in 1930s.
    10atractiveeyes

    Heart Wrenching And Important

    This is such a beautiful, IMPORTANT, and heartbreaking documentary. Please everyone go see this doc to know what LGBTQ+ people are still going through in the 21st century. And this isn't the case only in Chechnya/Russia, it's similar in many other countries. The violence, abuse, discrimination, and crimes against gay people needs to stop, enough is enough. Although movies like Welcome to Chechnya are so sad and hard to see, I love seeing and recommending them because they reflect the bitter reality, awareness should be spread. Finally, sending love and respect to each and every LGBTQ+ individual/activist in the world.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Director David France wanted to put a real human face on the story, so conventional techniques of disguising one's appearance, such as blurring their faces, filming them in darkness or hiring actors to stage re-enactments were not enough. Eventually he opted for advanced facial replacement techniques using artificial intelligence and novel visual effects technology, so the viewer could see real faces displaying real emotions, while still protecting the identities of the speakers. The approach is a "game changer in identity protection," according to Documentary Magazine, and a brand new tool for documentary filmmakers.
    • Connections
      Featured in Subject (2022)

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    FAQ

    • How long is Welcome to Chechnya?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 30, 2020 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Arte (Germany)
      • Arte (France)
    • Languages
      • Russian
      • Chechen
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge
    • Filming locations
      • Moscow, Russia(Hiding house)
    • Production companies
      • Public Square Films
      • HBO Documentary Films
      • Ninety Thousand Words
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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