…Is an exciting event, which uses film to explore how cities impact upon our sense of identity and how people aim to challenge and shape the personality of their cities. We present a double bill of films that explore and highlight queer life in two different cities; Beirut and Jerusalem. The Beirut Apt - Dir. Daniele Salaris Jerusalem is Proud to Present - Dir. Nitzan Gilady Not to mention a bar and micro disco! Wed 16th July 2008, Star and Shadow Cinema, 7.30pm, £4/3conc Is Everything OK?… 'The Beirut Apt' Dir. Daniele Salaris (50mins) 'Jerusalem is Proud to Present' Dir. Nitzan Gilady (80mins) 'Is Everything Ok' is initially planned as a one–off event, but we hope to gather more films along the same themes, put on future screenings and develop the night into a regular feature. “The Beirut Apt” by Daniele Salaris. May 2007, Lebanon, a supposedly “democratic” country. With its 18 recognised religious confessions, it’s the place where the Western and the Islamic worlds coexist…and collide. Among the ruined buildings, there’s the boom of post war re-construction, while the glitzy boutiques downtown remain intact… An apartment in Beirut becomes a place of free expression for four different individuals – about their personalities, their struggles with their sexuality, their views of the political and social division, or just for them to simply chat. It’s a window into their lives where important experiences pass through, a place which offers freedom and reflection in a city still divided by religious separatism, and by the ongoing conflicts of the Middle East. What emerges is a snapshot of queer life in urban Lebanon; issues of identity, safety and freedom combine with issues of sexuality and gender. These eloquent men and women share the struggle to live authentically in a culture that denies their existence. Anna Dunwoodie, Programmer and Administrator of the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival “Jerusalem is Proud to Present” by Nitzan Gilady Last summer Jerusalem was due to host the annual World Pride celebrations and gay pride parade, unprecedented in the city’s history. This hair-raising documentary captures the homophobic hate campaign launched by fundamentalist religious groups. Death threats pour into the Open House, Jerusalem’s LGBT community centre, while in the Jerusalem City Council, arguments for equality from its only openly gay member are met with verbal abuse, and a mayor so disinterested in democracy simply leaves the room. Orthodox Jews riot in the streets, their chief Rabbi apparently sanctioning violence to stop the ‘defilement’ of the holy city. Gilady’s film is an important record of bravery in an environment where the only thing uniting some Jewish, Christian and Arab leaders is their hatred for gay people.