Dialogues- The Queer film festival organised by Sappho for Equality and Pratyay Gender Trust was back this year with a bigger bang. Due to my post- graduation hectic schedule i could not be a part of the planning session for the festival. However i was a volunteer during the festival and the crowd could at best be described as Mad.
There were some very interesting films that were shown. Parvez Sharma's Jehad for Love being a personal favourite. (which i incidentally saw last year at another film festival). What many people do no know is that Parvez used to live in our own city many years back before moving to the States. The film depicted islam and sexuality as opposing forces and how a group of muslim gay men wanted to reconcile them in their own ways. It was a beautiful saga. Poignant and moving. (Can i add at this point that i will be meeting Parvez in person later next month at the World Outgames Human Rights Conference. *wink wink*)
The short film section was very intersting too- Creative and informative. Films like 'Gender Trouble', 'Milind Soman made me Gay', 'Pablo' and the very brilliant 'Are we talking Straight' made us sit up and take notice. 'Are we talking straight' was a docu fature made in Kolkata on the occasion of Anti homophobic day. It was quite shocking to see youth voices screaming about the unnaturalness of same sex love and how it is a psychological problem that can be cured parallel to voices from other people who understand and support the right of individual freedom and expression. The film was a jolting revelation of the truth we fail to see in our own idealistic lives and the attitude of the general populace towards homosexuality.
Lastly but not least i would like to talk about Shameem sarif's 'The world unseen' a story of two indian women in 1952's apartheid South africa. The film was beautiful and laced with strong performances by Lisa ray, nandana sen, and sheetal seth. Last heard it still hasnt got clearance for a theatrical release in india but the festival allowed us to watch the film which we might not be able to see anytime soon.
The festival boasted of a strong mix of viewers- from Tv stars to activists, academics and film makers. It truly paved the way for discussion and debates on the stigma and celebration of love- two sides of the same coin.
