Russia’s federal censor (Roskomnadzor) has blocked bok-o-bok.com, a website run by the Side by Side (“Bok o Bok”) LGBT International Film Festival.
The film festival reported the block in an Instagram post on Tuesday, November 16.
“In several homophobic [Telegram] channels we have seen calls to complain to RKN about our site, but we didn’t think that because of unfounded complaints, which don’t correspond to reality, the authorities could block our site without any checks. It turns out that they not only can, but will gladly do so. Despite the fact that our entire site is speckled in 18+ disclaimers,” the post says.
The film festival’s spokespeople said that they will appeal the decision to block their website. Speaking to the news outlet Takie Dela, they also noted that the block won’t disrupt the 2021 event, because the site bok-o-bok.com isn’t being used to host the online film festival.
The Side by Side LGBT International Film Festival has taken place in Russia since 2008. In 2020, St. Petersburg authorities disrupted the festival’s opening because the organizers allegedly failed to comply with pandemic regulations. This came after homophobic campaigner Timur Bulatov filed complaints against the festival.
In 2021, the Side by Side Film Festival is taking place online from November 11–25.