Queer film festival begins in Bangalore

Bangalore: A three-day festival of films and documentaries, exhibition of paintings and panel discussions on themes related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT or Queer) communities began here Friday. The fifth edition of the Bangalore Queer Film Festival (BQFF) features 55 films from 20 countries, the organisers said in a statement. Of these, seven are full-length feature films, 18 short fiction films, six short films, six experimental films and 18 are documentaries. Films at the fest have come from countries including India, Pakistan, China, the US, Britain, Brazil, Israel, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Norway, Australia, Myanmar, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines and Holland. BQFF 2013 is organised by Good As You (GAY), Swabhava Trust, We`re Here and Queer (WHAQ!) and Pirat Dykes. Bangalore has been hosting festivals on themes related to LGBT or Queer communities since 2003 on a small scale. Since 2009, when the event was turned into the Bangalore Queer Film Festival (BQFF), the city has become a destination for local and international Queer films, the organisers said. IANS