Hyderabad Queer Film Festival

16/12/2021

Coverage on the festival on Pioneer in two Telugu states editions.

Sridhar Rangayan
Faraz Arif Ansari
thefilm






***rnilayamindia





***rfilmfestival ***rfestival

15/12/2021

Here are a few pics from HQFF 2021.

14/12/2021

Moses Tulasi, the festival director, said “q***r-themed subjects are often dealt in isolation of socio-cultural and political factors and this is not a true representation of our complex society, hence a conscious decision has been made during the curation of films this year to pick stories that narrate q***rness in the context of class, caste and religion identity locations.”

One of the key movies screened at the festival, Sheer Qorma, has also been making waves in the film circles. It stars some very popular actors – Shabana Azmi, Swara Baskar, and Divya Dutta, to name a few. The story revolves around the lives of q***r children where religion, ethnicity, culture, and family bonds come in the way of acceptance of q***rness in a Muslim family. The festival witnessed many young and old q***r Muslim individuals and their allies. “Sheer Qorma” has attracted 300+ audience and hence the organizers had to screen multiple shows back to back. Several guests from Shabhana Azmi’s extended family and friends were also witnessed.

The Hyderabad Q***r Film Festival hosted its 4th event at Annapoorna Studios in Hyderabad that brings many veterans and new filmmakers.

13/12/2021

Thanks to all community sponsors - Q***r Nilayam, Wajood, QWC, Mobbera, THITS and Dragvanti who made the event happen.

Special thanks to Jayati from Wajood Society in procuring Annapurna Studio space and grateful for Annapurna for allowing us to hold the event here.
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Thanks to Apoorva, Sandy, Sai and Ravikanth for publicity material and social media.
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Thanks to Sastry form Dragvanti for being a wonderful Emcee for today's event.
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Vishnu from Liberty Rebellion Organization for fund raising and logistics
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Rachana and Vyjayanti from THITS for connecting us with performers and the Mithr Clinic and helping with documentation.
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Jayant from Q***r Nilayam and KiranRaj from Star CBO in getting the police permission with the help of Vishnu and Chandramukhi.

Riddhi for helping with Filmmakers hospitality.

Jayant for his overall coordination of the festival including managing logistics, food and volunteers and running pillar to post to make things happen.

People's Choice owned by Hepsiba and Tilotama, an LGBTQIA restaurant located in Sainikpuri for providing lunch at a subsidized cost.

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Thanks to all the performers who performed such graciously in the event.

Thank you to all the volunteers.
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Thank you Mitr Clinic for helping with Covid protocol. Thank you Rishi.
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Last but not the least - We have Moses Tulasi who is our Festival Director who has been on the hook 24/7 by curating the movies, connecting with the filmmakers also managing Marketing and Publicity.

Thank you Faraz Arif Ansari for the wonderful cake :)

***rnilayamindia





***rfilmfestival ***rfestival

13/12/2021

Coverage in Telugu news media Andhra Jyothi, Andhra Prabha and Visalandhra highlighting the participation of 4 films from Lotus Visual Pro production house.

U for Usha
Evening Shadows
Sisak
Sheer Qorma

11/12/2021

09/12/2021

Shabana Azmi and the homecoming to Hyderabad with “Sheer Qorma” at HQFF 2021

This may seem like a scene right out of an Urdu classic film but it was at a Mushaira that visiting poet Kaifi Azmi first met with comrade Shaukat and fell in love with her in the erstwhile state of Hyderabad. The couple became leading lights of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) and the Progressive Writers Association (IWA), which were the cultural platforms of the Communist Party of India.

Their daughter is the living legend, Shabana Azmi.

Shabana Azmi was an integral part of Indian parallel cinema of late 70s and early 80s that also featured a few Hyderabad based socio-cultural and political dramas. Among them. Ankur from 1974 and Mandi from 1983 fare among the finest films ever to be made from the subcontinent, both of which that had Shabana Azmi playing the protagonist and both made by Hyderabad’s own (Benagala Shyam Sunder)

Ankur was a raw awakening to the inter-generational oppression of the zamindari feudal system that was in vogue in the state of Hyderabad during the Nizams and even later. Shabana’s role in the film is of a domestic made from a lower caste-class whose physical and mental labor is at the disposal of the zamindari system. Her performance will make the audience skip a heartbeat. She also speaks authentic Dakhni laced with Telugu words recreating the nostalgic Telangana of 50s.

Mandi is arguably the finest anthropological social drama to have ever made that captures a fading culture of Hyderabad’s courtesan system from the 70s. It depicts how a group of women thrown on to the fringes of the society created an alternate family system of a community living and the power and resilience of it. It also captures the ugly truth of how women are trafficked into the system.

An Oscar would not even do justice to Shabana Madam in Mandi and the entire ensemble cast along with Smita Patil, Naseeruddin, On Puri etc

Sheer Qorma although not set up in Hyderabad is very relevant to Hyderabad as it is one of the very few left Urdu-speaking (Dakhni) Muslim dominant cultural bastions of the country.

We at HQFF think nothing less of this than homecoming of Shabana to Hyderabad.

09/12/2021

Hello Folks! To answer a most frequently asked question, How do we register or buy tickets to the screening? Folks, the ***rFilmFestival is Free and open for all! We encourage donations! We will be opening up donation link soon and you can do it at the venue too!
Come, Join Us on 12th Dec 2021, 10 am onwards

09/12/2021

HQFF is proud to be associated with Dakhini q***r rap from our very own artist from Golconda - "C.O.M.U.L" that challenges homophobia and transphobia in our societies.

"FAQR TA-QAYAMAT" - "MARZI SE JEENE KI ARZI NAKKO!"

Marzi se jeene ki arzi nakko
Khoon ki garmi mei sardi nakko
Basti ki soch jaando sardti bhi toh
Roohani taaqat ke liye maafi nakko

Rap battle mei homophobia kya miya bhai?
Dil ki khwaisho mei kamiya hai kya bhai?
khudi ki bulandi mei muqtella sahi
Hyderabad se leke Jamia bhi

basti ki padaish hoti kalakaar se
Itehaas ke poore rang bharke
Proper rap hona toh lo diya mai jee bhar ke
Babur ki tope uthi Lodhi out hua panipat se

Bulleh Shah, Kabir, ki hai aulad apan
Ismat aapa se bhi leke dum
Qutb Shah na de mujh diwane ku pand
Diwane ku ladna hai abhi lambi jung

Assal rap mei aaj bhi bhot hai
Jung ke maidan mei saathi bhot hai
Frank Ocean, Tyler, Lil Nas X
Comrada, bhai bhena aur beechwale bhi set
Marzi se jeene ki arzi nakko
Khoon ki pukaar mei bharo sardi nakko
Basti se milna apna ho na ho
Roohani taaqat ke liye maafi nakko

Abhi aata lala
leke qaum lut ka qissa purana
Sandook se nikla so iska khazana
Hadd munafiqi mei magar khud deen guzara
Tere gaadiyo ki pottiyo ki deen mei ijaazat hai kya lala?
Tere bangle tere ventures
riba ki kamai sab
khuda ku pasand hai kya lala?

khwaisho se muqtela kaisa yeh deen tera
Marzi ke ishq mei paak hai apna seena

Nafrat ke pathar se dabewa tu, apan pyaar ki ghazal hai sun zara
Raat ke andhere mei tu ghum, apan chand ki nasal rey lala
Chand ki nasal ku tu samajhle magar
Woh din yaad kar jab teri tuti akad
do hazaar satra, jab chekko ki kahani ku Oscar mila
Moonlight se roshan apan
tu lala lund pakad

Izhar Haqeeqat ka karna tha kardiye
Jidhar tha darr udhar faqr bhi bhardiye
Ab Yeh haqeeqat ta qayamat
Yeh waseelat ta qayamat
Yeh ijaazat ta qayamat
yeh izzat ta qayamat
yeh taaqat ta qayamat
yeh khushi ab ta qayamat
yeh haqq ab ta qayamat
yeh faqr ab ta qayamat

Translation:

No requests to live freely
Don't force coldness in the warmth of our blood
Let the city rot away in its conceptions
No need to apologise for the power of our spirits

Homophobia in rap battles, really man?
Is there something flawed about the heart's desires?
We revel in the pride of our unique selves
From Hyderabad to Jamia

It's artists who give birth to societies
Taking colours from all of history
You want to see proper rap? Take, I have loads to give
Babur raised his canon, Lodhi's knocked out of Panipat

We're the children of Bulleh Shah and Kabir
Taking strength from Ismat aapa
Qutb Shah don't give advice to this fool
The fool has a long battle to fight

Even in real rap, there's many today
Comrades in the battlefield
Frank Ocean, Tyler, Lil Nas X
Comrades, sisters and brothers, and the ones in the middle set
No requests to live freely
Don't choke our blood's cries with cold
Whether or not we meet with the city
No apologies for the power of our spirits

Here comes Lala
Taking the old story of the people of Lot
A treasure he pulled out from some chest
But lives in extreme hypocrisy himself!

Are your cars and girls allowed in Islam Lala?
Your mansions, your ventures
All wealth from usury
Does God love all this Lala?
Drowning in reckless wishes, what faith is yours?
In wilful love our hearts are pure

You are crushed beneath the rock of hate, we're a song of Love, listen up
You are lost in the dark night, we're the children of the moon

But understand the children of the moon
Recall that day when your pride broke
2017, when a story of f**s won the Oscar
We are enlightened by Moonlight, you Lala suck my d***

09/12/2021

Watch the short depicting the harsh reality of Millennial dating scene with the short "AMAR, PREM".

Two boys. Amar and Prem. Share love that is not eternal. A dark-humorous take on the millennial dating dance—meet. Date. Break up. Date.

Produced by JLT Films
Directed by Mujeer Pasha

09/12/2021

HQFF 2021 FILM BROCHURE.