Rick Flynn says his own struggles with sexuality influenced his decision to direct and produce "Golf Alpha Yankee," a controversial new documentary about gay Iranian refugees.
"I remember seeing this article...about some teenage boys in Iran that were being hanged because [of] something to do with their sexuality," he told HuffPost Live in an interview this week. "I remember thinking to myself, 'Okay, I'm worried that my family's going to find out, maybe my friends are gonna hate me or something,' and here are these boys in Iran in a similar situation, being killed."
He went on to note, "Even though I didn't know it at the time, I was always gonna make that film."
Also joining the conversation was Reza, a gay Iranian man now living in Canada who appears in Flynn's film.
"It's not a safe place [for gay people] at all," Reza said of his homeland.
Read more about "Golf Alpha Yankee" here.
"I remember seeing this article...about some teenage boys in Iran that were being hanged because [of] something to do with their sexuality," he told HuffPost Live in an interview this week. "I remember thinking to myself, 'Okay, I'm worried that my family's going to find out, maybe my friends are gonna hate me or something,' and here are these boys in Iran in a similar situation, being killed."
He went on to note, "Even though I didn't know it at the time, I was always gonna make that film."
Also joining the conversation was Reza, a gay Iranian man now living in Canada who appears in Flynn's film.
"It's not a safe place [for gay people] at all," Reza said of his homeland.
Read more about "Golf Alpha Yankee" here.