Inauguration + Lec-Dem + Live Art + Photo Exhibition @ Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan
Organisers: Swabhava Trust, Good as you (GAY), We're here and Queer (WHaQ), Pirat Dykes
Body + Vulnerability: Exhibition/Performances
Artist Suresh Kumar has curated a relay of performance works by 11 city artists - Arpitha Gangadhariah, Dimple Shah, Jeetin Ranger, Katarina Rasic, Prasad KT, Ranjana Nagaraj, Raghu Wodeyar, Smitha Cariappa, Sridhar Gangoli, Suresh Kumar and Yash Bhandari -- around the theme of "Body + Vulnerability". These artists will create five-minute live action works that will forefront their "take-away" from this theme.
Also showcased at the Bhavan are works by noted photographers: Vietnamese photographer Maika Elan's The Pink Choice, which the won First Prize: Contemporary Issues at World Press Photo 2013 and First Prize: Documentary Story at Pride Photo Award 2013. There are also illustrations from Pakistani artist Ayqa Khan, a selection of BDSM works from The Kinky Project and selection from photographer Akshay Mahajan's latest "studio-in-the-street" intervention with "the real Begums of Bhopal".
Since its inception, BQFF has brought together films on themes related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and other communities that fall outside the heterosexual norm. The festival caters to a large Bangalore public interested in exciting and boundary-pushing films from several countries across the world. The festival is committed to the circulation of good queer cinema, including films from non-Western locations, films by independent filmmakers, popular cinema that experiments with LGBT themes, and experimental films that push aesthetic limits.
SPECIAL Screenings organised by the Alliance Française de Bangalore include the multiple award-winning Laurence Anyways directed by Xavier Dolan and La Belle Saison directed by Catherine Corsini about the connections between feminism and lesbianism. Bande de filles or Girlhood directed by Céline Sciamma, a moving coming of age tale, will also be shown as part of these special screenings.
The festival is not just about big budget feature films. As a space that encourages independent cinema and the adventurous efforts of animators, amateur cinematographers, documentary and experimental filmmakers, BQFF ensures that its audience gets to watch a wide range of short films, social documentaries and experiments with form, image and sound.
This year's festival has an overwhelming number of South Indian films. BQFF has always been a unique space for viewers to be bowled over by queer cinema in South Indian languages, and this year is no exception. We have two major features films, the Malayalam film Odum Raja Aadum Rani, directed by Viju Varma and the National Award-winning Kannada film Naanu Avanalla Avalu based on the life of activist Living Smile Vidya. We are also screening two South Indian documentaries, Walking the Walk made by Moses Tulasi, about the pride march in Hyderabad and That's My Boy by Akhil Satyan about Bangalore-based transman Sonu. Also from South India is Namita Avriti's wild animation film Transformers in which Sexy S and Gangster G discover their superpowers.
Also on the cards this year is Tangerine directed by Sean S. Baker, a film that has created an incredible amount of buzz around the world. Tangerine is an experiment in film technology since it was shot fully on an I-Phone 5!
BQFF also includes efforts to support other kinds of work: queer cultural performances, photo exhibitions, art exhibitions and book launches have all been a part of the festival's history.
Readings at Alliance Francaise:
Writer, actor and activist A Revathi, poet and activist Chandini Gagana, poet and activist Charu Priyan, academic, poet & writer Ashley Tellis will read from their latest works.
Performances at Alliance Francaise
Closing out the performances of the Festival will be an evening of dances ranging from the classical by Masoom Parmar, the moves of the Classy Katzzz, the Tango queered, the Pink Divas with their fanfare and message, and we'll also present The Sexy Lexi Show among other fun dance performances.
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