Kaleidoscope of queer cinema

In a bid to take LGBTQI+ narratives far and wide, the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival creates history by getting  theatrical releases for four short films in eight cities.

Over the years, the city-based KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival (MIQFF) has not only become a pivotal platform for showcasing the LGBTQI+ narratives, but has also brought forward the talent from the community. And now creating another landmark, as a part of the ongoing Queer Azaadi Month celebrations, four of its short films are getting theatrical releases.

On for viewing on January 21 and 22 in a multiplex in Juhu, the films will also be released in seven other cities, namely Delhi,  Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Nagpur, and Chandigarh. The four films that have been selected for this initiative are A Monsoon Date, U for Usha, The Fish Curry and Ladli.

For the founder and festival director of KASHISH, Sridhar Rangayan, this is a historic moment in the LGBTQI+ movement. “We can feel the palpable excitement of the filmmakers who are finding a voice to reach across to audiences. We sincerely hope audiences will fill the theatres and give this initiative a big push,” says Rangayan.

The versatile actress Konkana Sen Sharma, who championed as an ally when she played a transgender in Tanuja Chandra’s A Monsoon Date last year, is ecstatic to find that the film is getting a theatrical release. Talking about why it’s important for incorporating more queer characters and stories in our films, she says, “This is the first time I’m playing a trans-character, but this  is definitely not the last time. I think when we exclude LGBTQI+ from society, from our films, we tell an incomplete story of the world. That’s why platforms like this are important to share the lives and experiences of collective humanity. I hope the film and KASHISH will spread love and pride.”

Meanwhile, the director of the film considers it a big boost to continue making such films. “Is there a bigger purpose that stories can serve or a bigger reason to make them? Fingers crossed, the halls get full for those two days so that we can make more and more of these films,” says an excited Tanuja.

The initiative has also brought to light the importance of short films as a format that would otherwise be lost in the OTT platforms. Echoing the sentiment, Rohan Kanawade, the director of U for Usha, which has already won several international awards, says, “For a film aficionado like me, who has been watching films on the silver screen since childhood, this is truly a dream coming true and a milestone in my filmmaking journey. For a short film, after the film festival run, the only other platform usually is the OTT platforms. But getting a theatrical release, which was only reserved for feature films till now, is a big encouragement. This initiative will surely encourage Indian short filmmakers to make more and more quality films.”

As much as the organisers of South Asia’s biggest LGBTQI+ film festival want to emphasise on queer voices and stories in cinema, they have also been paving ways to acknowledge diverse formats of storytelling. The selection of the 2017 animated short film The Fish Curry and Sudipta Kundu’s documentray short Ladli is a nod to it. The man behind the animated film, Abhishek Verma, affirms to it, when he says, “For us, the release of the animated short film is considered a major push towards bringing the original kind of content, the medium of animation and acknowledgment of the one of the important subjects in the country.” In awe of the selection, adding further, he concludes, “Support and acceptance of diversity by KASHISH MIQFF is the key that helped in bringing the film to public. It’s very encouraging for a short film format. We are happy and honoured of being clubbed with the other three important co-selections.”