Private Project

All Monsters Are Human

In September 2017 the police carried out brutal attacks against the LGBT community in Azerbaijan. Dozens of people were arrested and subsequently tortured and raped in prison.

Like many others, Roma, Katrin and Lisa fell victim to these police raids and suffered cruel treatment. They escaped from Azerbaijan and found refuge in Istanbul. Through their narratives and the use of original animation, this documentary reveals their past as well as their fears about the future. LGBT individuals are one of the most vulnerable groups in Turkey. According to Roma, “This is not a life. This is just existing.” Even in Istanbul they live in daily fear that they may suffer the same fate as in their homeland.

  • Helen Spooner
    Director
  • Hugh Davies
    Director
  • Hugh Davies
    Producer
  • Durna Safarova
    Line Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 1, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Azerbaijan, Turkey
  • Language:
    Azerbaijani
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • International Queer & Migrant Filmfestival
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    December 5, 2019
    World Premiere
    Best Short Award
  • HUMAN International Documentary Film Festival
    Oslo
    Norway
    February 26, 2020
    Norwegian
  • One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival
    Prague
    Czech Republic
    March 9, 2020
    Czech
  • Cheap Cuts Documentary Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    June 29, 2020
    Best British Documentary
  • Perlen - Queer Film Festival Hannover
    Hannover
    Germany
    October 16, 2020
    German
  • TranScreen, a Transgender Film Festival
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    May 13, 2021
  • KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival
    Mumbai
    India
    May 20, 2021
    Indian
  • queerfilm festival Bremen
    Bremen
    Germany
    October 14, 2021
Director Biography - Helen Spooner, Hugh Davies

Helen Spooner

Helen is an award-winning producer who has worked on documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4 and Al Jazeera on topics as diverse as terrorism, sexual slavery, corruption, porn and pedophilia. She was recently selected onto the BBC's New Director Initiative where she will have the chance to direct her first long form documentary for the BBC in the near future.

Hugh Davies

Hugh Davies Hugh Davies is a producer at the London-based documentary production company Insight TWI. He has worked on current affairs, observational, historical and investigative programmes for the BBC and Al Jazeera English. He is currently producing a three-part series for the BBC, involving access to a number of UK police forces and criminal trials across a three year period.

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