Becoming Gena Marvin: Queendom is Navigating Leaving Behind Russia’s Illegal Drag Scene

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Not much is known about the Russian drag scene other than that it's banned, just like any other form of LGBTQ-"propaganda". Since the country passed a new law in January that labels the queer community as “extremists”, artists like Gena Marvin have become an open target for harassment. Agniia Galdanova’s new documentary Queendom follows Gena on her path from her hometown of Magadan, which lies amidst the surreal, icy landscapes of eastern Russia, all the way to Moscow, before she ultimately finds her freedom in Paris. 

The film bears witness to a profound story of emancipation, expulsions and emotional family dynamics as Gena displays her creation and performances in public and finds herself in it. By excluding any explanatory off-narration, Queendom delivers the image of a young adolescent who is made to endure physical and mental violence to practice her art and to simply be. As Gena is navigating between her worried grandparents and a harsh reality outside, her silent resilience and passion seem to ask, what would we do in her place? We speak to director Agniia Galdanova and Gena Marvin about her hometown, secret drag culture and the dangers of being filmed. 

In the beginning, your aunt talks about the “genetic memory” of your homeland. Can you tell us a bit about Magadan and the region you’re from?

Gena: My aunt saw an opportunity to talk about the place and its dark history because it was very horrific 70 years ago when the Gulag camps were there and you can still see and feel it in the present moment. My grandmothers mother was also forcefully sent from Latvia to Magadan to the camps. So this history is also personal to us.

How dangerous was it to film you?

Gena: There was one particular moment when I joined a protest wearing the Russian flag in a taped costume and it was very painful for me to walk because the tape was hurting my body. I was in the moment of the performance so I had to do it, but it was unbearably difficult. And frankly, every single time I went out in the streets was scary and dangerous. 

Agniia: There are a lot of cruel people out there in the streets of Russia. But we never focussed on that. For me it was important to know what to do if we got arrested. I contacted lawyers and we tried to understand what we should say, what we definitely should not say but you cannot predict what’s going to happen especially when you film Gena! We just relied on our luck. Gena was feeling more confident with us next to her and she always asked us to keep a distance so people don’t see us together with her as a part of performance.

Initially, you planned a different film…

Agniia: We met through another friend of ours while I was doing research for a docu-series about the drag scene in Russia. I wanted to go to places like Siberia and the Caucasus to find protagonists and Gena was one of them. The place where she’s from is very particular historically. There were the biggest concentration camps during Stalin's time. All the young people who were born there are descendants of prisoners. When I heard this combination of drag queen and Magadan, I really wanted to meet this person. It changed everything and I decided to do a feature about Gena. 

It sounds like there is a hidden drag culture in Russia…

Agniia: Now more than ever. It’s very rare that someone has the courage to go on the streets in costume. Gena doesn’t have this understanding of fear. In a way it protects her from many things that could happen, even before we met. Queer people in Russia are forced to mature at an early age because you’re constantly fighting for who you are.

How have you been since you left Russia? Have you been back since?

Gena: My life in Paris is very different from my life in Russia, Paris is a very peculiar city even within Europe itself. I haven't been back since I left and I don’t want to go back to Russia the way it is right now. I got asylum in France and I’m not going back anytime soon. 

Agniia: In the beginning it was very difficult because we didn't know if gena was going to get her asylum papers. But now we can travel together to festivals and it’s very important that she sees all the love from the audience. 

Do you miss your family back home?

Gena: It’s emotionally very difficult to answer this question. 

It’s rather a story of emancipation, can you tell me a bit about this transition?

Gena: I try not to think about that time in the past, it was difficult back then and it all went in the blink of an eye. 

Agniia: It’s definitely not a story about a drag queen, but she’s an artist. Like Gena says, you have to burn everything into ashes to be able to create something new. I admire her for this. It’s not for everyone but if you’re able to leave everything behind, and be open for new things, that can be very healing. 

It seems as if Gena got accepted for the first time in the world of fashion…

Agniia: Gena has a chosen family for sure. They are very supportive but to fit in was always difficult. Even to fit in within the drag scene was impossible for Gena because she’s not doing conventional drag. She was never accepted there. She completely stopped trying and created her own thing and that’s where she got successful.

You say you feel fearless when you are in costume, tell us about it.

Gena: It is dangerous for everyone in the streets. You can get beaten up for whatever reason. Friends of mine got beaten up and robbed. Some people deal with this by going to the gym. This doesn't work for me. I’m really interested in immersing myself in the practice of pain and coming out in the streets even though it can be dangerous. When I immerse myself in pain and pain practice, it all comes from my childhood, which was very traumatic and full of violence. This is the way that I deal with the current state of the world and I’m just sharing my experience and vulnerability. 

What gives you strength?

Gena: It was always difficult being in Russia going through those moments and I know police won’t help. We live in this constant state of terror and fear and the only person you can really rely on is yourself. That’s what it was like before the war and after the war happened; queer people are in a constant state of fighting. This is where I find my strength and motivation. Especially back home in Russia. 

Do you have any future plans yet?

Gena: I’m not a big fan of making plans, I live in the current moment, in the now. At the moment I’m waiting for my travel documents so I can finally travel overseas. Unfortunately I can’t come to the UK for the premier but I really would love to be there. But I can travel in Europe, I’m currently with my friends in Italy. I’m always offering my art to wherever I go. I was recently in Venice in this lively street, it was really fun and I asked in one place if I could perform there and they said they’re not very happy about queer people. But overall I’m very excited to share my art with the wold and especially places where I cannot go right now. 

Words: Arijana Zeric

QUEENDOM is in UK and Irish cinemas from December 1st.