One of the top five LGBTQIA+ film festivals of the world, KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is being held this year from the 19th of August till the 5th of September. Spanning over three weekends, the 12th edition of KASHISH Film Festival will screen 221 films from 53 countries, and is available to watch worldwide. The experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transwomen, transmen, queer and non-binary persons continue to be unique to them, and these films highlight the challenges and triumphs of a community fighting against legal and social injustices, to simply live as they please. We bring a list of films, some recommended by Festival Director Sridhar Rangayan, which explore and ultimately present the resilience of love even amidst crises of sex, gender, ethnicity, region, religion and class divide.
Advent of Mary
Directed by Vinícius Machado, this Brazilian feature film explores the story of Maria, an 11-year-old transgender girl, in search of her identity. Religious and familial pressures mount, till she finally meets her new neighbour Lena. They form a beautiful and pure friendship based on trust which helps Maria understand herself better.
Streaming on 27 August 2021
The Lawyer
A beautifully sensitive film from Lithuana, The Lawyer is directed by Romas Zabarauska. Life drifts by for gay corporate lawyer Marius until one day his estranged dies. In his mourning, he finds an unexpected connection with sex-cam worker Ali, a Syrian refugee stuck in Belgrade.
Streaming on 28 August 2021
I Am Here - We Are Here Together
From Japan, this documentary feature film is directed by Tomoya Asanuma and captures, through interviews, GID (gender identity disorder), GD (Gender dysphoria) and Transgender people in Japan, as they take on the challenges that come their way. The film also discusses the issues caused by the restrictive requirements of the Gender Identity Disorder Special Cases Act, the law that allows changing of legal sexes.
Streaming on 20 August, 2021
Love Spells & All That
After 20 years of not having seen each other, two women reunite on a small Turkish Island where they first fell in love, as teenagers. Directed by Ümit Ünal, this heartwarming Turkish film explores the intertwining of love and life, and the trials that come with it.
Streaming on 4 September 2021
Pride & Protest
Directed by Blaise Singh, this documentary feature from UK is a synthesis of many conversations shared by the Rainbow Films team on important but often ignored issues met by QPOC about racism within the larger queer community, as well as issues around intersectionality and visible diversity in the more mainstream and White heteronormative society they live in.
Streaming on 3 September 2021
Forgotten Roads
Mourning the loss of her husband, a traditional woman from the countryside meets her new neighbour Elsa, an independent and married woman. The latter sings in a secret bar called 'Porvenir’ or The Future, lives life on her own terms, and the two soon fall in love, battling societal humiliation and expectations. Directed by Nicol Ruiz, this film is from Chile.
Streaming on 27 August 2021
Brihonnola
A film from India, directed by Dibyadoot Roy Chowdhury, it explores the tale of Mahi, a young girl battling a crisis of identity as she struggles to understand her gender. After the demise of her parents, Mahi finds herself engulfed in a dark societal reality, and becomes a victim of human trafficking. Meeting Shimli, another victim, Mahi forms a close relationship with her. Fate, however, has other plans as Mahi and Shimli seek to navigate the terrors of society.
Streaming on 20 August 2021
Versus
Born as Leo, Versus, a film from the Philippines and directed by Ralston Gonzales Jover, tells the story of a Filipino migrant father in Brisbane. His journey into transitioning as Lea is explored, as is Lea’s fight as a transperson for the custody of her children.
Streaming on 3 September 2021
Unsound
A hearing impaired actor plays the lead role of a deaf transman in love with a disillusioned musician in this film from Australia, directed by Ian Watson. Together, they work to save his community nightclub for the deaf, making it a quintessential film for the young.
Streaming on 5 September 2021
Information about all the films, as well as schedule and information on how to register, is available on the festival website http://mumbaiqueerfest.com
Text Devyani Verma
Date 20-08-2021