FILMS IN COMPETITION FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The best documentary feature award category includes Indian and International films made in 2012/2013 which are more that 40 minutes and having their Indian Premiere at KASHISH. The films in this category are …And The Unclaimed from India, Hide and Seek from Denmark/ Pakistan, Not A Man in Sight from Norway and The Invisible Men from Israel/ Netherlands.

…AND THE UNCLAIMED (Original Title: …Ebang Bewarish)

61 min / 2013 / Documentary Feature / India / Dir: Debalina

Debalina (More than A Friend, screened at KASHISH 2011) returns with yet another heart-wrenching documentary – this time about the fate of lesbian women in India. Four protagonists narrate their stories of living as misfits With the unclaimed body of two women who loved each other and dies for each other as the central fulcrum, the film questions non-acceptance of non‐normative persons. The beautifully shot film brings out pain and desolation of such persons who are ‘unclaimed’ by their loved ones and by society at large.. The film explores the connection of these tales of living persons with the dead ones.

HIDE AND SEEK (Original Title: Chuppan Chupai)

67 min / 2013 / Documentary Feature / Denmark, Pakistan / Dir: Saadat Munir, Saad Khan

The documentary shows the secret, yet open lives of a group of sexual minorities – focusing on their internal conflicts, their constant play of ”hide and seek” from the mainstream population in the urban areas of Pakistan. LGBT rights in Pakistan are non-existent – and so there is no official LGBT community as such. The only somewhat tolerated group within sexual minorities, are the large transgender community who seem to form close bonds of familial ties to fight oppression and continue to smile through their tears.

NOT A MAN IN SIGHT (Original Title: Ingen Mann I Sikte)

56 min / 2012 / Documentary Feature / Norway / Dir: Mette Aakerholm Gardell

The first open generation of lesbian women will soon be gone. These women fought for their rights and created a cultural identity. Now they are being replaced by new generations with a different approach to identity and lifestyle. Not A Man In Sight portraits three groups of lesbian women – all at different stages in life. A film that is often funny, often sad, but above all… is nostalgic!

THE INVISIBLE MEN (Original Title: Gvarim Bilti Nirim)

68 min / 2012 / Documentary Feature / Israel, The Netherlands / Dir: Yariv Mozer

An untold side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – Louie, Abdu and Fares are gay Palestinians who have run away from their families and are now hiding illegally in Tel Aviv. Ostracized by their families and people, back in their homeland, they were forced to cross the border and live in a country where their lives are constantly in danger. Their only chance for survival is to seek asylum outside Israel and Palestine and leave their homelands forever behind. Until their escape, they must remain ”the invisible men.”