THE FLASHPOINT

An eerie snapshot of rising right-wing bigotry in Poland, this galvanizing documentary centers the symbolic meaning of the rainbow while providing a thought-provoking analysis of the power we bestow upon certain emblems. Julita Wójcik was surprised to see how quickly her art installation — a rainbow arch made of flowers in one of Warsaw’s city squares — would be so quickly politicized and antagonized when it was publically burned down multiple times. Wojtek Jankowski’s riveting film follows Wójcik, her collaborators, and other Polish pro-gay voices, as they expose the homophobia in contemporary Eastern Europe that Poland's recently re-elected president, Andrzej Duda, embodies and incites. It also serves as a clear-eyed reminder that LGBTQ visibility and advocacy remain essential to the international conversation around human rights.

Part of The 32nd Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival

Wojtek Jankowski