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The eighth edition of the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is all set to be flagged off tomorrow and it’s a unique opportunity for movie lovers to catch films in the LGBTQ genre. Even better news? There are quite a few Indian films to watch out for this year among the 147 films from 45 countries.
Here are some of the Indian highlights and where to catch them:
Queering India
G.H.A.R., Beyond Black & White, Escaping Agra, Told Untold, Coming Out: A collection of five short documentaries about young members of the Indian queer community who are unflinchingly vocal and open about their choices and thinking out-of-the-box to mark their existence in a society and system which is yet to accept and understand them.
Catch it at: Liberty Cinema/ Thursday May 25 / 4.30 pm
White Nights (Velutha Rathrikal)
Directed by Razi, it is an independent Malayalam cinematic adaptation of the eponymous novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Manu is an artist in search of a new sky, from his troubled past, in a forest settlement. He meets Chelly, a tribal girl from a nearby settlement who bears the brunt from her own share of life. She awaits the return of her beloved friend Jyothi. Despite their diverse upbringings, Manu and Chelly strike a serene and beautiful chord with each other. Their brief but intense bonding during the five nights develop into a seemingly inseparable one and Chelly realizes her growing dilemma. She wishes Jyothi were Manu or he was she. She painfully longs for Jyothi not to turn up.
Catch it at: Liberty Cinema/ Thursday May 25 / 10 pm
Dear Dad
14-year-old Shivam, and his 45-year-old dad Nitin embark on an impromptu road trip from their home, in Delhi, to Mussorie, where Shivam attends boarding school. He asks Shivam to cancel his plans of travelling with his school friends and to, instead, accompany him to the boarding school. On the way, they spot a 28-year old handsome model, Aditya, who is a reality TV show celebrity, asking for a lift. Shivam forces Nitin to take Aditya along with them as he’s a fan of his show. Shivam is shocked when his father makes a revelation. The Hindi film, directed by Tanuj Bhramar, is a bittersweet coming of age story that inverts the traditional coming out narrative, with the father coming out to the son. The support of family can help one survive tough times, but some times this journey is not so smooth – especially when riddles with secrets.
Catch it at: Alliance Francaise / Thursday May 25 / 6.45 pm
Physicality
Directed by V Ramanathan, the Tamil film revolves around Krithika and Shireen, friends who strive for societal recognition of their preferred and lived gender. Shireen drives a taxi to support herself and nurses a dream to be a popular theater actress while Krithika is focused in her ambition to become a police officer. Soon both of them realize that the society and people around them can’t think beyond the physicality of being a male and female.
Catch it at: Liberty Cinema / Friday May 26 / 10 pm
Chronicles Of Hari
Set in a coastal town of southern Indi, the Kannada film by Ananya Kasaravalli narrates the story of a Yakshagana artist Hari, who has gained extreme popularity portraying female roles. The story of Hari's life unfolds through different perspectives captured in three episodes across four audio-visual interviews conducted by filmmakers Sharmila and Sundar, primarily interested in investigating and documenting his whereabouts.
Catch it at: Liberty Cinema / Friday May 26 / 10 pm
Signature Move
The US film directed by Jennifer Reeder deserves a special mention because it stars our very own Shabana Azmi.
Signature Move is the story of Zaynab, an American Muslim lesbian (Fawzia Mirza), who hides two things from her homebound, conservative mother Parveen (Shabana Azmi): her budding relationship with a Mexican-American woman Alma (Sari Sanchez) and her growing fascination with wrestling! While Parveen, recently widowed, tries to escape her loneliness watching TV soap operas and trying to find the best man to get her daughter married off, Zaynab is searching for her identity in life, love and wrestling.
Catch it at: Liberty Cinema / Friday May 24 / 8.30 pm
The festival would also close with the incredibly beautiful Loev directed by Sudhanshu Saria.
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