In April, the gay dating and social networking app Blued, launched their first online queer-filmmaking contest. In under two months, they received over 60 entries from around the country, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Coimbatore. While Sanyam Sharma, the marketing director at Blued had curated the selections, the final 10 that made the cut were put to a vote. The five with the most votes are being screened today.
The initial purpose of Queer Flicks was two-fold: first, to find a way to creatively express the many realities, joys, issues, and concerns of the LGBTQIA community; and second, to be a platform for filmmakers and creative talent form the community. With the screening, Sharma adds that Blued hopes to engage not just with queer allies, but also with those who’ve had long-held misconceptions about the many identities within the spectrum.
Some of 10 films have already participated at multiple festivals. For instance, Khwaaish , by Sumit Pawar, is fresh off its screening at Kashish, the Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. In November last year, Sumit, who is a coordinator at the India HIV/AIDS Alliance in Mumbai, had also taken the film to the Brixton Reel Film Festival in London. Khwaaish follows the story of a middle-aged gay man’s quest for love.
Some films try to convey more delicate struggles. For instance, there’s Praveen Kumar M.’s The Holy Mother , that tries to go behind the physical and emotional struggles of a transwoman’s quest to become a mother.
These two films, with their current 2nd and 3rd place on Blued’s voting leader board, are sure to show at the final screening. The other films include Outcast by Birth by Shruti Kulkarni, The Mirror by Yadavendra Singh, and Inaayat by Naveen Tokas. There will also be a stage adaptation of Ismat Chugtai’s Lihaaf, directed by Shilpi Marwah and put up by the Sukhmanch Theatre Group.
Queer Flicks, 10:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m on 8th June 2019; at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture; Mandi House, Delhi
