Kashish - Mumbai Queer Film Festival, 2010 is an attempt by Solaris Pictures and Bombay Dost to unearth these films and showcase them, celebrating the creativity of filmmakers and the increasing visibility of the queer community. The festival will offer cinema as a medium to understand what being queer means today and how it impacts both the queer community and the society at large.
"Our vision is to not only encourage original Indian queer cinema but also showcase it to queer and mainstream audiences both, in order to make them aware about Indian queer thought, desire and expression," says Sridhar Rangayan, festival director. "We want to reach out to as many Indian filmmakers and audiences as we can."
Bombay Dost has been screening queer themed films, both indigenous and those made abroad, for nearly six years. Known as 'Sunday High', these events are held twice a month, yet there is a felt need to have a film festival such as Kashish to bring together the audience, the films and their makers.
Kashish will be held between April 22 and April 25, 2010, and will be spread across two venues in Mumbai – one in the city and one in the suburbs. Features, short films, documentaries and experimental films will be screened, highlighting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters and stories. The films will explore the diverse realities, complexities, joys and sorrows that make up the Indian queer experience as well as celebrate, reclaim, and explain LGBTQ identities while engaging and entertaining audiences.
Eminent personalities from films, art, fashion and media and queer activists will be part of the Kashish selection committee and jury for its competitive sections, which will carry awards.
The festival will push the envelope even further by including films made outside India but those which relate to the Indian experience – films from the Indian Diaspora. Several prominent desi filmmakers from the US and the UK will exhibit their films at Kashish. In addition, two internationally acclaimed curators will showcase recent cutting-edge queer films from North America and South-East Asia in a special package.
A series of discussions about on Indian queer culture and its portrayal on film, and a photo-exhibition will also be a part of Kashish.
A call for entries was made in November; Closing date for entries is January 10, 2010 -- Entry forms are available from the Kashish website. The selected list of films will be announced by Feb 2010.
