In New Film, Ukrainian Drag Queens “Combat War And Murder With Joy” – Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival

deadline.com:

Experiencing joy in wartime might sound like an impossibility, but members of the LGBTQ community in Ukraine are proving it’s not only achievable, but even a form of resistance.

Diva Monroe, a trans woman, and drag performers Marlene and Aura star in Queens of Joy, which just held its world premiere at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece.

They embrace their identities, promote solidarity among all Ukrainians and devote their energies to raising money to support the defenders of their homeland, which has been under vicious full-scale attack from Russia for more than three years now. “Queens of Joy is a statement about the courage to be yourself, about the search for hope, and about how true beauty is born in freedom,” filmmaker Olga Gibelinda writes in a director’s statement. “This film is for everyone, as each of us fights our own battle—for identity, for love, for the right to have a voice in this world.

In the darkest times, what unites us is not just shared pain, but also unwavering dignity, the ability to rejoice, create, and love.