KASHISH 2026 DOCUMENTARY SHORTS IN COMPETITION

A decade-long chronicle of Kai, a young trans boy coming of age amidst a shifting landscape of trans rights in the UK, as he navigates the complexities of identity, acceptance, medical transition and the pursuit of happiness.

Having lived through the partition, endured persecution, and faced the harrowing possibility of losing his daughter Zunaira to illness, octogenarian Khalid, now settled in the U.S., has never doubted what his values have always taught him: that love for family matters above all else. Zunaira’s announcement that she is ready to marry the woman of her dreams becomes a moment of profound joy, almost miraculous, reaffirming everything he has long believed.

Thanks, Babs! is a vibrant 15-minute documentary short following Babs Daitch, an optimistic octogenarian who lives her life in perpetual motion. From lap-dancing at her “41st anniversary of her 39th birthday” to reflecting on mortality in San Francisco’s AIDS Memorial Grove, Babs embraces aging with mischief, humor, and curiosity. The film culminates in the long-awaited maiden voyage of her live-aboard 40-foot motor cruiser, a scene by turns both comedic and triumphant. A story of reinvention, resilience, and refusing to slow down, Thanks, Babs! celebrates a woman who proves that life at eighty isn’t about endings, but about steering into the next adventure.

Piyush & Sushil met entirely by chance 30 years ago at a theatre in Mumbai, India. Unbeknownst to each other, they were both gay & seeking partners in a time when the internet was nascent, and there was barely any out & proud queer community. This short independent documentary narrates how they came to be a couple who created a space for themselves, as well as their discovery of dance as a way to combat aging- which has led to them winning hearts as ‘Dancing Daddies’.

WELCOME TO TOOL SHED
Dirs: Daniel Talbott, Andrew Klaus-Vineyard | 23 MIN | 2025 | USA | English

The documentary takes an in depth, searing dive into the colorful community of queer senior citizens who congregate at the Tool Shed, a long-standing gay bar and sanctuary for queer people in Palm Springs, CA. Many of its denizens are the oldest survivors of the AIDS epidemic. This film talks about the warrior mentality and spirit, the fortitude and the humor, and the queer community’s emphasis on chosen family that has seen them through centuries of hate, discrimination, and persecution. The Tool Shed provides an oasis in the dessert for leather loving, sex-positive seniors and their admirers.