The 15th Kashish Pride Film Festival draws to a close with a slew of winners & some fantastic entertainment
Indian Trans & Non-Binary filmmakers & actors win big at 15th KASHISH Pride Film Festival
Indian films Night Queen, IYKYK win big, along with Dear Sahitya and Blue Sunshine at the grand finale & award ceremony
The 15th edition of KASHISH Pride Film Festival came to an end after five days of film screenings at three venues across Mumbai, where the festival screened 133 films from 46 countries. The grand finale and award ceremony had celebrities like Sonali Kulkarni, Sheeba Chaddha, Sayani Gupta, Shweta Basu Prasad and Dolly Thakore gracing the event.
Sridhar Rangayan, festival director, said, “We are delighted by the response to the festival by audiences who surged and thronged the three venues and greatly appreciated the awesome cinematic fare we had programmed. There were 10 films transgender & non-binary filmmakers from across the world. It is even more heartening that the jury members in different categories have awarded films made by transgender and non-binary filmmakers or actors, recognizing their true worth, not just for their identity but the quality of their films or performances.”
Indian transgender and non-binary filmmakers and actors won several awards for their films – Samyuktha Vijayan, a transgender filmmaker & actress won the Best Performance in a lead role for her leading part as Aravind/Bhanu in the feature film Blue Sunshine, directed by her; transgender filmmaker & actress Bonita Rajpurohit won the Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker for her short film IYKYK, as well as special mention for Ismat Chughtai Award for Best Indian Woman Filmmaker, and also won a special mention as actress in the same film; and another transgender filmmaker Abu Sohel Khondekar won special mention for Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker for their short film Mehroon. Non-binary filmmaker Edythe won the inaugural Aditya Nanda Award for Best Indian Film on Mental Health for their short film Sifar; non-binary filmmaker Leo Pappam won the Best Documentary Short award for their film Dear Sahitya;
While the French film You Promised Me The Sea won the best narrative feature award, and the Brazilian film Neirud by won the best documentary film, Night Queen directed by Naireeta Dasgupta won the Best Indian narrative short award. MASC4MASC by Felix Greisinger and Poisoned Well by Radek Sevcik were joint winners for Best Student Short award; the Best Screenplay award went to Peter Ahlén and Jakob Holtet Stridbæk for the Danish short film The Wake.
Priyank Gangwani, the lead actor of Gujarati feature film Kaatla Curry was given an audience award for best performance for his brave portrayal of a married homosexual man.
Samyuktha Vijayan, director and lead actor of Blue Sunshine "When I made Blue Sunshine, I never thought it would receive such acceptance and recognition worldwide. To win an award for best performance at KASHISH is icing on the cake. I thank my wonderful team whose efforts helped me make the movie. I thank KASHISH for their relentless support to amplify queer voices. Thank you so much!"
AWARD WINERS
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE For exploring the concept of an arranged marriage between a gay man and a straight woman with subtlety and finesse, for portraying with candour and sensitivity the complexities of navigating queerness in an orthodox family, and for etching nuanced relationships and characters like Hadjira and Saïd’s, the Best Narrative Feature Award goes to the French film YOU PROMISED ME THE SEA directed by Nadir Moknèche
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE A poetic and provocative excavation of personal archives and intergenerational memory, the film celebrates the love and partnership of two iconic women from Brazil's underground circus history. For its seamless play with form and critical engagement with micro-histories of race, identity, and religion, the Jury awards the K.F.Patil Unity in Diversity Best Documentary Feature to the Brazilian film NEIRUD directed by Fernanda Faya.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT Bearing witness to a person’s transformation and gracefully portraying moments of vulnerability and courage, the film documents a poignant narrative of trans reality. For its gentle assertion of bodily autonomy and a delightful celebration of community, the Jury awards the K.F.Patil Unity in Diversity Best Documentary Short to the Indian film, DEAR SAHITHYA directed by Leo Paapam.
BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT For depicting, with elegance and economy, a young woman’s struggles to come to terms with her father’s unwillingness to accept her when she comes out to him. Exploring with humour and empathy the intersections of culture, race and sexuality in the protagonist’s identity, this film has memorable characters and performances, and is technically and aesthetically excellent. The Best International Narrative short film Award goes to the debutant director Siham Bel’s BREAKING THROUGH from France.
BEST INDIAN NARRATIVE SHORT
For a story of a person living with wife and children, and hiding secret for many years, to be able to freely open up about his innermost desires,
for a film that is audacious in its storytelling, and highly accomplished in technical finesse, and studied acting by everyone in the cast; for telling
us that there is no age of really starting to celebrate who you really are, the Best Indian Narrative Short Award goes to NIGHT QUEEN directed
by Naireeta Dasgupta
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEAD ROLE For a superlative performance of a person’s desire to be a woman, brilliantly portraying all the struggles and humiliation the person faces; the risk they have taken as an actor and as a human being is deeply courageous. This nuanced performance only helps to bring change and big hope for the audience. The jury award for Best Performance in a Lead Role goes to SAMYUKTHA VIJAYAN as Aravind/Bhanu in the narrative feature, BLUE SUNSHINE from India.
BEST SCREENPLAY In this story of a woman who finds out posthumously that her man, who she was married to for decades, was gay… lies hope... Hope, that there is a possibility for us humans to love and accept each other as we are. The possibility of finding love, forgiveness, opportunity at any age are a few of the many things you will feel when you watch this gem. For its extremely novel and structured screenplay, the award goes to scriptwriters Peter Ahlén and Jakob Holtet Stridbæk for the Danish short film THE WAKE
BEST STUDENT SHORT AWARD 1
For a film that takes a plunge to study a society mired in deep-rooted prejudices towards its gay community; with striking black and white
cinematography capturing the essence of horror and fear. Interviews, like magic, bring out the true selves of the people, be it anger, fear,
vulnerability, despondence, an occasional support or sheer regressive brutality. For a film that peels each layer with care bringing us face to
face with a society where the religious and state institutions are largely antagonistic. How do we live here? What hope do we have? For a film
that brings us at the brink of these burning questions and yet leaves us with a feeling of hope and solidarity, the student shorts jury is pleased
to award to the film from Slovakia,POISONED WELL directed by Radek Sevcik, a joint winner of the Best Film in this category.
BEST STUDENT SHORT AWARD 2
This 8 minute film, encapsulates the fear of vulnerability in the garb of masculinity very well. The setting of a gym and its characters' obsession
with the way they look and how they present themselves in society, especially within their own peers, is a reflection of the deep seeded
condition that society has set. This results in the lack of safe space for men or any individual, to be vulnerable and to express themselves
BEST INDIAN NARRATIVE SHORT For a story of a person living with wife and children, and hiding secret for many years, to be able to freely open up about his innermost desires, for a film that is audacious in its storytelling, and highly accomplished in technical finesse, and studied acting by everyone in the cast; for telling us that there is no age of really starting to celebrate who you really are, the Best Indian Narrative Short Award goes to NIGHT QUEEN directed by Naireeta Dasgupta
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEAD ROLE
For a superlative performance of a person’s desire to be a woman, brilliantly portraying all the struggles and humiliation the person faces; the
risk they have taken as an actor and as a human being is deeply courageous. This nuanced performance only helps to bring change and big
hope for the audience. The jury award for Best Performance in a Lead Role goes to SAMYUKTHA VIJAYAN as Aravind/Bhanu in the narrative
feature, BLUE SUNSHINE from India.
BEST SCREENPLAY In this story of a woman who finds out posthumously that her man, who she was married to for decades, was gay… lies hope... Hope, that there is a possibility for us humans to love and accept each other as we are. The possibility of finding love, forgiveness, opportunity at any age are a few of the many things you will feel when you watch this gem. For its extremely novel and structured screenplay, the award goes to scriptwriters Peter Ahlén and Jakob Holtet Stridbæk for the Danish short film THE WAKE
BEST STUDENT SHORT AWARD 1
For a film that takes a plunge to study a society mired in deep-rooted prejudices towards its gay community; with striking black and white
cinematography capturing the essence of horror and fear. Interviews, like magic, bring out the true selves of the people, be it anger, fear,
vulnerability, despondence, an occasional support or sheer regressive brutality. For a film that peels each layer with care bringing us face to
face with a society where the religious and state institutions are largely antagonistic. How do we live here? What hope do we have? For a film
that brings us at the brink of these burning questions and yet leaves us with a feeling of hope and solidarity, the student shorts jury is pleased
to award to the film from Slovakia,POISONED WELL directed by Radek Sevcik, a joint winner of the Best Film in this category.
BEST STUDENT SHORT AWARD 2 This 8 minute film, encapsulates the fear of vulnerability in the garb of masculinity very well. The setting of a gym and its characters' obsession with the way they look and how they present themselves in society, especially within their own peers, is a reflection of the deep seeded condition that society has set. This results in the lack of safe space for men or any individual, to be vulnerable and to express themselves is both provocative and tender. “What will they say?”, or the fear of being judged for simply being who you are, resonates universally. The music, performance and the open ending leaves the audience wanting to see more. The joint winner of the “Best film - Student Shorts category” is the Swedish film MASC4MASC by Felix Augustine Greisinger
RIYAD WADIA AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING INDIAN FILMMAKER For a film that is cleverly conceived and made, very well directed and acted, capturing the zeitgeist of our times - both in terms of the app- driven dating scene and the increasing visibility and mainstreaming of trans identity. For a film that is at its heart, about the eternal quest for acceptance, recognition and love - including self-love. These are pillars of our human existence cutting across sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics - but they take on even more urgency and poignancy when applicable to trans life and love. For giving us a bold, innovative and - above all - honest film whose messages are universal, the Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker goes to BONITA RAJPUROHIT for IYKYK.
ISMAT CHUGHTAI AWARD FOR BEST INDIAN WOMAN FILMMAKER For its sure & mature handling of a beautifully nuanced film… with skilled direction, screenplay, performances & mise-en-scene… a shining example of a film that has a compelling & poignant story with a spotlight on older queer men who are bound by social conventions seeking to revive their natural selves, done in a dignified & thoughtfully constructed manner. the Ismat Chughtai Award for Best Indian Woman Filmmaker goes to NAIREETA DASGUPTA for her film 'Night Queen'.
ADITYA NANDA AWARD FOR BEST INDIAN FILM ON MENTAL HEALTH
For exploring the themes of love, grief, acceptance, and resilience within queer identities while portraying the black hole of depression one gets
sucked into after the loss of someone very dear to them. ADITYA NANDA Award for Best Indian Film on Mental Health goes to SIFAR directed
by Edythe, a non-binary trans poet and filmmaker from Lucknow.
http://mumbaiqueerfest.com
Indian films Night Queen, IYKYK win big, along with Dear Sahitya and Blue Sunshine at the grand finale & award ceremony
Sridhar Rangayan, festival director, said, “We are delighted by the response to the festival by audiences who surged and thronged the three venues and greatly appreciated the awesome cinematic fare we had programmed. There were 10 films transgender & non-binary filmmakers from across the world. It is even more heartening that the jury members in different categories have awarded films made by transgender and non-binary filmmakers or actors, recognizing their true worth, not just for their identity but the quality of their films or performances.”
Indian transgender and non-binary filmmakers and actors won several awards for their films – Samyuktha Vijayan, a transgender filmmaker & actress won the Best Performance in a lead role for her leading part as Aravind/Bhanu in the feature film Blue Sunshine, directed by her; transgender filmmaker & actress Bonita Rajpurohit won the Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker for her short film IYKYK, as well as special mention for Ismat Chughtai Award for Best Indian Woman Filmmaker, and also won a special mention as actress in the same film; and another transgender filmmaker Abu Sohel Khondekar won special mention for Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker for their short film Mehroon. Non-binary filmmaker Edythe won the inaugural Aditya Nanda Award for Best Indian Film on Mental Health for their short film Sifar; non-binary filmmaker Leo Pappam won the Best Documentary Short award for their film Dear Sahitya;
Priyank Gangwani, the lead actor of Gujarati feature film Kaatla Curry was given an audience award for best performance for his brave portrayal of a married homosexual man.
Samyuktha Vijayan, director and lead actor of Blue Sunshine "When I made Blue Sunshine, I never thought it would receive such acceptance and recognition worldwide. To win an award for best performance at KASHISH is icing on the cake. I thank my wonderful team whose efforts helped me make the movie. I thank KASHISH for their relentless support to amplify queer voices. Thank you so much!"
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE For exploring the concept of an arranged marriage between a gay man and a straight woman with subtlety and finesse, for portraying with candour and sensitivity the complexities of navigating queerness in an orthodox family, and for etching nuanced relationships and characters like Hadjira and Saïd’s, the Best Narrative Feature Award goes to the French film YOU PROMISED ME THE SEA directed by Nadir Moknèche
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE A poetic and provocative excavation of personal archives and intergenerational memory, the film celebrates the love and partnership of two iconic women from Brazil's underground circus history. For its seamless play with form and critical engagement with micro-histories of race, identity, and religion, the Jury awards the K.F.Patil Unity in Diversity Best Documentary Feature to the Brazilian film NEIRUD directed by Fernanda Faya.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT Bearing witness to a person’s transformation and gracefully portraying moments of vulnerability and courage, the film documents a poignant narrative of trans reality. For its gentle assertion of bodily autonomy and a delightful celebration of community, the Jury awards the K.F.Patil Unity in Diversity Best Documentary Short to the Indian film, DEAR SAHITHYA directed by Leo Paapam.
BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT For depicting, with elegance and economy, a young woman’s struggles to come to terms with her father’s unwillingness to accept her when she comes out to him. Exploring with humour and empathy the intersections of culture, race and sexuality in the protagonist’s identity, this film has memorable characters and performances, and is technically and aesthetically excellent. The Best International Narrative short film Award goes to the debutant director Siham Bel’s BREAKING THROUGH from France.
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEAD ROLE For a superlative performance of a person’s desire to be a woman, brilliantly portraying all the struggles and humiliation the person faces; the risk they have taken as an actor and as a human being is deeply courageous. This nuanced performance only helps to bring change and big hope for the audience. The jury award for Best Performance in a Lead Role goes to SAMYUKTHA VIJAYAN as Aravind/Bhanu in the narrative feature, BLUE SUNSHINE from India.
BEST SCREENPLAY In this story of a woman who finds out posthumously that her man, who she was married to for decades, was gay… lies hope... Hope, that there is a possibility for us humans to love and accept each other as we are. The possibility of finding love, forgiveness, opportunity at any age are a few of the many things you will feel when you watch this gem. For its extremely novel and structured screenplay, the award goes to scriptwriters Peter Ahlén and Jakob Holtet Stridbæk for the Danish short film THE WAKE
BEST INDIAN NARRATIVE SHORT For a story of a person living with wife and children, and hiding secret for many years, to be able to freely open up about his innermost desires, for a film that is audacious in its storytelling, and highly accomplished in technical finesse, and studied acting by everyone in the cast; for telling us that there is no age of really starting to celebrate who you really are, the Best Indian Narrative Short Award goes to NIGHT QUEEN directed by Naireeta Dasgupta
BEST SCREENPLAY In this story of a woman who finds out posthumously that her man, who she was married to for decades, was gay… lies hope... Hope, that there is a possibility for us humans to love and accept each other as we are. The possibility of finding love, forgiveness, opportunity at any age are a few of the many things you will feel when you watch this gem. For its extremely novel and structured screenplay, the award goes to scriptwriters Peter Ahlén and Jakob Holtet Stridbæk for the Danish short film THE WAKE
BEST STUDENT SHORT AWARD 2 This 8 minute film, encapsulates the fear of vulnerability in the garb of masculinity very well. The setting of a gym and its characters' obsession with the way they look and how they present themselves in society, especially within their own peers, is a reflection of the deep seeded condition that society has set. This results in the lack of safe space for men or any individual, to be vulnerable and to express themselves is both provocative and tender. “What will they say?”, or the fear of being judged for simply being who you are, resonates universally. The music, performance and the open ending leaves the audience wanting to see more. The joint winner of the “Best film - Student Shorts category” is the Swedish film MASC4MASC by Felix Augustine Greisinger
RIYAD WADIA AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING INDIAN FILMMAKER For a film that is cleverly conceived and made, very well directed and acted, capturing the zeitgeist of our times - both in terms of the app- driven dating scene and the increasing visibility and mainstreaming of trans identity. For a film that is at its heart, about the eternal quest for acceptance, recognition and love - including self-love. These are pillars of our human existence cutting across sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics - but they take on even more urgency and poignancy when applicable to trans life and love. For giving us a bold, innovative and - above all - honest film whose messages are universal, the Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker goes to BONITA RAJPUROHIT for IYKYK.
ISMAT CHUGHTAI AWARD FOR BEST INDIAN WOMAN FILMMAKER For its sure & mature handling of a beautifully nuanced film… with skilled direction, screenplay, performances & mise-en-scene… a shining example of a film that has a compelling & poignant story with a spotlight on older queer men who are bound by social conventions seeking to revive their natural selves, done in a dignified & thoughtfully constructed manner. the Ismat Chughtai Award for Best Indian Woman Filmmaker goes to NAIREETA DASGUPTA for her film 'Night Queen'.
http://mumbaiqueerfest.com
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