Latest news with #KashishPrideFilmFestival
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Daniel Craig's Queer to open Kashish film festival's 16th edition tomorrow
Powered by actor Daniel Craig, Luca Guadagnino-directed Queer will open the 16th edition of Kashish Pride Film Festival, Mumbai's annual LGBTQ+ film festival, on June 4. The festival, which boasts of being 'diverse and inclusive with representation of the complete LGBTQ+ spectrum', will roll out an impressive line-up of 152 films from 48 countries. 'Earlier, we used to have lesbian, gay or transgender movies. Now, the other members of the spectrum, including non-binary and intersex people are making movies. So, the festival is more inclusive now,' says Sridhar Rangayan, the festival's founder director. Its closing film, 'Close To You', features transgender actor Elliot Page in the lead. The festival's opening ceremony will be held at Bandra's St Andrews Auditorium while the screenings will be held at Cinepolis, Andheri West, from June 4-8. It will also hold screenings at Alliance Francaise, Marine Lines, from June 5 to 8. Some of the major films selected for the festival include Shyam Benegal's 'Mandi', Onir's 'We Are Faheem & Karun', Dutch film 'Out' and 'Odd Fish', which is set in an Icelandic township. Director Deborah Alice Craig's 'Sally!', Mikko Mäkelä's 'Sebastian', Emanuel Parvu's 'Three Kilometers to the End of the World', Patricia Ryczko's 'Reset', and Marcelo Caetano's Baby are the other top picks. 'As the festival turns 16, the programming has become more dynamic. A number of films talk about queer parents and parenting challenges. We also have South Asian countries, such as Myanmar and Bhutan, participating this year,' says Saagar Gupta, the festival's artistic director. While holding the festival for 16 years has been a fulfilling experience, the team has also been dealing with several challenges. 'Across the world, it has become financially challenging to hold a film festival. Donald Trump's anti-LGBTQ+ stand and the UK's trans-phobic policies have made it even more difficult for us. We are supported by the diversity and inclusion budget of corporate companies in India. It's becoming tough to access that,' says Rangayan. Recounting the journey of Kashish, Rangayan shares that in April 2010, its inaugural edition was held at PVR, Juhu, with the aim of creating a 'mainstream space' where the members of queer community as well as their allies could mingle. 'During the pre-Kashish period, we had held screenings of queer films at National College, Bandra, and British Council or Alliance Française. The 2009 Delhi High Court verdict (which decriminalised homosexual acts), gave us the impetus to organise a festival that's more mainstream in nature,' he recalls and adds that it is the first Indian LGBTQ+ festival to be held with approval by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry. Apart from creating a mainstream feel, the festival's aim has been to provide a big-screen experience to delegates as well as make sure they enjoy watching queer movies with their partners, friends and family without 'a sense of shame or guilt', says Rangayan. The festival moved Liberty Cinema in 2014 to accommodate a large number of delegates. This year, the first phase of the festival is being held at Cinepolis and Rangayan hopes it will draw youngsters to the screenings there. The festival schedule and other details can be found at
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oscar Winner Guneet Monga Kapoor, Vikramaditya Motwane Join India's Kashish LGBTQ+ Film Fest Jury (EXCLUSIVE)
Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga Kapoor and filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane are among 16 jury members set to judge 12 competition categories at the 16th edition of India's Kashish Pride Film Festival. Joining Monga Kapoor ('The Elephant Whisperers,' 'The Lunchbox,' 'Masaan') and Motwane ('Black Warrant,' 'Udaan,' 'Jubilee') are director-producer Abhishek Chaubey ('Dedh Ishqiya,' 'Udta Punjab,' 'Sonchiriya') and producer Neeraj Churi ('Sabar Bonda,' 'Ek Jagah Apni') as jury members for the Kashish QDrishti Film Grant, which awards $3000 to an LGBTQ+ identifying filmmaker to make a short film. Actor Renuka Shahane ('Hum Aapke Hai Kaun,' 'Imtihaan') will support two runners-up. More from Variety Venice Selection 'Stolen' Acquired by Prime Video (EXCLUSIVE) Oscar Winner Guneet Monga Kapoor Brings Rising Indian Producers to Cannes Through Women in Film India Fellowship (EXCLUSIVE) 'Life of Pi' Stage Adaptation in Spotlight as IFFLA Expands Industry Days (EXCLUSIVE) The narrative jury features actor Shishir Sharma ('Raazi,' 'Mary Kom,' 'Dangal'), actor and TV host Shruti Seth ('Shararat,' 'Fanaa,' 'Raajneeti') and filmmaker Tanuja Chandra ('Dushman,' 'Sur,' 'Qarib Qarib Single'), who will adjudge best narrative feature and shorts, best screenplay and best performance awards. These categories receive backing from Taiwanese streaming platform GagaOoLala, production house Samruddhi Studios and actor Abhay Kulkarni. Documentary filmmakers Bishaka Dutta ('In the Flesh,' 'Taza Khabar'), Prateek Vats ('Eeb Allay Ooo!,' 'A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings') and Shubhra Chatterjee ('Rainbow Rishta,' 'Lost Recipes') comprise the documentary jury, selecting winners of the unity in diversity documentary feature and short awards, supported by K.F. Patil Charitable Trust. The student shorts jury includes actors Siddharth Menon ('Loev,' 'Karwaan,' 'June'), director-producer Sudhanshu Saria ('Ulajh,' 'Loev,' 'Knock Knock Knock') and Mubi programming director Svetlana Naudiyal, with support from Whistling Woods International. Additional awards include the Riyad Wadia Award for best emerging Indian filmmaker, Ismat Chughtai Award for best woman filmmaker of Indian origin, and Aditya Nanda Award for best film on mental health, backed by Nargis and Roy Wadia (Wadia Movietone), filmmaker Ashish Sawhny and Akshay Tyagi (Keshav Suri Foundation). The festival runs June 4-8, kicking off Pride Month with screenings at St. Andrews Auditorium in Bandra, Mumbai, on opening night, then moving to Cinepolis Andheri West and Alliance Francaise Marine Lines for the remainder of the fest. This year's edition showcases 152 films from 48 countries, including entries from Iceland, Peru, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Nigeria and Palestine. Indian films lead with 37 titles, followed by 34 from the U.S. and 19 from the U.K. The festival also features a strong South Asian presence with films from India, Bangladesh and Bhutan. 'Queer,' directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Daniel Craig, will bookend the festival alongside 'Close To You,' directed by Dominic Savage and featuring Elliot Page as lead actor and producer. Other key titles include Dutch film 'Out' by Dennis Alink and 'Odd Fish' by Snævar Sölvason, set in Iceland. Onir's multiple award-winning 'We Are Faheem & Karun' serves as the Indian narrative centerpiece, while Romanian entry 'Three Kilometers To The End Of The World' by Emanuel Parvu is the international narrative centerpiece. The festival pays tribute to late patron Shyam Benegal with a screening of his 1983 classic 'Mandi,' starring Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Neena Gupta, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Soni Razdan and Amrish Puri. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
