In its ninth year now, the Bangalore Queer Film Festival (BQFF) has brought to the fore varied narratives on sexuality and gender. This year International films, from countries such as Germany, US, Romania, Portugal, Brazil, France, Italy, among others, will be screened. But the highlight of the Festival are the national films comprising of powerful local films in Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi, and Telugu.
Joshua Muyiwa, one of the organisers, says this is the first time there will be films from the Northeast. “We had open calls from where we selected films. We received a lot of local formats in both documentary and feature. There is Natasha Mendonca’s Ajeeb Ashiq (Strange Love), for example, which is a fictionalised love story between a transgender auto driver and a female singer. There is a Nagamese film, Oh my Soul! and a Manipuri film, The Unheard Voice, which follows a local priestess tradition, where men dress up as women. The films explore different voices.”
Though primarily a film festival, the event also includes performances. “We wanted breaks between the films. On Saturday, a play Mohanaswamy , by Kannada short fiction writer, Vasudhendra, will be staged. We also have dance performances by the Pink Divas, a queer boy’s performance, and a hip hop group, The Crew. Both performances will be held at Alliance Francaise. We have an exhibition of photos and illustrations curated by photographer Akshay Mahajan and a curated selection from the last four years of the Gaysi zine. Then there is an installation by Chan Arun Narendra,a Bangalore-based artist.”
The festival will be held from February 24 to 26, from 9.30 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Goethe-Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan and Alliance Francaise de Bangalore. No entry fee. Register at: blrqueerfilmfest.com . First-come, first-seated. Age restriction: 18 years. For updated screening schedule and entry information, visit http://blrqueerfilmfest.com/ schedule-2017/
Synopsis of a few international films
Free Fall (Freier Fall)
Stephan Lacant
100 minutes, German with English subtitles
A promising career with the police, a baby on the way - Marc's life seems to be right on track. Then he meets fellow policeman Kay and during their regular jogs Marc experiences a never-before-felt sense of ease and effortlessness - and what it means to fall in love with another man. Torn between his family and his new feelings for Kay, Marc sees his world careening more and more out of control.
Berlinale Package 2016
A Boy needs a Friend
Steve Reinke
23 minutes, Canada/USA 2015
In this latest instalment of his ongoing video essay, "Final Thoughts", Steve Reinke ostensibly turns to the subject of friendship.
A Boy needs a Friend delves into its topic head on, in particular investigating the notion of queer Nietzschean friendship. Using his signature dry voice over monologue to tie together an eclectic array of disparate images, ranging from found footage collages to digital animation and cell phone video, Reinke sets forth theories about the identity of Stephen King and Joyce Carol Oates, needle point doodles, the upsides of owning both US and Canadian citizenship, and the ability of corpses to have sex.
Con qué la lavaré? (With what shall I wash it?)
Maria Trénor
10 minutes, Spain 2003
Day break in the red-light district of a Spanish town. Someone who earns their living in these parts makes their way home, sits down in front of the mirror and begins to remove make-up.
As they do so, they reflect on the events of the night to the strains of a song from the Middle Ages entitled Con qué la lavaré? , a lament about single women which was once sung in four-part harmony. A celluloid tribute to homosexual artists of the late 1970s, just after Franco's dictatorship.
O Noapte in Tokoriki (A Night in Tokoriki)
Roxana Stroe
18 minutes, Romania 2016
There's a party in the Tokoriki nightclub. It's Geanina's 18th birthday and the whole village is there. The neon palm is lit up and the DJ is wearing his golden shirt. Alin and his friends ride up in style in the horse-drawn cart and take over the dance floor. But Alin seems to have something on his mind. His eyes sparkle when he sets eyes on Geanina, which doesn't escape her boyfriend's attention. Emotions are running high. Will there be an escalation tonight?
O Pássaro da Noite
Marie Losier
20 minutes, Portugal 2015
In the latest of her series of portraits of legendary underground performers, Marie Losier takes us into the world of Fernando, a.k.a Deborah Krystal, the glittering and poetic performer of the Lisbon club Finalmente. Over the last thirty years, Fernando has been performing every night at Finalmente, dressed in golden gowns. O Pássaro da Noite reveals the many skins of Fernando that lay underneath the layers of his colourful fabrics, and - with the help of a large cast of friends and filmmaking colleagues - lets Lisbon's legends come to life. Alternating and shape shifting between manifestations as mermaid, bird, and lion, Fernando takes us on a journey into the desires and dreams of metamorphosis and myth: From the bright sunlight of a colourful beach to the haunted shadows of a museum at night.
Reluctantly Queer
Akosua Adoma Owusu
8 minutes, Ghana/USA 2016
This epistolary film invites us into the unsettling life of a young Ghanaian man struggling to reconcile his love for his mother with his love for the same-sex desire amid the increased tensions incited by same-sex politics in Ghana.
Focused on a letter that is ultimately filled with hesitation and uncertainty, Reluctantly Queer both disrobes and questions what it means to be queer at this time in this space.
The Intervention
by Jay Duplass
15 minutes, USA 2004
All Steve's friends know about his big problem and provide him with emotional support when it comes to learning the truth about Bill Parcels, the New York Giant's coach. They hope that this will help him to come out with the truth about another pressing issue.
(Source Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan)
