Queer films from 25 countries come to town

BENGALURU: It may be 11 years since the inception of the Bangalore Queer Film Festival (BQFF) but at the core, the idea behind it remains the same: To give people a forum or space to celebrate and access queer cinema. “A change that we have, however, noticed is that the festival has gotten bigger, now taking place over three days and two venues,” says Nadika Nadja, one of the co-directors of the upcoming festival, which kickstarts on March 6 and will go on till March 8. Over time, the annual event has also attracted more and more people from outside the LGBTQIA+ community as well.

This year, the lineup includes around 60 films, including documentaries, shorts and experimental films, from different parts of the world, including Romania, Indonesia, Philippines, Argentina, Belgium, Hong Kong, Lebanon, etc. “Over the last few years, the number of Indians creating queer cinema has also seen an increase. This year, our line-up has 15 such films,” adds Rovan Varghese, another co-director of BQFF. Besides more such films, changes can also be seen in the themes they explore as well, with narratives going a step further than just portraying someone’s coming out story. “This was a common plot in earlier films. Now they look at varied other topics too, like acceptance, conflict, friendships in the queer space, intimacy, etc,” adds Varghese. 

Agrees Nadja, who says the films have gotten more diverse, bolder and focus less on a “saviour narrative.” “For example, earlier, the film would have a transwoman as its protagonist but a cis man still controlled the main voice of the movie, wherein he had to step in and save her. Now it’s nice to see projects that let the queer person firmly control their own voice,” she explains, adding that films these days are trying to redefine and start more conversations on the idea of queerness. “It also happens to be a more incidental part of the story, which focus on other everyday things as well that take place in the life of a queer person,” she says. The co-directors also emphasise that special focus is always laid on presenting more diversity in the films they shortlist, so as to not just screen movies that focus on gay, lesbian or trans narratives. Besides the movies, the event will also see some dramatic readings and spoken word performances.
The event will take place at Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Indiranagar, on March 6 and at Alliance Francaise, Vasanth Nagar, on March 7 and 8.

In focus Here are some films to watch out for at BQFF:

•  Anders Als Die Andern:  A 100-year-old German film  that has two male musicians falling in love in 1920s Germany, until scandal makes the affair take a tragic turn.
• Kattumaram: Made in India in 2019, by Swarnavel Eswaran, the film is set in a village that was affected by a tsunami. The plot revolves around a conservative unclde coming to terms with his niece’s romantic relationship with a woman.
•  Life Is Short: This Argentinian film follows the lives of three queer women as they navigate their way through first dates, self-defence, exams and more. 
•  Camera and I: This American short film film blurs the distinction between the fourth wall and the gaze that exists between the filmmaker and viewer.