ALLIED EVENTS AT KASHISH 2020 VIRTUAL

Wednesday, July 22nd, 6.30 pm

Opening Ceremony

The grand Opening Ceremony of KASHISH 2020 Virtual hosted by the indomitable Rj Rohini Ramnathan, will feature amazing performances by the violin impresario Sunita Bhuiyan, a song by Dutch drag performer Lady Garlore, classical performance by Ankur Ballal, Ayaan Banerjee & Nilesh Singha, and a hip hop performance by Karan & Aayu.
The opening ceremony also features talks by the KASHISH festival & preview team, KASHISH Advisory Board Members, KASHISH Partners, and a tribute to our dear friend Wendell Rodricks.

Thursday July 23rd 5.00pm

Is Indian Queer Content Sustainable?

Of late, we have seen an upward spike of web series that has prominent queer characters and or deal with queer issues in the forefront. This is a welcome change from the representation that queer characters got in the mainstream Hindi cinema over the years. In the last few years, even Hindi cinema has seen a shift in the way LGBTQ+ characters are being portrayed in them. But how sustainable is this new trend and is there a market for queer content in India?
Moderator – Rohini Ramnathan – RJ Nasha
Panelists –

• Zoya Akhtar – Filmmaker, Writer
• Shonali Bose – Filmmaker, Writer
• Bani J – Actor
• Hitesh Kewaliya – Filmmaker, Writer
• Rohan Kanawade – Filmmaker
• Vijay Subramanian, Head Business Affairs, Amazon Prime

This panel is supported by Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Friday July 24th 5:00pm

The Future of Film Festivals in the time of Corona

Film Festivals are a space for conversations to thrive – post-screening conversations, debates, waiting anxiously in long queues for the next screening or grabbing a quick bite in between screenings – cinephiles across the globe are familiar with this. However in the unprecedented situation we are in due to the pandemic, how relevant are these spaces now, when one can watch films on any streaming platform. What more does an online film festival bring to the table? Is this the future of film festivals, going ahead? How can festivals survive in a post-COVID world?
Moderator – Sridhar Rangayan, Festival Director, KASHISH MIQFF.

Panelists –

• Andrea Wilson, Executive Director, Inside Out LGBTQ festival, Toronto
• Aseem Chhabra – Festival Director, NYIFF
• Cary Rajinder Sawhney – Festival Director, London Indian Film Festival
• Paul Struthers, Director of Exhibition & Programming, Frameline LGBT festival, San Francisco
• Smriti Kiran – Artistic Director, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star

This panel is supported by Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

Saturday July 25th 5:00pm

The Sporting Divide

Sports brings people of the world together. However the gender discussions in sports have resulted to uncomfortable situations for sportspersons as well as for Sports Authorities around the world. Two films at KASHISH 2020 Virtual explore homophobia in sports – Standing On The Line (Canada) and Changing The Game (USA). The panel discussion brings together the directors of the two films and some of the protagonists of these two films, along with possibly couple of Indian athletes who have faced discrimination due to their gender identity or sexual orientation. The panel poses the question – does the sporting fraternity need a mindset overhaul to be inclusive of trans, gender queer, intersex athletes.
Moderator – Sridhar Rangayan, Festival Director, KASHISH MIQFF.

Panelists –

• Paul Émile d’Entremont (Canada), Director of film – Standing on the Line
• Anastasia Bucsis (Canada), Speed-Skater Athlete
• David Testo (Canada), Soccer player
• Michael Barnett (USA), Director of the film – Changing The Game
• Alex Schmider (USA), Producer of film – Changing The Game
• Chaki (India), Trans Athlete
• Piyush Dalvi (India), Trans Athlete

This panel is supported by Consulate General of Canada

Sunday July 26th 5:00pm

Acceptance, Unconditionally!

Members from Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents, a support group for parents of LGBTQIA+ children take center stage to discuss what it means when it comes to accepting your children’s sexual orientation or gender identity. They discuss the challenges they face in terms of their own journeys, their dialogues with other family members and also with mainstream society.
Moderator : Nilakshi Roy
Panelists –

• Rakesh Sharma (Mumbai)
• Supriya Gosavi (Mumbai)
• Aruna Desai (Mumbai)
• Aruna Rao (USA)
• Mukunda Mala (Hyderabad)

Panel introduced by Harish Iyer, equal rights activist.

Tuesday July 28th 5:00pm

Moving Forward, Together

As we move beyond the abolition of Section 377 of the IPC, We must ask ourselves, what next? This panel talks about the future of the queer movement in India. The right to marriage and adoption, fallacies of the Transgender Protection Act (2019), Inclusivity of queer folk in the workplace, as well as inclusive queer spaces across urban and suburban areas. The eventual question being – ‘How do we move forward, together’?
Moderator – Suresh Ramdas, Mr. Gay India 2019
Panelists –

• Menaka Guruswamy, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court Of India
• Aditya Advani, Landscape Architect
• Akkai Padmashali. Trans activist & Founder, Ondede
• Saadhya Pawar, Founder, Transman World

This panel is supported by Bureau du Québec

Wednesday July 29thth 5:00pm

Female Filmmaker Voices

How did the stories to which you’ve given voice, find you? Are there challenges specific to being a filmmaker who is also female? What could it even mean to move forward together?

Come listen to four filmmakers from across the world take us on the journey of their films, why they felt they had to tell the stories they have, and what went into them. What brings these three documentaries and one short fiction film together is the nature of their stories, bringing to the forefront the effect and importance of policy, legality, and social acceptance on identity, when viewed together. What’s also common to all the filmmakers is that they’re female.
Moderator – Bhagirathi Raman.

Panelists –

• Anita Singh (Outcast)
• Cindy Abel (SURVIVING THE SILENCE: The Untold Story Of Two Women In Love Who Helped Change Military Policy)
• Nicola Milne and Shanchan Chen (STONEWALL 50: Where Next For LGBT+ Lives)
• Sai Deodhar (Silent Ties)

Thursday July 30th 2:00pm

Emerging Indian Filmmaker’s Interface

A glimpse into the world of upcoming filmmakers, and all that’s brewing in their fresh minds.
Moderator – Abhra Das
Panelists –

• Rakshak Diwan – Director: Chunni
• Tathagata Ghosh – Director: Miss Man
• Aarti Neharsh – Director: The Song We Sang
• Arunkumar Senthil – Director: Coffee Cafe
• Aayushi Kumar – Director: By The Beach
• Abhijit Suvarna – Director: Compartment

Supported by Whistling Woods International

Thursday July 30th 7.00pm

Closing & Awards Ceremony

The grand Closing & Award Ceremony of KASHISH 2020 Virtual hosted by the indomitable Rj Rohini Ramnathan, featurer amazing performances by the singing sensation Jonita Gandhi, queer breakdancer Shraddha Kurry, trans dancer Navya Singh, Manipuri singer Omi (Them) Adhikari, and a video song by festival team & volunteers. The Award Ceremony features announcement of awards in 9 categories by jury members and also acceptance speeches by award winners!