Pride International Film Festival (PIFF) is an international LGBT film festival which advocates HIV and AIDS awareness and education through films and videos. The first festival, originally planned for 2003, took place on August 21, 2004 in Manila, Philippines. Organized by founder Severino Planas, it was established to help in its worldwide endeavor of fighting HIV/AIDS and promoting prevention and control.
"The fight is our fight," these were the words of Fernando Josef, vice president and artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), at the opening of the 2004 Pride International Film Festival (PIFF) at the CCP Dream Theater (Tanghalang Manuel Conde) in Manila.
Josef emphasized the institution's support "to uplift and empower the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender in our society, to enlighten others about the issues and concerns affecting this often marginalized, if not discriminated against sector."
The festival presented its "Judy" Award (Most Influential Person in the World) to Madonna and the "Lifetime Achievement and Distinction" Award to Sir Ian McKellen. Both awards were presented in-absentia.
Famous quotes containing the words pride, film and/or festival:
“However energetically society in general may strive to make all the citizens equal and alike, the personal pride of each individual will always make him try to escape from the common level, and he will form some inequality somewhere to his own profit.”
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859)
“A film is a petrified fountain of thought.”
—Jean Cocteau (1889–1963)
“Don’t you know there are 200 temperance women in this county who control 200 votes. Why does a woman work for temperance? Because she’s tired of liftin’ that besotted mate of hers off the floor every Saturday night and puttin’ him on the sofa so he won’t catch cold. Tonight we’re for temperance. Help yourself to them cloves and chew them, chew them hard. We’re goin’ to that festival tonight smelling like a hot mince pie.”
—Laurence Stallings (1894–1968)