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A QUEER COUNTRY

By Lisa MORGENTHAU

SHADOWLINE MEDIA - as PROD / FIN

Jewish - Completed 2015

A QUEER COUNTRY explores the development of Israel’s buzzing LGBT community inTel Aviv- recently crowned the gay capital of the world- and how this challenges the country’s laws and society based on Orthodox Judaism.

- Year of production
- 2015
- Genres
- Jewish, Documentary, LGBT
- Countries
- UNITED KINGDOM, ISRAEL
- Languages
- HEBREW, ENGLISH
- Budget
- 0.3 - 0.6 M$
- Duration
- 90 mn
- Director(s)
- Lisa MORGENTHAU
- Writer(s)
- Lisa MORGENTHAU , Harriet DAVIES
- Producer(s)
- Charlotte ARDEN (Gizmo Films ), Harriet DAVIES
- Synopsis
- Interweaving the personal and political, the film builds an intimate portrait of Israel that highlights the internal struggle of values in the country, which is often drowned out by the conflict at its much-disputed borders.
  
  Despite hosting one of the world’s largest, most colourful gay Pride events each year (all caught
  on camera with behind the scenes footage), Israel’s LGBT citizens face an uphill battle when it comes to achieving political victories.
  
  Their parliament – a coalition by design – is riven with religious and political divides, and their
  society, founded as a safe haven for Jews, struggles to live up to this mission in reality. The young nation faces a unique challenge in balancing opinions on socials issues, with its citizens ranging from Orthodox ultra Zionists (who want to expand the Jewish state) to European Jews heavily influenced by Western values.
  
  The documentary questions whether liberal values can flourish in this environment, or whether they are doomed as long as the Rabbinate holds sway. It explores the contradictions this creates through people adapting to being LGBT in a religious country.
  
  Meanwhile, the very question of Israel being an LGBT “champion” is controversial; Palestinian sympathisers, many based inside Israel, level the charge of “Pinkwashing” at the country. Conspiracy theories abound, such as that it is a government ploy to detract from the conflict, or a cynical money-spinning exercise.
  
  The documentary raises all these questions and seeks to answer them by telling the true story of how Israel’s LGBT community came into being.