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LGBT film fest kicks off in May, to feature 180 films from 44 countries

The sixth edition of Kashish Mumbai International Queer film festival is here with even more films than it had last year. A platform for LGBT movies, the festival this year has 180 films from 44 countries making their presence felt from May 27 to May 31. The five-day feast is spread over three venues, with an addition of Max Mueller Bhavan.

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A still from Marathi film Jayjaykar by Shantanu Rode, which is one of the Indian films being screened at the event
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The sixth edition of Kashish Mumbai International Queer film festival is here with even more films than it had last year. A platform for LGBT movies, the festival this year has 180 films from 44 countries making their presence felt from May 27 to May 31. The five-day feast is spread over three venues, with an addition of Max Mueller Bhavan.

The theme this year is Reaching out, Touching Hearts, and the festival director Sridhar Rangayan has said that it was a tough job for the preview jury that chose the films.

"The quality has improved a lot and we received 700 submissions as compared to the 450-500 last year. We have book readings, panels discussion and more during the five days. The changes this year are that there is more diversity and more venues. Liberty cinema, Alliance Francaise de bombay and Max Mueller Bhavan are in South Bombay and near each other, so people can choose what to see where," he said.

He added that two key Indian films are being shown at the festival. "A Marathi film Jayjaykar by Shantanu Rode and Qissa by Anup Singh starring Irrfan Khan are being screened. We also have a strong set of Indian short films with 25 shorts selected for viewing," he informed.

The festival is a not-for-profit venture and is said to be the country's only mainstream LGBT film fest. Saurabh Bondre (35) has been attending the fest since its inception, and said that the event is one-of-a-kind in India, and a great medium to sensitise non-LGBT people towards their cause.

"You generally don't see a lesbian story or a transgender story in mainstream cinema or film festivals. The main reason to attend Kashish is for the films and through it, connect with the community members. People who understand the ideology come for the screenings and it feels good to share the laughter or sadness at a few scenes together," he said.

The 35-year-old also said that many LGBT people want to come out to their family, but don't have a medium to do so. "Some families misunderstand their LGBT children and form their own perceptions by looking at any news item. Through these films, you can explain to non-LGBT people, peers, professors and friends that we are as 'normal' as them," he added.

The fest enthusiast explained that the community's struggle against Section 377 'becomes stronger with this medium'. "Many families come out saying that they didn't know how their child was feeling," said Bondre, who teaches languages as a profession.

Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival pioneers as the first and only LGBT film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theatre, and the first queer festival in India to receive clearance from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Kashish was voted as one of the top five 'coolest LGBT film festivals' in the world by a worldwide poll conducted by MovieMaker Magazine in 2013.

Register for the event and grab your passes
The general pass for the five day fest is priced at Rs.500 for which people can apply online. There is discount for students, senior citizens and trangenders where the price of the pass is rs.300. People can also register offline at Humsafar Trust and spot registrations will be announced before the festival date comes close.

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