The Independent is proud to present its new documentary Hunted: Kidnapped, blackmailed and tortured for being LGBTQ+ by award-winning journalist Bel Trew.
The documentary will launch on 22 June and be available to view on The Independent’s website and YouTube channel.
A special screening and fundraiser event will take place at The Arzner cinema on Monday 22 June during Pride Month.
The release will be supported by a wider programme of activity, including special editorial coverage and additional screenings, which will be announced in due course
Documentary synopsis
Abducted, beaten and tortured for money on camera, the footage then shared online, destroying lives. This is the world of “kito” attacks in Nigeria: where members of the LGBTQ+ community are entrapped, humiliated and extorted by gangs in a rising surge in violence and hatred.
Now, amid unprecedented aid cuts, the survivors of these attacks who are also living with HIV must contend with the collapse of the very clinics and shelters that once helped them. Bel Trew travels to Nigeria, where the most vulnerable are fighting for their lives.
Screening information
The documentary will be screened at The Arzner cinema at 8.15pm on Monday 22 June, with a special panel, as part of the cinema’s Pride Month programme of LGBTQ+-focused and queer-adjacent films and fundraising events. The screening forms part of a wider effort to spotlight global queer experiences and support LGBTQ+ communities under pressure.
Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent at The Independent, said: “Members of the LGBTQ+ community are in hiding right now, survivors of torture and humiliation. Some have been hounded to their deaths as discriminatory attacks have surged. Those living with HIV are now facing the loss of their life-sustaining medication and prevention therapy amid unprecedented aid cuts.
“Those who have spoken to me for this film are beyond brave, given the fear we would all feel in such a situation. The world cannot turn its back on the most vulnerable at a critical moment.”
Harry Warren, Film Programmer at The Arzner, said: “We are the UK’s first and only LGBTQ+ cinema; all the films we screen are LGBTQ+ focused or queer-adjacent. Fundraisers, such as Hunted, are an important part of our programming, especially in such times when LGBTQ+ rights are under attack, and it is a way for us to give back to the communities that support us. It is Pride 24/7 here at The Arzner, but for this Pride Month, we wanted to put on lots of events for queer communities to enjoy.”
