Milk Filmmakers To Attend Gay Film Festival In Russia Despite Bomb Threats

Director, Gus Van Sant, and Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black to attend screening of their film, Milk, at LGBT Film Festival in Russia.

The Side by Side LGBT Film Festival being held in St. Petersburg, Russia has already faced two bomb threats.

On November 30th, this year’s Side by Side LGBT Film Festival being held in St. Petersburg, Russia will screen the critically acclaimed film, Milk. The film’s director, Gus Van Sant, screenwriter, Dustin Lance Black, and producer Bruce Cohen will be in attendance for a Q & A post screening.

Last week, the festival’s opening night screening had to be delayed due to a bomb threat. Two days later, another bomb threat pushed back the night’s screening. The festival still continues on despite these threats and protesters that are picketing the festival.

Cohen tells GLAAD that the screening of Milk is especially timely due to Russia’s recent anti-gay laws…

“Time and again we’ve broken down the barriers between us by sharing our cinematic achievements. Our hope in screening the 2009 Academy Award winning film Milk — about the late civil rights leader, Harvey Milk — is to encourage respectful conversations that might create deeper understanding.”

Milk tells the triumphant story of the first openly gay person to be elected into public office in California. At the 2009 Oscars, Milk won two awards. One for Sean Penn for Best Actor and one for Dustin Lance Black for Best Original Screenplay.

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