(Left to right) Director Deepa Mehta and actor Nandita Das. Photo Credit: Getty Images

About two and a half decades ago, Fire (1998), a film about a lesbian relationship between two women, was lambasted by conservative rhetoric to such an extent that theaters across the country were vandalized, explains Sridhar Rangayan, director of the Kashish Pride Film Festival. Now in its 15th edition, the festival, which will showcase 133 films from 46 countries, hosted a conversation about the controversial film with director Deepa Mehta and actress Nandita Das on May 18 at Liberty Cinema, Mumbai from 4.30 to 5.30 pm Will go. , they are calling it Fire-Side chat.

Sridhar Rangayan, Director of Kashish Pride Film Festival. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Known as South Asia’s largest LGBTQ+ film festival, the five-day Kashish Pride Film Festival is the new moniker of Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival held every year in Mumbai and organized by Kashish Arts Foundation.

“We changed the name of the festival in November last year because we wanted to be inclusive, make the festival relevant to people who are not from the LGBTQIA+ community – Pride symbolizes everyone. Additionally, Kashish also intends to travel to cities other than Mumbai in the future,” says Sridhar.

A picture of Deepa Mehta I am Sirat
, Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

As he recalls the celebratory journey, which began in 2010 soon after the Delhi High Court ruling in 2009 that Section 377 could not be used to punish consensual sex between two adults, However, Sridhar has seen an increase in the number of attendees and associates. “When we started, theater owners were apprehensive because of their experience Fire Was not pleasant. We had to convince them. The first edition of the festival was held at PVR Cinema, Juhu. From 2014, we shifted to Liberty Cinema, which has 1,200 seats, and we see a full house every year,” says Sridhar. He adds, “In the early years, our partners were those that supported community-based work, like condom manufacturers and UNDP; 2018 changed everything, Section 377 was removed. From three or four financial partners in the first three years, we now have about six or seven.

This year, the festival based on the theme Unfurl Your Pride will be held from May 15 to 19 at Liberty Cinema, from May 16 to 19 at Alliance Française de Bombay and from May 17 and 18 at Cinepolis (Andheri West). “This year we received around 300 submissions and we have a selection team of 10 people from the community and industry. They preview every movie and mark it for selection. The team also identifies some outstanding films to be included in the competition, which are then watched by the jury members. Our narrative jury includes director Kiran Rao and actors Varun Sobti and Sonali Kulkarni. The documentary jury is filmmakers Kavita Bahl, Pushpendra Singh and Shilpi Gulati,” says Sridhar.

a scene from a french movie soul of ecstasy
, Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The festival will start with a French film soul of ecstasy The film is an American film about a gender-questioning stock-market trader and the finale. Idiot, in which a trans man goes through an emotional roller-coaster over a 24-hour period in New York City, bumping into his ex-boyfriend, sister, and father for the first time after losing contact with them since his gender transition. There will also be a screening at the festival I am SiratA film about a transgender woman directed by Deepa Mehta and Seerat Taneja releases on May 18.

A scene from an American film Idiot
, Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“We also have a series of performances lined up for the opening night, including a stand-up act by comedian Varun Grover and a Kathak-Lavani fusion performance by Aditi Bhagwat. It will be hosted by Anu Menon and Seductress SoniQ. For the closing night, we have a grand LGBTQA+ led dance performance by the group Color Positive,” shares Sridhar.

Kashish Pride Film Festival tickets start at ₹600 on insider.in.

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