Russia bans films ‘Call Me by Your Name,’ ‘Love, Simon,’ and ‘Kill Your Darlings’ over LGBTQ content
A district court in St. Petersburg banned three films: “Love, Simon,” “Kill Your Darlings,” and “Call Me by Your Name.”
The court ruled that the films carry a “destructive ideology” and “generate interest in non-traditional sexual relationships.” It further argued that the films aimed to shift “negative attitudes toward [non-traditional sexual relationships] to positive ones through the imposition of information.”
“Call Me by Your Name,” directed by Luca Guadagnino, was released in 2017, starring Timothee Chalamet, and won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay the following year. Based on Andre Aciman’s novel of the same name, the film follows 17-year-old Elio as he falls in love with his father’s research assistant, a young American scholar.
“Kill Your Darlings,” directed by John Krokidas, was released in 2013. It dramatizes a formative period in the lives of Beat Generation writers, including Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac.
“Love, Simon,” directed by Greg Berlanti, was released in 2018. Based on Albertalli’s 2015 novel “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” it follows an American high school student who keeps his homosexuality secret.
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