Businesses come together as Queer Friendly Businesses in solidarity for Nepal's 1st Queer Film Festival Kathmandu - QFFK 2024

Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal, CRS Healthcare, Hyatt Place, Yadea, Barasinghe, Kaleidoscope Production, Vet for your Pet, Asian Pharmaceuticals, Hard Rock Cafe, SnackOn Bars, Magar Adventure and Global Shapers Community Kathmandu came together in solidarity for Nepal's 1st Queer Film Festival Kathmandu - QFFK 2024 organized by Documentary Open School - Docskool. All these businesses also show their solidarity for queer community and allies to advocate about LGBTIQ+ not limiting it to be separate from each others. Documentary Open School - Docskool as the organizer also wanted to project that festivals like this is to celebrate diversity into a world of parallel aspirations, majestic leaps, individual conquests and historical overview of queer movement as films made world over.

Samrat Baral, CEO of CRS Healthcare on video message -

Sneha Shrestha, Communications & Sustainability Manager at Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal | The Bottlers Nepal on video message - 

Dinup and Rahul from Kaleidoscope Production - 

Saurav and Megha represent Global Shapers Community Kathmandu - 

Documentary Open School - Docskool also invited Queer Led Businesses for satellite events during the festival duration. Pride Perks at Paknajol organized an After Party on Opening Night, Rainbow Cafe and Restaurant at Galkopakha, Thamel organized a Speed Dating while Pink Tiffany, Saat Ghumti, Thamel celebrated Friday Night & Saturday Night while organized a Satellite Screenings of selected Queer Films on Sunday Night. Rokxi & Smog at Old  Baneshwor organized a Satellite Screening on Saturday Night followed by LIVE music where as Hard Rock Cafe Kathmandu as a Queer Friendly businesses closed the closing night screenings. 

Docskool also invited several Queer Led Businesses and Queer Friendly Businesses to showcase their products at Indreni Hatiya on Saturday at Yalamaya Kendra premises. Happy Space Nepal, Chibi Store, Lostmandu, Soozay Crochet, zie0art, FemArt Hack, BLISS Academy by Sakil Kunwar, Dristi Nepal and Cruiseaids Nepal joined the marketplace catering to the audience who joined the festival.

Find the Queer Film Festival Kathmandu - QFFK Catalogue was possible through the businesses who joined in solidarity for QFFK 2024 

Queer Expressions in Online Spaces - A talk session at QFFK 2024

The ever-expanding moral restrictions on cinema from state and non-state actors are constant contributor for weak queer participation in cinema. Queer cinema in Nepal faces multiple challenges, including limited yet stereotyped portrayal of LGBTQIA+ characters in Nepali films, and nominal participation of Queer individuals in cinema. Production practices in recent years show a different side to queer expression as more filmmakers are seeking alternatives to mainstream cinema.

Accessible online platforms have become highly sought after for queer and sexually open contents. Queer content producers have been fast to tap in with more queer materials released online in recent years than ever before in the history of cinema in Nepal. Their high approval comes as content creators see online spaces as an alternative to keep censorship and moral policing away. Yet the prospect of backlash from millions of homophobic audiences and new policies to control social media looms around.

Queer filmmakers and producers talk of the current scenario for queer expression/ cinema in Nepal – the way ahead and how online spaces might have a role to play. The talk discusses further into if online spaces are actually pivotal for open unrestricted expression as they further explore other queer cinema friendly avenues.

Speakers -

• Sushant Shrestha is a film producer whose work has been shown at Busan International Film Festival among others. He is an alumni of Berlinale talent Campus and has worked in film producing for over a decade.
  
  
• Pranaya R. Shakya, is a true trailblazer in Nepal’s creative and advocacy world! His media advocacy started in early 2000’s with Radio shows on young people. He since ventured into animation through Escape Animation, that led to winning Nepal’s first animation award in 2011. Pranaya has since focused his energy in starting Nepal’s sole queer -owned media company as Kaleidoscope Production which he co founded. He currently devotes himself to create LGBTQIA+ oriented stories for a more acceptable world.
  
  
• Gaurav Kandel (Youth Activist & Advisor to Queer Film Festival Kathmandu ’24) is a Docskool 2008 film workshop alumni. He has worked with several non profits and film/ art festivals for over a decade that directly/indirectly touch upon queer movement. He is also a Nepal consultant of the Emmy award winning show, Shark Tank.

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Navigating Our Missing Love – Feminism and Queer Feminism

At the Queer Film Festival Kathmandu - QFFK 2024 campaigned by Documentary Open School - Docskool, a keynote discussion titled "Navigating Our Missing Love: Feminism and Queer Feminism" was successfully organized jointly by Loom Nepal, the Federation of Sexual and Gender Minorities (FSGMN), WOFOWON, SWASA Nepal, and Inclusive Steps Nepal, as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign 2024.

The program saw the participation of over 100 women with different gender identities including young women, members of sexual and gender minority groups, women with disabilities, female sex workers, and female laborers from the construction sector.

In the current context of Nepal's women's movement, which has progressed through various perspectives, the fear of weakening arises if we fail to advance women's issues in an integrated manner collectively. To strengthen feminist movements to maintain momentum, it is essential to unite intersectional feminist movements. Such collective efforts can spotlight women and queer’s lived experiences and challenges in public discourse, paving the way for solutions. This dialogue was organized to foster collective strength to address fragmented issues and fortify Nepal's feminist movement. The discussion emphasized the need for uniting all women's rights movements and campaigns as a non-negotiable step toward strengthening the broader feminist movement.

During the event:

• Sarita Dahal, Executive Director of Loom Nepal, presented the history as well as gaps or challenges and also the ways forward for the intersectional feminist movement in Nepal.
  
  
• Suhana Thapa Magar, from the Federation of Sexual and Gender Minorities, spoke on the inception, current status, and integration of the queer feminist movement into the broader feminist discourse in Nepal.
  
  
• Prof. Dr. Bindu Pokharel, a gender studies scholar, offered insights on why it is vital to integrate issues from Nepal's feminist, queer feminist, and other intersectional feminist movements into mainstream discourse. She also outlined the way forward for bringing women's collective issues into the mainstream.

At the end of the program, feedback from participants was synthesized into the following key points regarding the future of Nepal's feminist and intersectional feminist movements:

• Inclusion in the Mainstream: The women's movement must address the concerns of marginalized communities, including those defined by caste, religion, class, gender, and sexual identity.
  
  
• Unity Across Feminist Movements: It is essential to create an environment where all feminist movements can come together to realize the collective goal of women's rights and gender equality.
  
  
• A Common Platform: Nepal’s feminist movement must unite diverse feminist movements to progress collectively as a shared movement.
  
  
• Incorporating Intersectional Issues: The core concerns of feminist, queer feminist, and intersectional feminist movements should be addressed with positivity and unity.
  
  
• Diversity and Collaboration: Effective coordination and collaboration are necessary to embrace diversity and differences in the movement.
  
  
• Human Rights Perspective: Equality and respect are universal issues that should not be limited to the rights of men and women alone. It is crucial to recognize intersectional issues as human rights and work collectively to ensure rights for all.