Jakarta is set to host the Q! Film Festival that will screen films related to, but not exclusively for, the LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex) community. Different from any other film festival, the Q! Film festival is a unique event as it will present a variety of films that tackle sensitive issues.

Involving more than 20 countries, the festival will present some international filmmakers, a seminar and art works. The festival is becoming more and more popular each year since 2002 when it was first founded.

Director of the festival, John Badalu, recalled the festival started from a very simple idea. "It was inspired by two things, my love of cinema and my wish to give the public another perspective of queer people," he said.

To combine these two things, he introduced the Q! Film Festival.

This year, there are some films that should not be missed. They are: Dose (directed by Senedy Que from the Philippines), Blind Pig Who Wants To Fly (directed by Edwin, Indonesia), Motherland (directed by Doris Yeung, US), A Moment in June (directed by O. Nathapon, Thailand), Flood (directed by Sherman Ong, Singapore) and many more.

There is also a small section of popular films such as The Fifth Element (directed by Luc Besson, France), Heroic Trio (directed by Johnny To, China), Age of Innocence (directed by Martin Scorsese, US) and there is a section on Human Rights films i.e. Jamila and The President (directed by Ratna Sarumpaet, Indonesia), At Stake (by five Indonesian directors), This Area is Under Quarantine (directed Thunska Pansittivorakul, Thailand) and Love Man Love Woman (directed by Trinh Thi Nguyen, Vietnam).

According to Badalu, film is the easiest medium to inspire people.

"I always learn a lot about life from films. I just watched At Stake and one of the stories was about prostitutes. After watching it, I respected and admired prostitutes even more", said Badalu enthusiastically.

Not all films are easy to digest. That's why the Q! Film Festival is equipped with discussions, arts exhibitions and many other educational events.

As in previous events, this year's festival will offer some fringe events scattered around the city. There will be three arts exhibitions, outdoor screenings, "Silat Lidah Binan" (an informal discussion with panelists), and a gay musical adapted from a radio show called "Rush Hour". The discussions will take on the "Gay Movement" with speakers such as Dede Oetomo and Ayu Rai Laksmini sharing their experiences.

Badalu expects that the Q! Film Festival won't only draw the attention of those that identify as queer, but also of a broader audience.

The Q! Film Festival was first launched in Jakarta. Now, it tours Bandung (West Java), Jogyakarta, Surabaya (East Java), Bali and Makassar (South Sulawesi). The audience increases every year. In 2008, the number reached 9,000. It is one of the biggest queer film festivals in Asia.

However, increasing audience participation is not the main goal.

"It is about inspiring people through film. We are hoping to change people's perspective so that they will be more open-minded about queer people. We will always be there as much as we can. It's a never ending journey", says Badalu.

Badalu has found many interesting things since he first started the festival.

"Personally, I enjoy each process, from selecting films and programming to working on D-day. Furthermore, it is also good *PR' for Indonesia. As the most populous Muslim country in the world, many people think that it is impossible to organize a queer film festival like this in Indonesia. Some of the filmmakers who attended the festival were astonished with the democracy and the openness here in Indonesia," he said.

The Q! Film Festival has been acknowledged by the Berlin Film Festival. Badalu has even been invited to be on the judging panel of the Berlin Film Festival.

On the one hand, the Q! Film Festival is slowly but surely is getting more and more popular and increasing understanding, but on the other hand, the festival faces the classic problems: funding and human resources.

"We still can't afford to pay our volunteers," Badalu said. According to Badalu, a good festival should have a few permanent staff who can work all year long.

With all the problems, Badalu admitted that he is happy enough that the festival can still continue. "It's like a journey. We have been on the road for eight years, and we have been to many places and found many new experiences, good and bad. But it is still far away from the final destination. Maybe we will never reach the final point, but the most important thing is to enjoy the process to get there," said Badalu.

Q Film Festival
From July 26 until August 5.
For details visit: www.qfilmfestival.org

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