Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival 2009

Jerusalem is a mosaic of cultures, religions,and ethnicities, where Jewish, Muslim, and Christian clerics, rarely so unified, inveigh against the annual Gay Pride parade. Gays and lesbians wage a tenacious and inspirational fight for equality and peaceful coexistence in a place heavy with tradition and conflict. In the heart of the Holy City sits its lone gay bar, Shushan, a colorful sanctuary where queers of all backgrounds can feel welcome and embrace what they share in common. It’s “like finding fresh water in the middle of the desert,” a bar regular marvels.

This powerful and eye-opening documentary follows five Jerusalemites whose stories reveal the contradictions and complexity of the struggle for acceptance: a young gay soldier who was stabbed in the 2005 Gay Pride parade; a Palestinian drag queen who risks his life to reach the bar; a Jewish-Arab lesbian couple whose relationship breaks two taboos; and Shushan’s owner, the first openly gay city councilman and the target of regular death threats. First-time feature director Yun Suh deftly captures the clash of cultures and religious strife with which her remarkably candid subjects must contend.

Copresented by Peace for the Streets for Kids from the Streets