Chai Khana's films sparked strong interest at the 17th edition of the Malmö Queer Film Festival (MQF). Two films produced by us, NIKITA: STAGE AS A SHELTER and INFLUENCE, were showcased under the “Queer Stories from Central Asia and South Caucasus” section.

NIKITA: STAGE AS A SHELTER

Director: Tekla Tevodorashvili for Chai Khana / Georgia / 2022 / 13 min /

This short documentary explores a new wave of queerness in Georgia and how music can be used as a way of liberating marginalized people. Being a queer artist in Georgia is still problematic due to entrenched homophobia in the country. Nikita, with extraordinary style and a complex personality, is currently the only openly queer artist in Georgia.

INFLUENCE

Director: Greta Harutyunyan for Chai Kana / Armenia / 2023 / 25 min /

Leo is a stand-up artist from Armenia who is not afraid to talk about topics that have been taboo for years. Armenian media has been "colonized" by foreign media outlets for decades. Russian media influence has always been significant, especially in comedy. Comedy shows were flooded with discriminatory speech, and sexism and homophobia were an integral part of jokes.

Both films represented at the Malmö Queer Film Festival were produced with the help of Unit, a network of journalists and activists who work with LGBTIQ+ topics.

The Malmö Queer Film Festival started in 2008 and is an annual festival focusing on LGBTQIA films.