Romanian festivals screen LGBTQ-themed films on weekend of referendum to redefine family

Several films festivals in Romania have said they will celebrate diversity by screening a series of LGBTQ-themed films this weekend. This is also the weekend that the referendum to redefine family takes place, on October 6 and 7. The referendum is meant to consult Romanians on changing the definition of the family in the Constitution from the current marriage between spouses to the marriage between a man and a woman. The festivals taking part in the event, called La film, nu la vot! #Boicot (To the film, not to voting), are Anim'est, Anonimul, One World Romania, NexT and Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF). “It is a gesture of support for all our friends, colleagues and viewers who belong to the LGBTQ community. It is also our way of publicly promoting the respect of the right to social fairness for all the citizens of Romania, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. In a democratic society, civil rights belong equally to all of the citizens of a state and they are not up for voting,” a description of the event reads. Viewers are urged to go see a film this weekend “instead of taking part in a referendum that might lead to limiting the rights of an entire category of citizens.” The screenings take place in several Bucharest locations: Point, Macaz and Tranzit. The program includes films such as Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden; Ivana Mladenovic’s Soldiers. Story from Ferentari; Una mujer fantastica by Sebastian Lelio, the winner of an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category this year; and Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight, the 2017 winner of the Best Picture Oscar. The program of the event is available here. Protest interrupts Bucharest screening of LGBT-themed film Romanian Orthodox Church steps up propaganda before referendum for family editor@romania-insider.com