Montenegro Stages First Merllnka Gay Festival

The Merlinka festival, which has been organized in two other countries in the region since 2009, is running this year for the first time in Montenegro.

The festival is always held on International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17, which is marked all around the world.

The festival is named after a well-known transgender Serb named Vjeran Miladinovic "Merlinka", who was killed in 2003.

The commemorative festival aims to promote LGBT visibility through film and art and thus tackle the issue of homophobia in society.

Over time, it has grown into an international festival that has been organized both in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Montenegrin gay activist Danijel Kalezic said this year's global campaign's theme for May 17 is freedom of expression.

'Unfortunately, this is just one of the basic human rights that is denied to people of the LGBT community like us on a daily basis," Kalezic said.

Kalezic added that the festival will be a prelude to a planned Pride Parade in the Montenegrin capital, although he did not specify when the parade will be organized.  

The festival of gay and lesbian film will begin on May 17 with the premiere of "Merlinka's confession" in the Montenegrin National Theatre.

Over the following three days, audiences in Podgorica will be able to see 17 short movies.