The Queer Fest that reaches out to people all over the world is coming to Pune for the second time this December to recognize, debate and elucidate the issues faced by the LGBT community through the mediums of art, photography, music, film and theatre. To promote its cause, the fest employs arts, performances and screenings that attempt to send the message out while still entertaining its audience.
It’s been two and a half years now since section 377 was amended, and our society still hasn’t entirely come to terms with the idea. This time’s Q Fest is all about boosting acceptability. It aims at giving birth to an invisible survey for monitoring acceptability of the community for the community. This will be done by facilitating discussions of its successes and failures on micro and macro levels. It also strives to abolish preconceived notions and familiarize non-queers with the needs and general normalcy of queers, so as to boost acceptability. So that the community can finally be seen and be heard, void of fear.
Since last year, associations like Open Space, Birds of a Feather (BOAF) and The Queer Chronicle (an e-magazine that is about and for the LGBT community) have been making Q Fest possible and the success that it is. Open Space, the renowned social change forum, has functioned as the co-ordinating body of the fest, and has been the foremost contributor in terms of funds and resources. It has also acted as the moderator for channeling individual contributions towards the movement. BOAF, Pune’s first LGBT support group in operation since May 2009, has also played a major part in making such an event possible, a one-of-a-kind in the city.
The theme for this year’s fest is ‘Being seen, being heard’. Here are some of the performances/screenings Q Fest will feature:
Saturday, 10th December:
Two short films by Sonali Gulati (director of ‘I am’): Independent film-maker, producer, writer, editor and actress Sonali Gulati grew up in New Delhi and has been organizing the South Asian queer rights movement for over a decade. Her film “24 frames per day” was screened at the prestigious Slamdance Film Festival in Park City Utah in January 2008. Her most recent queer documentary ‘I Am’ has been doing rounds of film festivals the world over and has won awards to boot, including ‘Best Documentary’ at IFFLA, the Fargo-Moorhead LGBT film festival and several others. She is currently an Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Photography & Film.
Venue: Moolgaonkar Hall, ICC Towers, off Senapati Bapat Road
Time: 1:30 – 2 p.m.
Nicolo Donato’s ‘Brotherhood (2009)’: A classic case of the ‘more than just friends’ rhetoric, with a twist. Former Danish servicemen Lars and Jimmy are thrown together while training in a neo-Nazi group, when they transcend through stages of admiration to friendship to passion. Events take a darker turn when suddenly, it’s no longer a secret.
Venue: Moolgaonkar Hall, ICC Towers, off Senapati Bapat Road
Time: 2:30 – 4 p.m.
‘Ek Madhav Baug’ (Hindi): A poignant soliloquy of a young adult coming to terms with his sexuality, written by one of the state’s premier playwrights, Chetan Datar. The play is seen from his mother’s eyes as she discovers that her son is gay and through his diary, relives the journey of discovery of his sexuality.The play is 50 minutes long and will be followed by a discussion with the CEO of Humsafar Trust – Vivek Anand and the actor, Mona Ambegaonkar.
Venue: Kalachhaya, opposite Vikhe Patil school, Patrakar Nagar, Pune
Time: 5 – 6 15 p.m.
The Sounds of Alisha Batth: One half of the former all-girl duo ‘Middle Sister’ and a Bombay-based singer/songwriter. This spunky blues rocker draws her influences from Ani DiFranco and Melissa Etheridge. Puneites probably heard her last at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender.
Venue: Kalachhaya, opposite Vikhe Patil school, Patrakar Nagar, Pune
Time: 6.30 p.m. onwards
Pune based ‘SSDD’ (Same Shit, Different Day): SSDD will be there, playing a setlist comprising of Queen covers among other songs. This four man ensemble derives its influence from a number of artists but have decided to make blues/ blues funk their sound.
Venue: Kalachhaya, opposite Vikhe Patil school, Patrakar Nagar, Pune
Time: 6 30 p.m. onwards
Sunday, 11th December:
‘Law Like Love; Queer Perspectives on the Law’: Excerpts from the acclaimed book will be read by co-editor Alok Gupta followed by a Q&A about the reading down of Section 377 of the IPL and the effect it has on the LGBT community.
Venue: Moolgaonkar Hall, ICC Towers, off Senapati Bapat Road
Time: 5 – 6 p.m.
Take It Break It: Directed by Masa Zia Lenardic, it is one of the submissions in Q Fest’s film competition. The film is a series of animations that questions our ideas of gender, sexuality and identity. Battling stereotypes, it provokes us to rethink much of what we understand and how we understand it.
Venue: Moolgaonkar Hall, ICC Towers, off Senapati Bapat Road
Time: 6 p.m. onwards
‘Mudrashodh’: By Pune-based filmmaker Sunetro Laheri and shot in Pune as well. It carries the tagline – “A woman in a man’s world is progressive, but a man in a woman’s world is pathetic”, one that immediately strikes you as being an on-the-money observation. It speaks for the scores of men who fight personal barriers for the sake of their art. This one too was submitted for their competition and promises that film enthusiasts will undergo subtle sensitization towards the issue.
Venue: Moolgaonkar Hall, ICC Towers, off Senapati Bapat Road
Time: 6 p.m. onwards
‘Les Chansons d’amour’ / Love songs (2006): Beautiful Parisian couple Ismael and Julie realise that their relationship is becoming a little drab, so they bring in Alice, Ismael’s colleague. A comfortable menage-à-trois ensues, but although it works out for them at first, underlying issues become more apparent. Then tragedy hits, and everyone is left trying to make sense out of their lives.
Director: Christophe Honoré
Venue: Moolgaonkar Hall, ICC Towers, off Senapati Bapat Road
Time: 6 15 – 8 p.m
Do your bit to support the movement that even some altruists are too straight to support. Stay for the good music and thought-provoking cinema. You might just find some interesting custom-painted canvas shoes and bags at their shopping stalls as well.
PS: Leave your cameras behind, not all couples like posing for photographs.
Date: 10th – 11th of December, 2011
Time: 12 – 8 pm
Venue: The event is spread across these two locations: 1. Moolgaonkar Hall, ICC Towers and 2. Kalachhaya, opposite Vikhe Patil school, Patrakar Nagar, Pune