Event

City of Borders

Jerusalem is a mosaic of cultures, religions,and ethnicities, where Jewish, Muslim, and Christian clerics, rarely so unified, inveigh against the annual Gay Pride parade. Gays and lesbians wage a tenacious and inspirational fight for equality and peaceful coexistence in a place heavy with tradition and conflict. In the heart of the Holy City sits its lone gay bar, Shushan, a colorful sanctuary where queers of all backgrounds can feel welcome and embrace what they share in common. Its like finding fresh water in the middle of the desert, a bar regular marvels.

This powerful and eye-opening documentary follows five Jerusalemites whose stories reveal the contradictions and complexity of the struggle for acceptance: a young gay soldier who was stabbed in the 2005 Gay Pride parade; a Palestinian drag queen who risks his life to reach the bar; a Jewish-Arab lesbian couple whose relationship breaks two taboos; and Shushans owner, the first openly gay city councilman and the target of regular death threats. First-time feature director Yun Suh deftly captures the clash of cultures and religious strife with which her remarkably candid subjects must contend.