The International LGBT Film Festival Side by Side will take place in Moscow for the third time, from 24 to 27 April 2014. Film screenings, discussions and meetings with film makers will be held at two locations - the Sakharov Center and the Factory Project.

"Art is freedom, freedom is love, and cinema is an art. Everyone is responsible not only for their own freedom, but for the freedom of others,"- with these words the Dutch filmmaker Silvia Konings addressed viewers and participants of the Third Side by Side Film Festival. Her words could serve as a motto for the Festival, every day of which serves as a reaffirming of an individual’s right to his or her identity, a breakthrough into the space of personal and social freedom, a reflection of diversity in all its manifestations and a call for tolerance and mutual respect, both inside and between communities.

Side by Side’s programme in Moscow includes 24 films - seven feature films and 2 collections of short films. They cover a wide range of issues faced by the LGBT community: from the history of civil protests (Lesbiana: a Parallel Revolution, dir. Myriam Fougere), to the relationship between the LGBT and religion (In the Name of ..., dir. Malgorzata Szumowska), to discussions about HIV (We Were Here, dir. D. Weissman), the problem of hate crime (Valentine Road, dir. Martha Cunningham) and much more. Each film reflects its maker’s personal view of the LGBT community, its past and present.

The Side by Side Film Festival will open in Moscow on 24 April, with the screening of Diederik Ebbinge's Matterhorn. The film was met with high acclaim at the 35th Moscow International Film Festival, where it picked up a record number of unofficial awards, including the Audience Award, the top prize of the Film Critics' Guild and many others. Unfortunately, the picture did not go into general release, and its screening at the Side by Side Film Festival is a unique opportunity to see it on the big screen.

In addition to a very full programme of film screenings, in the course of four days audiences will be treated to a number of interesting meetings and discussions with well-known film makers, journalists, public and cultural figures.

The Side by Side International LGBT Film Festival has been running since 2008. Each year the festival tours major Russian cities - Moscow, Tomsk, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and others. The Festival programme includes films and discussions about the LGBT community, aimed at the broadest possible audience. Since 2008, 25,000 viewers have visited the Festival's events. All events are designed for people over 18.

Translated by Elena Cook