It’s that time of the year, again — The much-discussed ninth edition of the Bangalore Queer Film Festival is all set to premier on February 24. The crowd-funded event is a three day queer movie fiesta (February 24, 25 and 26), which will showcase 55 films from across 21 countries. But, as a refreshing digress from the previous editions, the forthcoming festival makes room for myriad channels of art — with a few surprise acts in line.
“As a community, we’ve always tried to encourage screening of films that push boundaries of what one commonly perceives as queer. The intent is to accept, promote and showcase insightful and thought-provoking queer cinema from across the world. I’ve observed that the term ‘Queer’ is often acknowledged with a single dimension. We plan on breaking that. While the focus is on cinema, one can also expect Mohanaswamy, a full-fledged Kannada play to be screened.
We’d like to break the rut, without taking the essence of the message, which is all about celebrating versatility,” shares Nitya V, one of the members of the core organising committee. With a drag performance by Indian drag artiste Mayamma and two Kannada feature films on the cards, there’s quite a handful for the wide-eyed theatre enthusiast to look out for. “I’ve always believed there’s no single narrative about a person’s life. The inventiveness is on the telling. And if you don’t do that, you just miss out on an exciting aspect. This time around, the fact that we will be featuring two Kannada feature films, Railway Children by Prithvi Konanur and Chronicles of Harikatha Prasanga by Ananya Kasaravalli. We’re also featuring a theatrical adaptation of the stories of Kannada writer Vasudhendra, from his collection Mohanaswamy, directed by Kannada film maker KDSL Chandru,” says Nithin M, one of the orgnaisers.
An ‘art’y fiesta: Opining how the tone of the festival is all about embracing change, Joshua Muyiwa, a facilitator behind an exhibit that will be held, adds, “ We’re trying to reach out to other forms of art.The festival is constantly changing and evolving. We are only trying to make things exciting for everyone involved. Art speaks, will you receive? That’s the question. Peace!” The event will be held across two venues Alliance Francaise de Bangalore and Goethe Institut, 716, CMH Road, Indiranagar 1st Stage.
