The Independent is offering 10 pairs of tickets to a special screening at the London ICA of powerful new documentary Hunted: Kidnapped, blackmailed and tortured for being LGBTQ+.
Reported by The Independent‘s award-winning chief international correspondent, Bel Trew, Hunted documents the world of “kito” attacks in Nigeria: where members of the LGBTQ+ community are entrapped, humiliated and extorted by gangs in a rising surge in violence and hatred. They are abducted, beaten and tortured for money on camera, the footage then shared online, destroying lives.
Now, as global aid cuts start to bite, the survivors of these attacks who are also living with HIV must contend with the collapse of the very clinics and shelters that once helped them. Bel travels to Nigeria to speak to those who are fighting for their lives.
The screening will take place at 6.30pm on Tuesday 7 July. The screening will be followed by a panel with Bel, Christine Stegling of UNAIDS and Dr Charles Ssonko of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
To be in with a chance of claiming the free tickets simply complete the form below by 4pm on 1 July.
The readers selected will be contacted on 2 July to claim their tickets – see full event details here.
Last year, Donald Trump slashed aid funding from the US, essentially shuttering the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), taking billions of dollars away from projects around the world.
While in the UK, while funding for certain core areas has been “protected” or kept the same – including to Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan – funding for HIV has not been classified as such. Going forward, UK aid spend on HIV/AIDs prevention and treatment is set to be largely channelled through funding for the Global Fund – which last December the UK confirmed would be cut by £150m – and bilateral aid programmes to developing countries in Africa and beyond, which are also being significantly cut.
There will be a 56 per cent decline in UK support to Africa between 2026-27 and 2028-29, with cuts hitting countries across the continent.
Bel Trew said of the screenings: “Members of the LGBTQ+ community are in hiding right now, survivors of torture and humiliation. Some have been hounded to their deaths as discriminatory attacks have surged. Those living with HIV are now facing the loss of their life-sustaining medication and prevention therapy amid unprecedented aid cuts.
“Those who have spoken to me for this film are beyond brave, given the fear we would all feel in such a situation. The world cannot turn its back on the most vulnerable at a critical moment.”
Bengi Ünsal, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), added: “We are pleased to once again partner with The Independent to screen this important and urgent documentary.
“The ICA Cinema has long been a home for independent film, safeguarding a space where filmmakers can take risks, challenge form, and tell stories that fall outside commercial expectations.