It absolutely baffles me that this is still an issue. Russia is to one extreme, but the extremes of what’s going on in African countries as well is to a whole other level. But I believe it’s something like a film that can create greater understanding. What Peeter and I intended when making the film was to do that very thing, and hope the film causes greater understanding and connection with people who actually aren’t members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
We wanted to present love between two people. Tom Prior and Oleg Zagorodnii in ‘Firebird’ (Photo: Herkki-Erich Merila Roadside Attractions, LLC /The Factory) And it really saddens me that there are places on earth where being in love with a person can get you killed. There’s a sure-to-be iconic, stunning love scene between Sergey and Oleg that takes place in the water. It was shot in the Baltic Sea in the beginning of September, so it was really cold. #FABULOUS CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR GAY MEN MOVIE#.
