Rainbow Nation

South-Africa, the queer paradise-or so it is said. We know the images of the annual Pride in Johannesburg. South Africa is the only country on the entire African continent where LGBTQIA+ individuals have equal rights and can marry. However, the contrast between the constitution and daily reality is stark: in the townships of Johannesburg, queer individuals fight for their lives every day. They risk physical aggression, rape, or murder. Every year, more than 500 lesbian women are raped because of their sexual orientation. Trans individuals also suffer greatly because they deviate from traditional gender norms. Therefore, they hold an activist pride in the township of Soweto. Right there, in the very place where hate crimes occur, they aim to reclaim the streets and show that they dare to be themselves. In October 2023, documentary makers Marieke Dermul and Ilse Schooneknaep traveled to Johannesburg to speak with queer individuals. There, they met victims of hate crimes and LGBTQIA+ individuals who had fled, discovering that South Africa wasn't the promised land for them. They closely followed the activist Soweto Pride in a township of Johannesburg.

Trailer...