Here I Come: watch the queer Russian web show that needs your help to survive

A new TV show chronicling the lives of Moscow’s queer youth has launched online. Created by independent studio Fancy Production, Here I Come follows 20-something law grad Suren as he struggles to come to terms with his own identity.

The creators, who launched their first mini-series, This Is Me, last year, say they want to tackle the real life problems facing Russian teens today — as well as breaking down LGBTQ stereotypes.

The six-minute pilot episode is available on YouTube with English and French subtitles — but the studio says they’ll need viewers’ support to get the project off the ground, with the first episode being funded almost entirely by the filmmakers themselves.

“Here I Come is a story about being too afraid to be yourself and searching for your own identity,” says screenwriter and producer Liza Simbirskaya. “It was made on a tiny budget, without the help of any institutions or producers.”