In the deeply religious Christian nation of Uganda, homosexuality is a crime punishable by death. But after returning from a stint in South Africa, David Kato wanted to fight to liberate oppressed Ugandians who were forced to remain in the closet due to the nation's anti-homosexual bill. As Uganda's first openly gay man, David Kato fights to defeat this bill while overcoming brutal physical and verbal persecution in Call Me Kuchu, a documentary by Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Katherine Fairfax Wright. Working against a violent culture of anti-homosexuality, David's story is highly personal; the film is deeply embedded in his everyday life, following him from his home and out into the world among his peers and his enemies. The film takes a turn for the worse when a senseless act of voilence rocks the movement, but the central theme of hope prevails as the narrative clings to its message of promoting international human rights.
Call Me Kuchu screened Monday, November 11 at the Landmark in Los Angeles as a part of the IDA Documentary Screening Series. Directors Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Katherine Fairfax Wright spoke to Criticwire's Steve Greene about the slow process of building trust with the Ugandan LGBT community.
Watch below:
You can watch more moments from this Q&A at our IDA Screening Series playlist on our YouTube channel
Learn more about the other docs set to play in the IDA Documentary Screening Series