Queendom

  • Film

Docs: “Queendom” Highlights the Perils of Queer Self-Expression in Russia

A bracing cinematic reminder of the fact that the personal is the political, most especially in autocratic systems, arrives in the form of Queendom, which enjoyed its world premiere at the 2023 South by Southwest Festival on March 11 in the Documentary Feature Competition section. In focusing on the story of a 22-year-old Russian artist who wants to change people’s perceptions of beauty and queerness, and bring attention to the harassment of the LGBTQ+ community, this nonfiction effort offers up a striking snapshot of the foolhardy courageousness of youth.