LESBIAN/BI/TRANS* FILMS AT KASHISH 2016

CAROL

(2015) 118 min / Feature UK, USA Director: Todd Haynes

Carol follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. Therese Belivet, is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol, an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.

HETEROSEXUAL JILL

(2013) 80 min / Feature USA Director: Michelle Ehlen

Unable to make progress with her ex-lesbian conversion path, a neurotic “All American” Jill tracks down her butch ex-girlfriend Jamie to prove to herself that she is no longer attracted to her. Strung along by guilt and desire, Jamie agrees to the preposterous plan of “dating” Jill so that Jill can close this chapter of her life and move forward with men. Meanwhile, David and Lola compete for the affections of José , a sexually ambiguous and seductive man from Brazil, and they compare notes on their differing opinions of his sexuality. As complications arise with Jill and Jamie’s relationship, Jill starts to see José as her ticket out. However, when the love triangles shift and realign, Jamie has her own identity crisis that she is ill-equipped to handle. A mix of over-the-top comedy, sharp wit, and pathos, “Heterosexual Jill” rides the edge of laughter and pain, desire and repression, and explores the complicated attachment to one’s sense of self in the face of love.

PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL MONOGAMIST

(2015) 84 min / Feature USA Dirs: John Mitchell, Christina Zeidler

Smart, successful, and charming, Elsie is the perfect girlfriend. She also happens to be a serial monogamist, with a long history of broken hearts. When Elsie breaks up with her long-standing girlfriend to pursue another woman, she faces her mother’s disapproval, conflicting advice from friends, and the nagging suspicion that she may have made a big mistake.

REACHING FOR THE MOON

(2013) 118 min / Feature BRAZIL Director: Bruno Barreto

Frustrated poet Elizabeth Bishop travels to Brazil and encounters the beguiling architect Lota de Macedo Soares. Initial hostilities make way for a complicated yet long-lasting love affair that dramatically alters Bishop’s relationship to the world around her. Anchored by magnificent lead performances from Miranda Otto and Glória Pires, Reaching for the Moon is an intimate snapshot of the search for inspiration, wherever and however you find it.

TWO GIRLS DESCENDING THE STAIRS

(2015) 108 min / Feature BRAZIL Director: Fabiano de Souza

They’re complete opposites. Adri has an Art degree, but lives in that post-graduation limbo. Mona is a chill architect with plans and money to spare. A great passion is born, with the city in the background and the wind blowing the days away. Nine months, nine staircases and nine seasons of love.

WHILE YOU WEREN’T LOOKING

(2015) 104 min / Feature SOUTH AFRICA Director: Catherine Stewart

‘While You Weren’t Looking’ is an original story, set in Cape Town. The protagonists are queer people, from all walks of life, whose intertwining tales present a humourous, inventive and dramatic take on contemporary life in South Africa. It is through the eyes and experiences of a cross-section of queers – black, white and coloured, cruisy singles, married couples with children, city and township dwellers, apartheid survivors and born frees, professionals and skollies – that we see the South African contemporary landscape unfold

KASHISH 2016 will also screen these short films and documentaries:

AGAINST THE NIGHT
(2014) 3.40 min / Narrative Short USA Director: Anthony Supreme
In the video, two female lovers stroll through a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Full of fights, smiles, make-outs, and adventures, the video fully embodies famous singer Child Actor’s unique sound of pop and dreamy shoegaze

ALL ABOUT LOVE
(2016) 15.23 min / Short Documentary INDIA Director: Tejashri Joshi
Living amid the chaos of acceptance and denial by the society, often wrong choices are made without even making an effort to know the unknown. The film tries to create a discussion about the basics of same-sex relationships in India 2016.

BAGGAGE
(2015) 14.30 min / Narrative Short UK, USA Director: Sarah Ball
A jilted window dresser uses her Valentine’s day store window display to send a public message to her ex.

BENJAMIN
(2015) 16.11 min / Narrative Short CANADA Director: Sherren Lee
Sixth months into a dual surrogate pregnancy between two gay couples, baby Maya dies in utero. When grieving mothers Sophie and Della realize they may not be able to conceive again, they ask to keep the remaining child for themselves, fracturing the idealistic arrangement the four friends once had, and forcing the men to make an impossible decision.

BETTY
(2015) 8.44 min / Narrative Short UK Director: Kristiina Kello
An elderly lady watches the world go by, sharing her life with plants and memories. One day, a newspaper advertisement catches her eye and invites her to explore her past.

BETWEEN SILENCES (Original Title: Entre Les Silences)
(2015) 15 min / Narrative Short FRANCE Dirs: Siham Bel and Axel Ducret
When Karine comes home at 6 in the morning, she finds her partner waiting for her. Behind stifling, closed doors the two lovers confront each other.

BEYOND THE LOOKING GLASS
(2014) 15 min / Short Documentary BRAZIL Director: Carolina de Azevedo
We are born into naked bodies that we strive to dress, decorate and change, in the hopes of reaching authenticity. In Porto Alegre, Brazil, seven people share their thoughts to burst the bubble of a much avoided topic.

BLIND DATE
(2015) 7.19 min / Narrative Short USA Director: Adrienne Lovette
Two romantics spend an unexpected evening together in New York City, and find a new meaning to the term “blind date”.

CARMEN
(2015) 5.29 min / Short Documentary SPAIN Prod: OTOXO production
A short documentary focused on Tango teacher – Carmen Maria and her mission to change the stereotypical bias from the dance form.

COMING IN
(2015) 55 min / Documentary Feature FRANCE Director: Marlies Demeulandre
Nine queer people working at three companies share the stories of their lives at work, stories that until now had rarely been heard and often been kept silent. Aged from twenty to eighty, high level executive or office worker, they form a panel of great social, cultural and psychological diversity. In a humane and positive way, this documentary deals with being different and feeling judged.

THE CRICKET AND THE ANT (Original Title: La Cigale Et La Fourmi)
(2015) 15.08 min / Narrative Short GERMANY Director: Julia Ritschel
Right before graduation, Lena is interested in only one thing: French. However, she doesn’t actually care for the language itself, her enthusiasm really lies in Katharina. Soon Lena has to face reality by asking herself where she wants to go in life and if there’s another way than the one of “The Cricket and the Ant”.

DESIRES (Original Title: Désirs)
(2015) 8.14 min / Narrative Short FRANCE Dirs: Yannick Nolin, Clarissa Rebouças
Charlotte and Marie live a relationship full of desire, but a secret can change everything.

EASY REAPPEARANCE (Original Title: Résurgence Commode)
(2015) 16.50 min / Narrative Short FRANCE Director: Guillaume Levil
Anne, a fifty-years-old woman with a bourgeois mentality, listens to a message secretly intended for her husband: a man makes an appointment with him in a gay club where you must give the password.

FALLING ANGELS
(2015) 27.36 min / Narrative Short DENMARK, FAROE ISLANDS Director: Maria Winther Olsen
Julia – the priest’s daughter – falls in love with the beautiful Barbara, who just moved to the island. A story about forbidden love and the impossible choices it leads to.

FORGETFULNESS
(2015) 7.51 min / Narrative Short AUSTRALIA Director: Mayur Katariya
As a dementia sufferer drifts in and out of her previous lives, she feels the pain and pleasure of her past and current relationships. Either she has lost touch with the reality, or she is closer to the reality than we think.

HERE COME THE BRIDES – THE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN BRAZIL
(2015) 50 min / Documentary BRAZIL Dirs: Gabi Torrezani, Fabia Fuzeti
A documentary about the history of the same-sex marriage in Brazil. It follows the wedding process of two Brazilian women Fabia and Gabi while also presenting the history of same-sex marriage in the country through interviews with LGBT activists, other gay couples and important political figures. The film celebrates what has been accomplished so far and points out what has to be done to ensure equal rights to same-sex couples and families.

HOMOGEN (ADMITTING MY DIFFERENCE)
(2015) 8.55 min / Short Documentary CANADA Director: Isabelle Courville
HOMOGEN delivers an intimate portrait of the Quebec gay and lesbian community where youth, parents, allies and dissidents can find real answers to their questions, without shame, judgment or taboo. In this episode, the protagonists talk about coming out and accepting their own self.

HOMOGEN (LOVING YOUR DIFFERENCE)
(2015) 11.04 min / Short Documentary CANADA Director: Isabelle Courville
HOMOGEN delivers an intimate portrait of the Quebec gay and lesbian community where youth, parents, allies and dissidents can find real answers to their questions, without shame, judgment or taboo. In this episode, the protagonists elevate the personal experience to a universal level. In fact, it makes a difference by showing that in the end, there is no difference, after all.

HOW TO BE ALONE
(2015) 22.16 min / Narrative Short ISRAEL Director: Erez Eisenstein
“Listen to me: there is life without love. Loneliness is the soul’s forgotten desire. You don’t need anyone. Don’t search, don’t hope, don’t dream; and only then, perhaps, you too will learn how to be alone.”

IN THE HOLLOW
(2015) 15 min / Short Documentary USA Director: Austin Bunn
In May 1988, girlfriends Claudia Brenner and Rebecca Wight were attacked while hiking the Appalachian Trail by a ‘mountain man’ named Stephen Roy Carr. Combining documentary and narrative material, ‘In the Hollow’ tells the story of the shooting, Wight’s death and Brenner’s desperate survival (and later transformation into an advocate for hate crime legislation in the U.S.) as she returns to the trail for the first time since the shooting.

JULIE
(2015) 9.12 min / Narrative Short CZECH REPUBLIC, CHINA Director: Ran Li
Julie tells the story of two former lovers, Julie and Chloe, who reunite after a long painful breakup. Julie’s feelings for Chloe are like an addiction she thought she’d kicked, but comes roaring back full-force. But Chloe is still the same girl who sees love as a game.

LEFT TO THEIR SENSES
(2015) 16.16 min / Narrative Short LUXEMBOURG, BELGIUM Director: Cecilia Guichart
Alma and Sam live together, yet each in her own universe. Sam is the more extroverted type, a woman of action; Alma is rather withdrawn and contemplative. When it comes to love, they both agree: they long for the ultimate commitment. Full of passion, they bridge the differences in their daily life, a balance still jeopardized by their fears.

LITTLE ELEPHANT
(2015) 5 min / Narrative Short UK Director: Kate Jessop
A film about love over three generations. Rahila, a queer mother reflects on her severed relationship with her dad. Elsewhere a father, Ravinder reminisces about the things he used to do with his daughter. The film ends with Rahila anticipating introducing her daughter to her dad.

THE MASSAGE (Original Title: El Masaje)
(2013) 5.23 min / Narrative Short SPAIN Director: Rodrigo Canet
Two friends have a meeting that could be very special.

PINK
(2015) 13.33 min / Short Film FRANCE Director: Marga Congreso
A story of two individuals from near extreme ends of the gender spectrum, who meet in a tabac, where an unexpected romance unfolds. A modern adaptation of Cinderella, just without the focus on the shoe… and the gender roles of Cinderella and the Prince reversed!

NO MATTER WHO (Original Title: A Qui La Faute)
(2015) 18.49 min / Narrative Short FRANCE Director: Anne-Claire Jaulin
It’s summertime and a troop of young girls are headed to scout camp. For Marie and Lise, it is a time for their first sparks of emotion, a time to learn more about desire and how one confronts a group and their morality.

NXS
(2015) 20 min / Narrative Short ARGENTINA Director: Maximiliano Martiniau
A, V and T have a polyamorous relationship. The three live together for quite a while. They are self – sufficient, but they will have to rethink their lifestyle.

OH, I GET IT
(2015) 8.31 min / Short Documentary USA Dirs: Danny Tayara, Sara McCaslin
Seattle-based queer comedians are changing comedy using their own brand of humor, proving that social change is best served funny.

THE QUIETNESS (Original Title: Calmaria)
(2015) 9.56 min / Narrative Short BRAZIL Director: William de Oliveira
The apparent peace of an ordinary day hides a turbulent past that insists on not being left behind.

RUN FOR THE TRUTH
(2015) 21 min / Narrative Short USA Director: Damien Steck
‘Run For The Truth’ tells the heart-wrenching story of a young woman in desperate pursuit of her lover. Struggling with an unaccepting world, these women discover deeper and darker secrets that unravels their perception of truth. This short trip will be the revelation of a complete twist in their lives. It will ultimately leave you asking – should love conquer all?

SANGINI
(2016) 45.17 min / Short Documentary INDIA, CANADA Director: Nancy Nicol
Dedicated to Betu Singh, who passed away on Oct. 4, 2013, and to her partner, Maya Shankar; the documentary tells the stories of people who fled their families and sought sanctuary at Sangini, a shelter for lesbian, bi and trans-identified people in Delhi. Fleeing family imposed restrictions, violence and pressures to get married – a young woman, a trans man, and a lesbian couple recount their stories of flight and resilience, their struggle to assert their civil rights and independence, and their hopes for the future.

SCARLINES
(2013) 19.56 min / Narrative Short CANADA Director: Stephanie Young
The story of Jack, a transman who returns to his rural hometown for the first time since his transition. During his visit, he reconnects with loved ones who either fail to recognize him or struggle to accept him

SHE AND I
(2016) 4.48 min / Narrative Short ISRAEL Director: Zehavit Sabag
She and I sitting on top of a car in a middle of a big green field. She smokes a cigarette, I stare at the view. She cuts pictures out of a magazine, I stare at the view.

SHE-WOLVES (Original Title: Lobas)
(2015) 26.26 min / Narrative Short COSTA RICA Director: Patricia Howell
Ana has been married for 30 years when she meets by accident the only love she ever had. The impact of this encounter makes her become aware of what she lost. Lobas portraits a moment in the life of a woman, as destiny conspires to give her a second chance. It is also a film about the consequences of sacrificing what you most loved.

SHUNNED
(2016) 46.3 min / Short Documentary ISRAEL, PALESTINE Director: Igal Hecht
The internal struggle of the LGBTQ Palestinian community is constant and often overshadowed by the Israeli Palestinian conflict. The film tells the story of three LGBTQ Arab Palestinians who have chosen to be who they are despite living in a society that refuses to accept them and shuns their true identity.

SPUNKLE
(2016) 13 min / Narrative Short USA Director: Lisa Donato
A brother contemplates fatherhood when his older sister and her free-spirited wife ask him to be their sperm donor.

STAY OVER
(2015) 9.29 min / Narrative Short ISRAEL Director: Michal Haggiag
Tal and Tom, two teenage girls and best friends, study for a test, late into the night. It’s a night in which they’ll learn something about themselves as well.

THAT’S MY BOY
(2015) 24.20 min / Short Documentary INDIA Director: Akhil Sathyan
That’s My Boy takes us through the life of Sonu, who strongly disagrees to believe that his gender is the biological one. Sonu was born a girl but he always knew that his physical body and mental identity were at odds with each other.

THIS IS YOU AND ME
(2015) 15.19 min / Narrative Short USA Director: April Maxey
One night in Auburn, New York, Marie meets Susie. Sensing each other’s urge for a night of recklessness and spontaneity, the two immediately hit it off. They share a strong connection, but the night takes a turn when Marie triggers an unexpected reaction within Susie.

TO MUM (LOVE, ME)
(2015) 16.56 min / Narrative Short SINGAPORE Director: Joyene Nazatul
A short film about the relationship between a mother and her queer daughter and how they deal with it in Singapore, a country with its roots very much set within traditional Asian values.

WEDLOCKED
(2015) 11.34 min / Narrative Short USA Director: Puppett
Inspired by true stories, three women work their way out of a divorce triangle they never signed up for. Follow Sydney and Cameron on a hilarious journey through this not-so-fictional fable to find out answer to the question…Are You Married Enough (To Get Divorced)?

WHY WE RAN FROM IRAN
(2015) 12.19 min / Short Documentary IRAN, TURKEY Director: Veyron Pax
A short performative documentary about 6 LGBT Iranian refugee in Turkey, in a form of a peaceful message for fighting against homophobia.

A WOMAN AT A PIANO
(2013) 1.20 min / Narrative Short UK Director: Golnaz Jamsheed
Based on a Vermeer painting with the title ‘A Young Woman Seated at the Virginal’, this short film reveals the secret passion of a young woman after being neglected by her dispassionate husband.

WOMEN IN VAIVÉN
(2015) 12.34 min / Narrative Short UK Director: Cecilia Pérez-Homar
In Puerto Rico, Zoe Taína is about to marry her girlfriend. As she struggles to fit into her grandmother’s old wedding dress, she receives a surprise visit from her mother, who’s been dead since Taína was a newborn.