Unchechen is a short film designed to challenge viewers to think about the ongoing crisis faced by gay men in Chechnya.

 

During the past few months, horror stories have come out of the Russian republic about the abuse, torture and, in some cases, murder of gay men at the hands of the government. Stories of concentration camps have emerged. The country's president, Ramzan Kadyrov, has reportedly called for a full on purge of homosexuals by the end of May, 

 

“Gay men are being treated like animals," Human Rights First's Shawn Gaylord said. "They’re rounded up, they’re detained, they’re tortured, a few have been murdered. All of this has been inflicted upon them by the very people sworn to protect them."

 

The short film was created by Take Back, a theater collective led by Julie Hesmondhalgh, and originally performed in Manchester, England. The response to the piece was overwhelming, and the script was adapted by Stephen M Hornby, the original writer, Inkbrew Productions and digitalStage for an online audience.. 

The film is under four minutes long. It tells the story of Khamzat, a public servant who was entrapped and interrogated.