About a year ago, Kosta Karakashyan and I become social media friends and we eventually hung out in London a few months ago, which was awesome. He mentioned that he was working on a dance documentary in response to the “gay purge” in Chechnya, something that is so critical that we address as a population and bring to light, so that we can stop it from happening/ever happening again.
Based on the testimonials of 33 individuals who’d experienced arrest, torture, and blackmail during the Chechen anti-LGBTQ+ crackdown, Karakashyan amplifies their traumatic message and voices through the film.
Waiting for Color is a intricately choreographed “documentary dance film” featuring Karakashyan himself in an empty warehouse in Brooklyn, physically interpreting the spoken testimonials of Chechen survivors through his body.
If you want to be involved in the cause, organisations like Voices4 (US), LGBT World Beside (EU) and Rainbow Railroad (Canada) are monitoring the ongoing situation and providing international help.