Sridhar Rangayan is all pins and needles when we chat. It’s a few days before June 12 — when the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival begins — and the festival director is happy but hassled. After all, the tenth edition of the queer film festival comes months after the historic Supreme Court of India ruling (September,6, 2018) which said that the application of Section 377 to consensual homosexual sex between adults was unconstitutional, “irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary”. It’s a feat of happenstance then when a meeting falls through and Rangayan can talk to The Hindu . “It’s a glorious celebration,” begins the festival director with an infectious smile that’s evident even over the phone conversation.
Community space
Over the last few years, the annual ever-growing festival has become a significant part of the city’s LGBTQIA tapestry. From showcasing hard-to-access cinema in the beginning, Kashish has now evolved into a large community gathering that revels in all things queer. They now host panel discussions, workshops, talks and most importantly have become a melting pot for members of the community along with allies and even the curious. “We are hoping the government [will] push for change,” says Rangayan. “But we want to celebrate with the understanding that there’s a long way ahead [with issues] about adoption and marriage and basic stigma and discrimination of the other spectrum of the LGBT community.” Aptly, then the theme of this year’s festival is, ‘Over the Rainbow’, signifying what lies ahead. This year, the festival received a whopping 700 submissions from all over the world, of which 160 films from 43 countries have been selected. For the first time, the Indian delegation of films outnumbers other nations with 31 films.
The festival director has also officially partnered with the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI). “We are showing Boy Erased and Rafiki , two films presented by MAMI,” added Rangayan adding that the collaboration with mainstream platforms is important for the queer community. In the same vein, scriptwriter and comedian Varun Grover has been brought on board to work with queer scriptwriters as part of an inclusionary activity with the Indian Screenwriters Association (SWA). “These initiatives tie up with the idea that Kashish is not just a festival to showcase films but also nurture Indian LGBTQIA cinema,” states Rangayan, hoping the festival will be more interactive this year. “We are also going to host a breakfast chat with [playwright and theatre critic] Vikram Phukan and [poet] Hoshang Merchant.”
Kashish through the years
2010 The country’s first-ever LGBTQ film festival is launched in a mainstream cinema chain, PVR with permission from the ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
2011 Awarded cash prizes for the first time to films in competition. Two years after the decriminalisation of Section 377, the festival proudly displayed their first public banner. The location was the popular theatre and festival venue, Cinemax in Versova.
2012 Introduced the international poster design contest with a cash prize sponsored by Goa-based fashion designer Wendell Rodricks.
2013 Anupam Kher, founder of Actor Prepares, sponsored cash awards.
2014 Liberty Carnival Cinema became home to the festival and Kashish grew to become South Asias’s biggest queer festival.
2015 Hosted their first art exhibition with 191 paintings to protest Section 377 at Gallery Beyond in Fort. The Kashish Forward initiative was launched, which took queer cinema to colleges across the country. It was also the first time, a politician, Shaina N.C. spoke at the festival’s inauguration.
2016 A big year as stars attended the opening ceremony, from Sir Ian Mckellen to Sonam Kapoor and Kunal Kapoor and Sona Mohapatra performed. The Qdrishti Film Grant, sponsored by Lotus Visual was launched to help queer filmmakers. Kashish registered to become a not-for profit organisation.
2017 For the first time, the festival introduced workshops to help filmmakers and actors. Corporate sponsorship made a debut: from mainstream brands like Skybags, Nature’s Basket and B Blunt.
2018 A second venue was added, Metro INOX Cinema to incorporate more screenings. They also launched the Kashish Chalchitra Utsav, that features regional language queer films.
2019 In a first, the festival will screen virtual reality films. The worldwide launch of the album Rainbow Riots India by Swedish music producer and songwriter Petter Wallenberg, founder of international LGBT organisation Rainbow Riots. The festival also introduces an annual magazine, Rainbow Reflections.
Visit mumbaiqueerfest.com for the festival schedule
