Hope in the midst of Hate
| By User from Seattle, WA - Jul 8, 2009 11:47:14 PM PT |
Equal rights cannot truly be equal unless they protect everyone. And when I begin to lose faith in this fight, I turn to film. Recently, I saw CITY OF BORDERS and interviewed the documentary's director, Yun Suh. If she could find Hope in the midst of Hate, we can all stay strong. I have pledged to DECLINE to sign Referendum 71. I trust you will, too.
(click here for my interview with Yun Suh, director of CITY OF BORDERS, or watch the podcast embedded below)
An Israeli, a Palestinian and a South Korean walk into a gay bar in Jerusalem and... nothing happens. That is the beauty of Shushan, the LGBQT dance club situated in the heart of the traditionally intolerant city. (Heck, when two peanuts walk down Jaffa Street, one is usually a-salted!) CITY OF BORDERS is a testament to this Mid-East oasis, a place where Arabs and Israelis reveal(ed) their identities without fear of fallout, payback or hatred. However, beyond Shushan's walls, the orthodoxy of ignorance remains and the threat of prejudicial violence reigns.
Director Yun Suh fashions a compassionate and compelling documentary by graciously and inconspicuously providing camera-time to some of the club's most arresting patrons, the opportunity to share their stories of faith, fatalism and flamboyance in the face of grave danger. Adam, an Israeli, bears his scars as a survivor of a brutal hate crime. Boody, a Palestinian, masks his fears, illegally crossing the border nightly just so he can cross-dress. Samira, a Palestinian Israeli, boldly courts Ravit, a Jewish Israeli, unafraid of retaliation. Love, means more.
Although I could not sway Yun Suh to go dancing, she did agree to sit down with me — at the fabulous Pan Pacific Hotel in Seattle! — to discuss her bent on public service, racial profiling and foreign policy. (Special thanks to Simone Nelson, the dynamic yet camera-shy co-producer of CITY OF BORDERS.)
(click here for my interview with Yun Suh, director of CITY OF BORDERS, or watch the podcast embedded below)
An Israeli, a Palestinian and a South Korean walk into a gay bar in Jerusalem and... nothing happens. That is the beauty of Shushan, the LGBQT dance club situated in the heart of the traditionally intolerant city. (Heck, when two peanuts walk down Jaffa Street, one is usually a-salted!) CITY OF BORDERS is a testament to this Mid-East oasis, a place where Arabs and Israelis reveal(ed) their identities without fear of fallout, payback or hatred. However, beyond Shushan's walls, the orthodoxy of ignorance remains and the threat of prejudicial violence reigns.Director Yun Suh fashions a compassionate and compelling documentary by graciously and inconspicuously providing camera-time to some of the club's most arresting patrons, the opportunity to share their stories of faith, fatalism and flamboyance in the face of grave danger. Adam, an Israeli, bears his scars as a survivor of a brutal hate crime. Boody, a Palestinian, masks his fears, illegally crossing the border nightly just so he can cross-dress. Samira, a Palestinian Israeli, boldly courts Ravit, a Jewish Israeli, unafraid of retaliation. Love, means more.Although I could not sway Yun Suh to go dancing, she did agree to sit down with me — at the fabulous Pan Pacific Hotel in Seattle! — to discuss her bent on public service, racial profiling and foreign policy. (Special thanks to Simone Nelson, the dynamic yet camera-shy co-producer of CITY OF BORDERS.)
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