Gfest – (Complacent Present)… Fragile Future?

    An annual platform for LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex) artists and organisations, the 8th GFEST – Gaywise FESTival ® runs Monday 9 – Friday 21 November 2015 at venues across London.

At a time when the LGBT community enjoys more tolerance and equality than at any other moment in history, when gay men and lesbians in more and more countries including the UK can marry their chosen partner, feel secure at work and home thanks to anti-discrimination laws, and benefit from increased visibility, one could say that now is a time for celebration. Yet many LGBTQI people still face unimaginable horrors in countries as diverse as Russian, Syria and Uganda. GFEST contemplates this polarised situation with this year’s theme: (Complacent Present)… Fragile Future?

The theme is equally pertinent to festivals like GFEST. “As a small LGBT arts charity we face enormous fundraising challenges,” says GFEST artistic director Niranjan Kamatkar. “Despite all those challenges we are still carrying on, putting forward a singular message that GFEST is there for the celebration of all LGBT artists and practitioners, promoting artistic excellence being at the heart of LGBTQI future.”