Laying bare the facts about world of gay Israel
Laying bare the facts about world of gay Israel
PHILADELPHIA—Michael Lucas had a coming-out party on July 14. That afternoon saw the Philadelphia premiere of the gay porn icon’s first foray into mainstream film, “Undressing Israel: Gay Men in the Promised Land,” which was screened as part of QFest, Philadelphia’s LGBT-themed film festival.
The documentary, despite its suggestive title, is a straightforward affair (no one undresses), as Lucas takes viewers from Tel Aviv nightlife to openly gay members of the Israel Defense Forces to same-sex weddings.
The 41-year-old Lucas, a Moscow native and Israeli citizen who makes his home in New York, says he made the film because people outside Israel have little to no idea how gay-friendly and progressive the atmosphere is there. “The only information people get about Israel is in papers like The New York Times, about the conflict between Israel and its neighbors.”
Lucas says that ever since he became an Israeli citizen in 2009, he has wanted to show a different side of Israeli life. “The majority of movies that get placed in festivals are about this problematic side of Israel, the occupation.” A movie like “Undressing Israel,” which shows the country in a favorable light, “is practically impossible to get into film festivals It’s all about very far-left gay politics—the people on the festival boards don’t want to show Israel in a positive light at all.”
http://www.heritagefl.com/story/2013/08/02/features/laying-bare-the-facts-about-world-of-gay-israel/1176.html