In 1985 there were three openly gay people in Israel. Excluded from public office and oppressed by violence and discrimination, the gay and lesbian population existed underground. Over the next decade, a spectacular revolution unfolded. By 1998 there were up to 3000 openly gay and lesbian people celebrating the Summer of Pride in Israel.

Filmmaker Yair Qedar captures this sudden, dramatic rise of the Israeli gay and lesbian community in this riveting and thorough documentary. As the editor of the Pink Times, Qedar had unprecedented access to the people and stories of the time. He meticulously weaves together interviews, archival footage, music and photographs to capture the excitement and energy of this extraordinary stretch of history.

The film features the colorful voices of major Israeli cultural figures who paint a picture of a time in Tel Aviv when people from all walks of life, including academics, artists and even military officers came together to start a movement and change lives. This wasn’t a violent revolution but a societal uprising driven by people who were ready to come out of hiding and claim their identity.

Qedar’s film is a poetic collage of images and ideas that captures an inspirational fight for equal rights that resonates today. — BRENDAN PETERSON