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Films from Chile, Argentina win top honours at Kashish Mumbai int’l queer film fest
The festival, which ran virtually on three weekends between August 19 and September 5, screened 221 films from 53 countries
A film from Chile and another from Argentina won the top honours at the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, South Asia’s biggest LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual) film festival that closed over the weekend.
Chilean film Forgotten Roads, which deals with the journey of self discovery and falling in love of an elderly woman, by Nicol Ruiz won the Best Narrative Feature film and Argentinian film Canela, which follows the challenges faced by a 48-year-old woman as she comes out as trans, by Cecilia del Valle won the Best Documentary film, and Brazilian trans actor Maria Eduardo Mia won the Best Performance in a Lead Role award for her role in Advent of Mary, a film from Brazil that chronicles a 11-year-old girl.
From India, Are We There Yet? by Bhanu Ballal and Kashyap Swaroop won the Best Indian Narrative Short award and Radhika Prasidhha won the Riyad Wadia Award for the Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker for her film Begum Parvathi.
“We were thrilled to screen 24 films from India, the highest number from any country at this year’s festival. It is so heartening to see the quality and diversity of representation of LGBTQIA+ lives that cuts across sex/gender, rural/urban and class divides. This filmmaking talent needs to be brought to mainstream audiences,” said Sridhar Rangayan, founder and festival director.
Kirnay Bhatt’s Keep Punching received a special jury mention in the Indian Narrative Shorts category and Swati Jaiswal’s Nothing But a Human received one in the Documentary Shorts category
“Latin American films are exquisite since they have a certain filmmaking aesthetics that is raw and palpable and convey complex emotion with a simplicity that is unique. We are thrilled and congratulate all the winners spread across three continents, most of who went against all odds and faced many challenges to tell these beautiful stories,” said Rangayan.
The festival, which ran virtually on three weekends between August 19 and September 5, screened 221 films from 53 countries. Started in 2010, a year after the Delhi high court decriminalised homosexuality in a landmark judgment, the film festival has played host to a raft of Indian and foreign films on various queer issues, spotlighting the challenges and joys of the community as it fought for its legal rights in India.
“I am full of happiness because our stories could connect with you from the other side of the world. It fills me with hope to know that we can connect, based on love and compassion, and speak about freedom in kindness Chile,” said Riuz.
Rangayan said the motto of Kashish remained to award some of the best queer-themed films, take them to festivals across the world, and hopefully release them on OTT platforms. “Kashish continues to be a strong platform to nurture the nascent Indian LGBTQIA+ cinema movement, by not only exhibiting, but also producing and distributing Indian LGBTQIA+ content.” He added.
