, , we re not just shopkeepers or repressed women, or the , best friend or the f irst to die
GLITCH GLITCH
SPRING FESTIVALS
I Am Not Your Negro
Glasgow’s GLITCH is the UK’s fi rst fi lm festival for LGBTIQA+ people of colour. Here, its director Nosheen Khwaja discusses diversity and the future of fi lm Interview by Arusa Qureshi
T he name GLITCH came from two places. Firstly, queer people of colour existing as a glitch in the mainstream system of homonationalism, borders, capitalism, work, racism, sexism, and this idea that our very existence disrupts the lies that are told to maintain existing power structures. The second reference is concerned with creatively disrupting bigoted narratives, making yourself heard above the clamour, with a beautiful interruption.
As a queer person of colour, I’m frustrated and hurt by various lacks in society and the ongoing oppression we face. GLITCH feels like an exciting, expansive way to try and alter this as well as creating more space for us. It can be afi rming and interesting for queer people of colour to come together and see ourselves rel ected on screen. Also, all LGBTIQA+ people still need to generate community amongst ourselves. We need ways to hang out and make our own culture that isn’t all orientated around the bar scene or NGOs. Although it’s true that LGBTIQA+ people of colour are underrepresented in i lm production, at the same time, people of colour are the majority of the world and a signii cant number of us are LGBTIQA+. So from a i lm exhibition point of view, there is a lot of amazing work being made by LGBTIQA+ people of colour to i nd and screen: which is what we do!
I think it is crucial to ask specii c questions like ‘why aren’t there more people of colour in the industry?’, ‘why aren’t there more disabled people in the industry?’, ‘why aren’t there more deaf people in the industry?’ and take time to address those issues in a detailed way. Concrete action needs to be taken but not in quota form. I think that will just alienate those already in the industry and cause resentment. You have to begin changing things at a root level such as education, providing opportunities for people to
experience and experiment with i lm and art. There need to be projects that support people from a multiplicity of racial, cultural and class backgrounds to create their own art and i lm. But not in a tokenistic, limited way but by giving dignity and autonomy and adequate resources to everyone participating. More research needs to be done by i lm festivals when it comes to selecting i lms. They should also be chosen on quality at all times; I don’t think it helps to advance the struggle against racism, homophobia etc to select i lms that are aesthetically or creatively weak but have ‘positive’ representation.
The casting system needs an overhaul too and an end to stereotypical roles being the only ones on offer. We’re not just shopkeepers, gangsters or repressed women. Or in the case of LGBTIQA+ people, the best friend or the i rst to die. It’s highly insulting and damaging to future generations.
Also the way in which the arts are presented in relation to racial and national identity needs to be addressed. When you say ‘Scottish i lm’ for example, you don’t immediately think of an Asian woman or black man making features or shorts, or of their family stories being preserved in archives. A vicious cycle needs to be broken where stories that don’t centre on white, straight people are somehow argued to lack universal qualities. The more that audiences become accustomed to seeing a truly representative range of the world’s population on screen, the less stereotypical portrayals we’ll have. We had a really fantastic response from audiences [at our i rst festival in 2016]. One audience member said that as a deaf, black queer woman she’s never felt so included at an arts event before. It’s that kind of feedback which makes all the hard work worthwhile.
GLITCH Film Festival ends on Sat 1 Apr with a free screening of I Am Not Your Negro at CCA, Glasgow.
1 Apr–31 May 2017 THE LIST 19