In 2020, Out & Loud – PIQFF hosted its first-ever online movie screening that commenced on the 5th of September. The 4th edition of Out & Loud – Pune International Queer Film Festival featured around 59 films over 24 days.
Anchored by Aditya Bhagat, the virtual opening night was an artistically memorable affair uplifted by the performances of Tejaswini Phadke, Sandeepta Das, and the soothing vocals by Soham Sengupta.
Watch the opening night of Out & Loud – PIQFF 2020 here.
On 6th September 2020, the film Miss Man directed by Tathagata Ghosh leads the way for the audience to a riveting, binge-watching experience. The festival displayed various inspiring and tear-jerking movies like; Ka Bodyscapes, Steer Your Type, COFFEE CAFE, If You Dare Desire, Reclaiming Pride, It’s Still Me Mom and more. The selection of the movies is a well-thought-out process that nominates films which showcase the serious concerns and experiences of members from the community. It is an attempt to give power through art to the innumerable LGBTQIA voices worldwide.
Viewers also witnessed some thought-provoking panel discussions launched on the platform. These interactions shed light upon issues such as the Before and After of striking out Section 377, the effect of Pandemic on Film & Arts, Safe Campus Spaces, ERG & BRG during a Pandemic; moderated by Andy Barve, Manveen Kaur and Shyam Konnur, respectively. These conversations included panelists from varied fields of expertise like Rachana Mudraboyina, Vishal Pinjani, Arvind Narrain, Shyam Konnur – Festival Director, Tathagata Ghosh – Filmmaker, Nidheya Suresh – Filmmaker, Arunkumar Senthil-Filmmaker, Ivan John (Sophia college Mumbai), Smitana Saikia (Flame University), Rahel Rao (Queer Qrew-SSLA), Meetanshi Gaba (Queer Qrew-SSLA), Roma Nawani Sachdev – Publicis Sapient, Dwight Cook – Working With Pride, Preeti Jain – IBM India Pvt Ltd, Richa Singh – Keshav Suri Foundation.
Watch the panel discussions of Out & Loud – PIQFF 2020 below.
- Before and After Sec 377
- Safe Campuses
- Films and Television during a Pandemic
- ERG/BRG during a Pandemic
Here are the winners of Out and Loud- PIQFF, 2020:
Best Of Out & Loud – Nidheya Suresh for Maa
Best Actor- Farha Khatun for Swapna – If You Dare Desire
Best Humor Film – Tamara Scherbak for Is Your Teen Homosexual
Best International Documentary – Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson for The Rogers
Best Indian Documentary – Anita Singh for Outcast
Best Silent / Experimental Film – Lois Norman for Swivel
Best Feature Film – Jayan Cherian for Ka Bodyscapes
Best Short Film – Tathagata Ghosh for Miss Man
The event concluded on September 28th, hosted by Mr Gay India 2020 & Festival Director – Shyam Konnur. The night dazzled with some captivating performances by Chayan Singh Rathore, Mallika, followed by a theatrical act put together by Revathi called Vellai Mozhi. The fourth year of the festival came to a close with recognitions and awards. Vishal Pinjani from Abhimaan, Kohlapur was awarded Out & Loud Warrior of the Year. Ankita Kulkarni was 2020’s Out & Loud Ally of the Year. This edition also featured a new award category for the people thriving in the workplace to make it more inclusive and diverse, and Vieshaka Dutta (Publicis Sapient) was awarded with Out & Loud Workplace Warrior of 2020. This year the festival yet again provided a space for queer persons and their allies to come together to celebrate diversity, with a promise of continued legacy in the upcoming years.
In this way, although virtual, the fourth edition of Out & Loud – Pune International Queer Film Festival was an encouraging and comforting occurrence for everyone during the quarantine.
Watch the closing night of Out & Loud – PIQFF 2020 here.
We appreciate and are thankful to all the volunteers and organizing team for their hard work and tireless efforts in making this event a success.
Organized by MIST, the Out & Loud – Pune International Queer Film Festival is grateful to our Gold Sponsor – Working With Pride, Silver Sponsor – Publicis Sapient, Associate Partner – Keshav Suri Foundation and Merchandise Partner – QueerBazaar for their valuable contribution and loyal support.
~ Article written by Smruti Chavan
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