On a gray and rainy afternoon, about 35 people settled into velvety red seats in a small and stuffy underground movie theater. Two carried rainbow umbrellas. When the lights went down, the cartoon images that flashed on the screen were a reminder that this was a unique moment in time: a soldier preparing for war — then kissing another soldier of the same sex. The sold-out screening, a Ukrainian queer short film retrospective, was one of dozens held in Kyiv as part of the country’s first-ever queer film festival. The Sunny Bunny LGBTQIA+ Film Festival is an offshoot of the Molodist International Festival, which began in 1970 and is devoted to promoting young filmmakers. This seven-day festival’s director Bohdan Zhuk said he had thought about organizing an LGBTQ+ festival for a few years but was delayed by the pandemic. LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine routinely face discrimination, and Pride events in the country have in the past been marred by threats and violence from anti-gay protesters and far-right groups. Additionally, War affects marginalized groups like LGBTQ+ members of the military differently. They do not have the same protections as straight soldiers. The conversations prompted by the more than 60 films being shown at the festival are therefore critical. #Queer Up Entertainment