A new film is looking for support to give LGBT Ugandans a voice.
Fear is a daily presence in the lives of Kampala’s LGBT community. Lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender men and women (or “kuchus”) live in fear among newspaper headlines that scream, “Homo Terror! We Name and Shame Top Gays in the City.”
Two filmmakers went to Uganda last year to document the impact of Uganda’s homophobic laws on its people. One of the people the filmmakers met was David Kato, a farmer and activist working to repeal the law that proposes a prison sentence for anyone who fails to turn in a gay family member.
On January 26th, 2011, David was murdered in his home. The shocked filmmakers returned to Uganda to film the response to his death and the beginning of the trial of the suspect in his murder.
As the filmmakers explain, “Call Me Kuchu examines the astounding courage and determination required not only to battle an oppressive government, but also to maintain religious conviction in the face of the contradicting rhetoric of a powerful national church…in a country where a judiciary increasingly recognizes the rights of individual kuchus, yet a popular vote and daily violence threaten to eradicate their rights altogether, can this small but spirited group bring about the political and religious change it seeks?”
Call me Kuchu needs help with post-production. Click here to check out a sneak-peek of the film, donate and get cool prizes.
