Neirud & That Ugandan Flaming Homosexual

Helsinki Pride Presents two documentary shorts and a panel discussion.

Neirud (Brazil, 2023)
Directed by Fernanda Faya
72 min
Confronting family secrets, filmmaker Fernanda Faya pieces together the mysterious life of her aunt Neirud, a former circus wrestler known as ”the Gorilla Woman.”

Neirud died shrouded in mystery, leaving behind no trace of her past. Confronting family secrets, the filmmaker pieces together the life of her enigmatic aunt, who toured Brazil as a wrestler in an underground all-female circus troupe throughout the 60s and 80s. As she investigates Neirud’s controversial ring persona, Gorilla Woman, the filmmaker uncovers a taboo-breaking love story, revealing the surprising nature of Neirud’s role in her own family.

That Ugandan Flaming Homosexual (Uganda, 2023)
Directed by Delovie Kwagala
29 min
The short film THAT UGANDAN FLAMING HOMOSEXUAL tells the story of growing up in Uganda from a personal perspective. Meanwhile, the country, its government, is notorious for persecuting homosexuals; draconian punishments – in 2023, President Yoweri Museveni signed an anti-homosexual law that amounts to a death threat – create an atmosphere of fear and constant repression characterizes everyday life. 

Delovie Kwagala explains that the film tells a story about their constant becoming, rooted in their traumatic experience of growing up “different” but never knowing what “different” meant. It is about navigating their sexuality and identity through a homophobic society to eventually become the first openly non-binary queer photographer in Uganda. It shows how their anger and hunger to be heard and seen transforms into my activism and commitment to a collective articulation of African queerness and resilience.

After the screening a panel discussion with a filmmaker, activist and photographer Delovie Kwagala aka Papa De.