UROKI TOLERANTNOSTI

As a “guest gay”, Vasya joins a Ukrainian family who have decided to keep their anti-homosexual “views” to themselves for a few weeks in order to get tax breaks by participating in an anti-discrimination program. But what begins as a means to an end – the family of four is deeply in debt – ultimately causes the emotional facades to crumble. Suddenly the family members who are each stuck in their roles no longer feel so confident in how they behave, who they are and what they want from and hope for in life. What they want or can endure and when their collar will burst. LESSONS OF TOLERANCE was created in times of war and is nevertheless a comedy that playfully scratches at Eastern European prejudices against the LGBTQIA+ community and educates with necessary non-seriousness.

Director's note: It would seem, why make a film about everyday peaceful problems during the war? We also asked ourselves this question. But then we realized: in order for Ukraine to become free and modern, and to break out of the Soviet shackles, we need to fight not only with the external enemy (Russia), which kills Ukrainians and wants to seize our lands, but we must not forget about internal enemies - prejudice, xenophobia, etc. So, "Lessons of Tolerance" is our cultural front in the fight against internal enemies, our small contribution to the future of Ukraine.

Text: Charlotte Kühn