The upcoming edition of 'Bangalore Queer Film Festival' features an increased number of Indian films than ever before

Since 2009, Bangalore Queer Film Festival (BQFF) has become an eagerly awaited festival in the cultural landscape of the city, bringing experimental, contemporary, archival and social justice themed films and video art by queer filmmakers from across all four corners of the world. The much-awaited 14th edition of this event is all set to begin today. The focus of the festival has always been on the circulation of queer cinema from non-Western locations, films by independent filmmakers and popular cinema that experiments with LGBTQIA+ themes. But that’s not all, expect art and photography exhibitions, poetry readings, drag acts, dance and even theatre performances by queer artistes. This year as well, BQFF promises to bring forth cinematic works from across the country that push boundaries and hopes to sensitise viewers on various topics such as inclusivity, queerness and so on. Bengaluru-based poet and writer, Joshua Muyiwa, who is also one of the curator’s of the festival, lets us in on everything one needs to know about the festival that takes off this weekend in the city.

What sets this edition apart from the previous ones?

This edition is dif ferent because this time, we have more Indian films. We have a film in Meitei (Oneness), in Gujarati, Kannada and so much more.

What can the first-time attendees expect from this festival?

During these three days, more than 1,500 people are expected to attend the festival. First time attendees can expect a plethora of queer films, ranging in different languages like Memoirs of My Camera, Mehroon, Photo Booth, Oneness, Then I Went To Life and so many more. There would be cultural performances as well.

Which films would you suggest as ‘must-watches’ at the festival?

I can’t really answer that because it’s not the kind of festival where Cannes-winning films or big award-winning films are showcased. The list spans across big and small films. There’s no must-watch. We don’t like to do that at the festival because everything is important to us. We worked really hard to get all these films. We don’t have any sponsors and everyone who works in the organising committee is a volunteer. So, it’s not for me to say which films are a must watch because we like all the films that will be showcased.

What does the selection process for the films being showcased at BQFF look like?

We watched over 250 films and selected 50 films to be screened at the festival. The preview committee that watches the films selects them and we have criteria, scores and worksheets that are analysed. If these films have a style that stand out then, conversations could begin. We’re interested in expanding this idea of what queer means, what LGBTQIA+ means and what sexual identity means. These movies do that. They allow different kinds of conversations to happen.

How would you describe the audience that comes to the festival?

The audience is diverse. All sorts of people come. It’s not just queer communities. We have people who are cinephiles. The films are queer but the audience is not just queer. The audience is cross-generational. It’s across sexuality and it’s across class. We try to do that with the curation of the films as well. There are Tamil films, there are Malayalam films, Kannada films, Gujarati films and so on. So people who speak these languages will attend. It’s a floating crowd.

Are there any languages that are being showcased for the first time?

We have a Meitei film, which we’ve never had before. We have a Gujarati film as well. We encourage people to make films in as many languages as they want to. We had a film last year from Myanmar. We hope to expand the list in the coming editions.

Head to indulgexpress.com for previews of some of the films. Entry free. August 23 to 25. At Medai – The Stage Bengaluru, Koramangala.

Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com

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