Queering the Big Screen

Bangalore's a city that loves its films and the LGBT community wants to add to that rich tradition with the second edition of the already popular Bangalore Queer Film Fest

It's a film festival -- we like. It celebrates the LGBT community -- we like even more. It's this weekend -- do we really need any more reasons! Catch the second edition of Bangalore's very own Queer themed film festival as it kicks off this Friday through Sunday, a day more than last year.



The films chosen are fabulous and we needn't tell you why, but as Vinay Chandran, one of the organisers puts it, "It's going to be a unique experience, all the films were specifically selected for the BQFF and sent by directors or producers or the distributors themselves." "I'm certain we've managed to select quite a range of films and there's something for everyone, to coin a clichu00e9," he adds.

The festival also has several other offerings, with associate themed events being organised around the same time and venue. From art performances to panel discussions and photo exhibitions, these co-events promise to be as exciting as the film festival that will remain to be the main attraction.

How will this years be any different you ask? Well, Nitin Manayath, a gay rights activist and professor has the answer. "This year's selection seems so much more exciting as there aren't any of those stereotypical films on lesbians adopting babies or being diagnosed with cancer and thankfully no gay coming-out stories either! It's nice to know we've moved on to more serious LGBT cinema and that's refreshing." If that's not reason enough, then as Siddarth Narrain from ALF puts it, "This year's festival is surely worth a visit, especially because they're premiering the fabulous award winning performance by Colin Firth in A Single Man."

We're sure you're convinced now, but if you aren't, do spend some time browsing through the schedule and we're sure you'll find a film or two that you'd love to watch.

If you're straight and are wondering if it would be OK for you to be there, then don't even think twice, you're more than welcome. Like Krithika Ravi Kumar told us, "We'd really like to see more straight people at the festival. We're celebrating our identities and they're very much a part of this celebration. People shouldn't feel inhibited to attend the festival. It welcomes everyone and you get to see perspectives you might otherwise never be introduced to!"

At: The Alliance Franu00e7aise de Bangalore, Thimmaiah Road, Vasanth Nagar
On: February 26, 27 and 28, 9 am to 10 pm
Call: 2223 0959

Look out for

The film festival will feature 46 feature, short and documentary films over three days between February 26 and February 28, 2009 including Shamim Sharief's The World Unseen, Maher Sabry's All My Life, Patricia Rozema's I've Heard The Mermaids Singing, Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir and more. PVR Pictures will also premiere Tom Ford's Oscaru2013nominated movie A Single Man at the festival, the film makes its nationwide debut on February 26th at 7.30 pm. There will also be two panel discussions on the 'right to love' after the reading of Section 377 by the Delhi High Court and a collection of personal and historical presentations by queer women. There will also be performance pieces that use popular film songs and subvert them, a fashion show and poetry and other readings from original works as well as existing queer texts and a photo exhibition that explores the theme of queer family, togetherness and intimacy with photographers such as Samantha Box, Sunil Gupta, Diana Esclas and others curated by the South-East Asian photo commune BlindBoys.org.

The performances will be interspersed with the film screenings (refer to the schedule on Page 17 and 18) while the photo exhibition will be on display all through the festival post the inauguration at 6 pm on February 26, Friday.