Cape Town - The African Gender Institute, Triangle Project and Oxfam South Africa will be hosting the very first Queer Feminist Film Festival at the Bertha Movie House in Khayelitsha this weekend.
The festival is being held to honour and celebrate queer and feminist activists who have made strides in the industry.
“In addition to screening films that speak to queer feminism, panel discussions around the films will also take place that include the voices of veteran queer activists,” said co-ordinator, Mase Ramaru.
Another co-ordinator, Bev Ditsie of the first Pride March in South Africa, will also be present as her documentary "Simon and I", which showcases her political journey alongside late political activist Simon Nkuli, will be screened.
Ramaru added that the response to the festival has been overwhelmingly positive. “Many queer people are excited about the festival. This could be a attributed to a need for queer spaces in the city and to how there are not enough spaces for queer people to organise,” she said.
Ramaru added: “Since this is the first festival we will be hosting, we hope it will be a catalyst to more queer events throughout the year to create space for these very necessary conversations.”
Funeka Soldaat, who is the founder of Khayelitsha-based lesbian advocacy group Free Gender, said that the festival would serve as a powerful platform for awareness to be created.
“This is the perfect opportunity to create a dialogue among the people in the community amid the violence and horror the LGBTI has been faced with,” she said.
The organisation has made provision for 150 people a day on a first-come basis which starts at 10am on January 19 and 20.