Overview
In Uganda, a new bill threatens to make homosexuality punishable by death. David Kato, Uganda’s first openly gay man, and retired Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo work against the clock to defeat state-sanctioned homophobia
In Uganda, a new bill threatens to make homosexuality punishable by death. David Kato, Uganda’s first openly gay man, and retired Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo work against the clock to defeat state-sanctioned homophobia while combatting vicious persecution in their daily lives. But no one is prepared for the brutal murder that shakes their movement to its core and sends shock waves around the world.
In an unmarked office at the end of a dirt track, veteran activist David Kato labors to repeal Uganda’s homophobic laws and liberate his fellow lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender men and women, or “kuchus.” But David’s formidable task just became much more difficult. A new “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” proposes death for HIV-positive gay men, and prison for anyone who fails to turn in a known homosexual. Inspired by Christian missionaries who have christened Uganda ground zero in their war on the “homosexual agenda,” the bill awaits debate in Uganda’s Parliament.
While most religious leaders in Uganda support the Bill, one lone voice from the Church is willing to speak out against it: Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, a purple-robed sage who has been expelled from the Anglican Church of Uganda for his theological defense of Uganda’s LGBT community. Armed with a PhD in human sexuality and a thorough understanding of Biblical scripture, this octogenarian doggedly continues his work to establish a kuchu counseling center and safe house in Kampala.
Meanwhile, local newspapers have begun outing kuchus with vicious fervor under headlines such as: “HOMO TERROR! We Name and Shame Top Gays in the City.”
David, Uganda’s first openly gay man, is one of the few who dare to publicly protest state-sanctioned homophobia. Working with an idiosyncratic clan of fellow activists, David fights Uganda’s government and tabloids in the courts, on television, and at the United Nations. Because, he insists, “if we keep on hiding, they will say we’re not here.”
But one year into filming CALL ME KUCHU and just three weeks after a landmark legal victory, the unthinkable happens: David is brutally murdered in his home. His death sends shock waves around the world, and leaves the Bishop and Kampala’s kuchus traumatized and seeking answers for a way forward.
With unprecedented access, CALL ME KUCHU depicts the last year in the life of a courageous, quick-witted and steadfast man whose wisdom and achievements were not fully recognized until after his death, and whose memory has inspired a new generation of human rights advocates.
Best Documentary, Teddy Award, Berlin Film Festival 2012
Best International Feature, Hot Docs, 2012
AT&T Audience Award, Frameline Film Festival, 2012
Amnesty International Human Rights Award, Durban Film Festival, 2012
Human Rights Award, Dokufest, Prizren, Kosovo, 2012
Victor Rabinowitz Award for Social Justice, Hamptons Int’l Film Festival, 2012
Best Documentary, Madrid LGBT Film Festival, 2012
Best Documentary Feature, Austin LGBT Film Festival, 2012
Best Documentary, Side by Side LGBT Film Festival, 2012
Best Documentary Feature, Seattle LGBT Film Festival, 2012
Best Documentary, Santa Fe Independent Film Festival
Audience Award, Watchdocs Film Festival, 2012
Audience Award, Freiburg Gay Film Festival, 2012
Audience Award, Torino LGBT Film Festival, 2012
Audience Award, Hamburg Queer Film Festival, 2012
Audience Award, Madrid LGBT Film Festival, 2012
Audience Award, Seattle LGBT Film Festival, 2012
