Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is all set to celebrate its 10th anniversary by bringing 160 films from 43 countries. The four-day festival begins on June 12 and will be held across city’s two iconic theatres – Liberty Carnival Cinemas and Metro INOX. Not just films, the festival also comprises of panel discussions, workshops, and other fun events. This year the theme of the festival is ‘Over The Rainbow’ wherein the festival celebrates the repealing of section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and discusses the challenges in store for the LGBTQ community in terms of social acceptance and empowerment.
Just friends
The opening film ‘Just Friends’ is about Joris who even after a decade of his father’s death tries to come to terms with his absence. Meanwhile, he meets Yad, a medical student who comes back home after living on his own. The two are poles apart but there’s something that connects them and they want to be more than ‘just friends’. But their mothers are not happy with their relationship and threaten to jeopardise their relationship.
When: June 12 at 9:30 pm
Where: Liberty Carnival Cinemas
Until Porn Do Us Part
A 65-year-old Eulalia finds out that her son has become internationally awarded first Portuguese gay porn actor. Following this, she embarks on an emotional journey that puts her expectations and perceptions to the test.
When: June 13 at 2:45 pm
Where: Liberty Carnival Cinemas
I'm Moshanty. Do You Love Me?
The documentary is about late great transgender South Pacific music icon Moses ‘Mohanty’ Tau and the transgender community of Papua/New Guinea.
When: June 14 at 11 am
Where: Liberty Carnival Cinemas
Rafiki
Kena and Ziki are close friends who support each other despite the political rivalry between their families. Even after the hardships they face, the girls stay true to each other. With love blossoms between them, the girls are forced to choose between ‘happiness’ and ‘safety’.
When: June 14 at 5:45 pm
Where: Liberty Carnival Cinemas
Nagarkirtan
Unable to cope with the trauma of being betrayed, a trans woman flies home and joins a group of eunuchs and sings at traffic signals to earn money. Later she falls in love with a boy who works as a delivery boy at a restaurant in the day and as a flutist in kirtans at night. The two dream of raising money for the sex reassigned surgery but the society does not support them dreams.
When: June 14 at 7:45 pm
Where: Liberty Carnival Cinemas
Kattumaran
A middle-aged fisherman Singaram works hard to provide for his family and takes care of his orphaned niece and nephew. He also tries to arrange a groom for his niece. But she rejects the many suitors he brings. Singaram learns that his niece is a lesbian and is in love with her fellow female teacher. Singaram tries to come to terms with the fact and in the process learns to empathize with the plight of the village barber who is a transgender.
When: June 15 at 11 am
Where: Liberty Carnival Cinemas
ROOBAH
Gokul is a young South Asian man who is disliked by his family as he tries to establish his gender identity. Desperate and unable to earn a decent living, he walks on the streets of Toronto with the name Roobah. She soon musters up a clientele. One day she is assaulted by thugs and left to die. Her transgender friends help her to heal. She meets mysterious Anthony and eventually fall in love but their blissful existence does not last long.
When: June 15 at 7:45 pm
Where: Liberty Carnival Cinemas
Something Must Break
Directed by Ester Martin Bergsmark, ‘Something Must Break’ is a story about the passionate love between Sebastian who wishes to be a woman and Andreas who is not gay.
When: June 14 at 6:30 pm
Where: Metro INOX
Boy Erased
Directed by Joel Edgerton, ‘Boy Erased’ is a courageous story of Jared Eamons, the son of a Baptist pastor in a small town in America, who tries to overcome the fallout of being outed to his parents. While his parents struggle with reconciling their love for their son, Jared is faced with an ultimatum, either to attend a conversion therapy program or be shunned by his closed ones. ‘Boy Erased’ is a story about Jared’s struggle to find his own identity.
When: June 16 at 4:15 pm
Where: Metro INOX
Njan Marykutty
The closing film Njan Marykutty is directed by Ranjith Sankar and is about Mathukutty, a transsexual who wants to undergo surgery and become a woman. Mathukutty becomes Marykutty. But the problem begins when she comes back to her native place. She is disowned by her family but a priest in her village boosts her confidence and asks her to become a sub-inspector. She joins a coaching institute and prepares for the exam. Meanwhile, she joins a job as a Radio Jockey at an FM channel by the church. But will she fulfill her dream of becoming a sub-inspector?
When: June 16 at 9:30 pm
Where: Liberty Carnival Cinemas
