Divya Dutta and Arunaraje Patil announce LGBTQ+ film festival, Kashish 2022!

The 13th edition of #KashishMumbaiInternationalQueerFilmFestival was announced at a press conference today by National Award winning actress #DivyaDutta, National Award winning director #ArunarajePatil, and KASHISH festival director #SridharRangayan.

“I am happy to announce the 13th edition of KASHISH film festival. This festival which truly embraces and celebrates the LGBTQ+ diversity, has been a very special event in Mumbai, bringing together the LGBTQ+ community and their allies every year to celebrate the best queer cinema. This year in its physical avatar once again, it will be a great joy to celebrate our film Sheer Qorma with the audiences. I am eagerly looking forward to the festival”, said Divya Dutta, National Award winning actor.

“It’s an exciting time of the year, the KASHISH Film Festival that many of us look forward to. And thankfully it’s going to be off line in Liberty Cinema, once again. The pandemic started the online option for Film Festivals and it’s great that Kashish will have both so that people who are not from Mumbai can watch the films too. It’s also a shot in the arm for the movement in India, this year as they are going to be 30 Indian films participating” , said Aruraraje Patil, National Award winning filmmaker and Kashish Advisory Board member.

“We cannot even contain our excitement in bringing a physical edition after two years of online screenings. There is palpable euphoria in the air, and we sincerely hope that not just the LGBTQ+ community, but all film-loving audience come to KASHISH to watch on the big screen some of the finest films from across the world. They happen to be about LGBTQ+ lives, but each film has great aesthetic value and technical finesse, and is bound to touch the hearts of everyone who watches it”, said Kashish festival director Sridhar Rangayan.

Kashish 2022 to be held from June 1-5th at Liberty Cinema and Alliance Française de Bombay; and also online from June 3-12th at http://online.mumbaiqueerfest.com In all the festival will screen 184+ films from 53 countries in this hybrid edition of the festival.

Out of these 184+ films, 30 films are from India, making it the highest from any country represented at the festival. Headlining the dazzling array of Indian films is Badhaai Do, directed by Harshwardhan Kulkarni and Sheer Qorma directed by Faraz Ansari.

“It is an honour and a privilege to be able to screen our film at Kashish 2022, South Asia’s biggest LGBTQ+ film festival. We are humbled by this opportunity to present this film in front of this wonderful audience in the “month of pride”: We could not have hoped for a better setting & hope that our film can be viewed as a small contribution towards building a more humane and inclusive world, a world where laughter and tears happily coexist, as we continue our journey which has been paved with love and sacrifices of our people. A world where love is love – nothing more, nothing less”, said Harshavardhan Kulkarni, director of Badhaai Do.

“From being one of the members of the audience at Kashosh, to being the director of the Centerpiece Film with Sheer Qorma — this is going to be so truly special for me! There is no greater joy than watching it on the big screen with a packed house. For a film that was born, conceived and filmed in Mumbai and to finally screen it at Liberty cinema where I grew up watching films, I am so looking forward to it!”, said Faraz Ansari, director of multiple award winning film Sheer Qorma.

Out of the 184+ films, 42 number of films are in competition in 9 categories, competing for a total cash award of Rs.2,25,000, and the coveted Kashish Golden Butterfly Trophies. The Jury members comprise of acclaimed filmmakers Leena Yadav & Hardik Mehta and theater personality Sameera Iyengar (Narrative Jury); filmmakers Priti Chandriani & Anjali Panjabi and DOP Ramanuj Dutta (Docu jury); and film academician Anupam Barve, film critic Prathyush Parasurama and London based author Raga D’Silva (Student Shorts jury).