A scene from The Law of Love.
The theme of Kashish 2023 is ‘Be Fluid, Be You!’ which gives wings to the aspirations of the contemporary generation which is fluid in their thoughts, actions and sexuality; Which is expressed through films, art and poetry that is universal in its appeal.
The 14th edition of Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, South Asia’s largest LGBTQIA+ film festival, will be celebrated in person at Liberty Cinema from June 7 to June 11, 2023, followed by an online festival the following week. The theme of Kashish 2023 is ‘Be Fluid, Be You!’ which gives wings to the aspirations of the contemporary generation which is fluid in their thoughts, actions and sexuality; Which is expressed through films, art and poetry that is universal in its appeal.
The press conference, organized by Festival Director Sridhar Rangayan and Director of Programming Sagar Gupta, was attended by members of the respected Advisory Board, Narrative Films Jury, Student Short Jury and Documentary Films Jury. Advisory Board Member, Arunraje Patil said, “I love coming back to KASHISH every year. KASHISH as a film festival is a big movement!” While Dolly Thakor said, “I have personally spoken to many eminent personalities to come out and be proud. The progress is slow but will surely happen.” Filmmaker Onir expressed, “I wish we had more personalities from the mainstream to come forward and support Kashish. Sridhar and Sagar are doing a commendable job of mainstreaming global LGBTQIA+ cinema.”
The jury members of the Narrative Films section were also supportive, Lillete Dubey shared, “The entries in this section were nothing less than an eye-opener. I was moved.” While actor Anup Soni said, “Being part of the Narrative Films jury has been a learning experience for me. I feel I have become a better person.” Filmmaker Jitin Hingorani said, “This is my first collaboration with the Indian Film Festival. I felt proud as an Indian-American watching the movies.”
The Documentary Films jury members were delighted to be a part of KASHISH this year. “Films teach us a lot. I am honored to be a part of Kashish for the second time.” said documentary filmmaker Nandan Saxena. Aanchal Kapoor expressed, “The first film I saw in my film club was Sridhar’s ‘Gulabi Aaina’. The eve of Pride Month is special for me.” While filmmaker Shanti Bhushan Roy said, “If we categorize people as LGBTQIA+, we are failing as human beings. Documentaries portray the pain in Kashish, the longing to be loved, to be held.”
Rucha Pathak, member of the students’ short jury, said, “Kashish is special to me. Voices will be amplified and protected.” While screenwriter Atika Chauhan said, “Kashish is like a first home. It is a metaphor for everything the city of Mumbai is.” Samarth Mahajan said, “The films under the Student Short Films category are an echo of the future. I love being in Kashish because I can relate to it and grow even more.”
Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is the largest queer film festival in South Asia, and the first LGBTQ+ film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theatre. It is the first Indian LGBTQ+ festival to be organized with the approval of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
