KASHISH 2024 Awards Announced
DIPPED IN BLACK (Australia) directed by Matthew Thorne & Derik Lynch
YOU PROMISED ME THE SEA (France) directed by Nadir Moknèche
Cash award of Rs.30,000 supported by KASHISH Arts Foundation
Jury Citation:
For exploring the concept of an arranged marriage between a gay man and a straight woman with subtlety and finesse, for portraying with candour and sensitivity the complexities of navigating queerness in an orthodox family, and for etching nuanced relationships and characters like Hadjira and Saïd’s, the Best Narrative Feature Award goes to the French film YOU PROMISED ME THE SEA directed by Nadir Moknèche.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
NEIRUD (Brazil) directed by Fernanda Faya
Cash award of Rs.30,000 supported by K.F.Patil Charitable Trust
Jury Citation:
A poetic and provocative excavation of personal archives and intergenerational memory, the film celebrates the love and partnership of two iconic women from Brazil’s underground circus history. For its seamless play with form and critical engagement with micro-histories of race, identity, and religion, the Jury awards the K.F.Patil Unity in Diversity Best Documentary Feature to the Brazilian film NEIRUD directed by Fernanda Faya.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
DEAR SAHITHYA (India) directed by Leo Paapam
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by K.F.Patil Charitable Trust
Jury Citation:
Bearing witness to a person’s transformation and gracefully portraying moments of vulnerability and courage, the film documents a poignant narrative of trans reality. For its gentle assertion of bodily autonomy and a delightful celebration of community, the Jury awards the K.F.Patil Unity in Diversity Best Documentary Short to the Indian film, DEAR SAHITHYA directed by Leo Paapam.
BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT
BREAKING THROUGH (France) directed by Siham Bel
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by GagOOLala
Jury Citation:
For depicting, with elegance and economy, a young woman’s struggles to come to terms with her father’s unwillingness to accept her when she comes out to him. Exploring with humour and empathy the intersections of culture, race and sexuality in the protagonist’s identity, this film has memorable characters and performances, and is technically and aesthetically excellent. The Best International Narrative short film Award goes to the debutant director Siham Bel’s BREAKING THROUGH from France.
BEST INDIAN NARRATIVE SHORT
NIGHT QUEEN (India) directed by Naireeta Dasgupta
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by KASHISH Arts Foundation
Jury Citation:
For a story of a person living with wife and children, and hiding secret for many years, to be able to freely open up about his innermost desires, for a film that is audacious in its storytelling, and highly accomplished in technical finesse, and studied acting by everyone in the cast; for telling us that there is no age of really starting to celebrate who you really are, the Best Indian Narrative Short Award goes to NIGHT QUEEN directed by Naireeta Dasgupta.
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEAD ROLE
SAMYUKTHA VIJAYAN (India) in the film Blue Sunshine
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by Samruddhi Studios
Jury Citation:
For a superlative performance of a person’s desire to be a woman, brilliantly portraying all the struggles and humiliation the person faces; the risk they have taken as an actor and as a human being is deeply courageous. This nuanced performance only helps to bring change and big hope for the audience. The jury award for Best Performance in a Lead Role goes to SAMYUKTHA VIJAYAN as Aravind/Bhanu in the narrative feature, BLUE SUNSHINE from India.
BEST SCREENPLAY
PETER AHLÉN & JAKOB HOLTET STRIDBÆK (Denmark) for their film The Wake
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by Abhay Kulkarni
Jury Citation:
In this story of a woman who finds out posthumously that her man, who she was married to for decades, was gay… lies hope… Hope, that there is a possibility for us humans to love and accept each other as we are. The possibility of finding love, forgiveness, opportunity at any age are a few of the many things you will feel when you watch this gem. For its extremely novel and structured screenplay, the award goes to scriptwriters Peter Ahlén and Jakob Holtet Stridbæk for the Danish short film THE WAKE.
BEST STUDENT SHORT AWARD
POISONED WELL (Slovakia) directed by Radek Sevcik
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by Whistling Woods International
Jury Citation:
For a film that takes a plunge to study a society mired in deep-rooted prejudices towards its gay community; with striking black and white cinematography capturing the essence of horror and fear. Interviews, like magic, bring out the true selves of the people, be it anger, fear, vulnerability, despondence, an occasional support or sheer regressive brutality. For a film that peels each layer with care bringing us face to face with a society where the religious and state institutions are largely antagonistic. How do we live here? What hope do we have? For a film that brings us at the brink of these burning questions and yet leaves us with a feeling of hope and solidarity, the student shorts jury is pleased to award to the film from Slovakia, POISONED WELL directed by Radek Sevcik, a joint winner of the Best Film in this category.
BEST STUDENT SHORT AWARD
MASC4MASC (Sweden) by Felix Augustine Greisinger
Cash award of Rs.25,000 each supported by Whistling Woods International
Jury Citation:
This 8 minute film, encapsulates the fear of vulnerability in the garb of masculinity very well. The setting of a gym and its characters’ obsession with the way they look and how they present themselves in society, especially within their own peers, is a reflection of the deep seeded condition that society has set. This results in the lack of safe space for men or any individual, to be vulnerable and to express themselves is both provocative and tender. “What will they say?”, or the fear of being judged for simply being who you are, resonates universally. The music, performance and the open ending leaves the audience wanting to see more. The joint winner of the “Best film – Student Shorts category” is the Swedish film MASC4MASC by Felix Augustine Greisinger.
RIYAD WADIA AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING INDIAN FILMMAKER
BONITA RAJPUROHIT (India) for her film IYKYK
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by Wadia Movietone
Jury Citation:
For a film that is cleverly conceived and made, very well directed and acted, capturing the zeitgeist of our times – both in terms of the app-driven dating scene and the increasing visibility and mainstreaming of trans identity. For a film that is at its heart, about the eternal quest for acceptance, recognition and love – including self-love. These are pillars of our human existence cutting across sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics – but they take on even more urgency and poignancy when applicable to trans life and love. For giving us a bold, innovative and – above all – honest film whose messages are universal, the Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker goes to BONITA RAJPUROHIT for IYKYK.
ISMAT CHUGHTAI AWARD FOR BEST INDIAN WOMAN FILMMAKER
NAIREETA DASGUPTA (India) for her film Night Queen
Cash award of Rs.20,000 supported by Ashish Sawhny
Jury Citation:
For its sure & mature handling of a beautifully nuanced film… with skilled direction, screenplay, performances & mise-en-scene… a shining example of a film that has a compelling & poignant story with a spotlight on older queer men who are bound by social conventions seeking to revive their natural selves, done in a dignified & thoughtfully constructed manner. the Ismat Chughtai Award for Best Indian Woman Filmmaker goes to NAIREETA DASGUPTA for her film ‘Night Queen’.
ADITYA NANDA AWARD FOR BEST INDIAN FILM ON MENTAL HEALTH
SIFAR (India) directed by Edythe
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by Keshav Suri Foundation
Jury Citation:
For exploring the themes of love, grief, acceptance, and resilience within queer identities while portraying the black hole of depression one gets sucked into after the loss of someone very dear to them. ADITYA NANDA Award for Best Indian Film on Mental Health goes to SIFAR directed by Edythe, a non-binary trans poet and filmmaker from Lucknow.
AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEAD ROLE
PRIYANK GANGWANI (India) in the film Kaatla Curry
Cash award of Rs.20,000 supported by Anonymous Donor
RUNNERS-UP AND SPECIAL MENTION
RUNNERS-UP FOR KASHISH QDRISHTI FILM GRANT
GHADOLI written by Shubham Negi
ARRE LADIES HAI written by Arnab Nandy
Cash award of Rs.25,000 each supported by Renuka Shahane
SPECIAL MENTIONS FOR BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEAD ROLE
VIPIN SHARMA (India) for the film Night Queen
Jury Citation:
This film is a brave statement of a middle aged person coming to terms with their true identity. For bringing out the complexity and pain of the character with an extraordinary command over body language and expressions, the jury would like to give a SPECIAL MENTION for BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEAD ROLE to VIPIN SHARMA for the film NIGHT QUEEN from India.
SPECIAL MENTIONS FOR BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEAD ROLE
BONITA RAJPUROHIT (India) for the film IYKYK
Jury Citation:
Society’s curiosity can become utterly over enthusiastic – sabotaging a transgender person’s desire to simply meet a partner, and dialogue remains too distant! A wonderful portrayal of tolerance and mute disappointment, KUSUM’s patience is worth applauding. The jury’s SPECIAL MENTION for BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEAD ROLE goes to BONITA RAJPUROHIT for the short film, IYKYK from India.
SPECIAL MENTION FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
MAGHREB’S HOPE (Algeria, Brazil, Morocco, Tunisia) directed by Bassem Ben Brahim
Jury Citation:
An amalgam of filmmaking and activism, the film stands out for its courage and defiance in the face of persecution in the Big Maghreb region in Africa, where even the expression of queer identity is considered illegal. For its intimate self-portraits which give wings to the dream of self-actualisation, the jury awards the SPECIAL MENTION to a film from Algeria, Brazil, Morocco, and Tunisia, MAGHREB’S HOPE by Bassem Ben Brahim.
SPECIAL MENTION for BEST STUDENT SHORT AWARD
GIVE (USA) directed by Kenya Gillespie
Jury Citation:
This film tells a tale as old as time – that of the intoxicating feeling of two hearts drawn to each other, and the debilitating pain that comes with that love withering away. The film’s triumph is in making this familiar story feel unique through its telling, as it plays out like poetry on screen. The breathtakingly evocative background score, while seamlessly blending with stunning cinematography, makes both the euphoria of romance as well as the grief of heartbreak feel personal to the viewer. The masterful final shot of the film stays with you long after this tender ode to lost love has concluded. The jury would like to give out a SPECIAL MENTION to the GIVE by Kenya Gillespie from the USA.
SPECIAL MENTIONS FOR ISMAT CHUGHTAI AWARD FOR BEST INDIAN WOMAN FILMMAKER
Bonita Rajpurohit (India) for her film IYKYK
Jury Citation:
A special citation & congratulations to an exciting new filmmaker, for their films’s modern & authentic voice & form, its special handling of a complex subject revolving around a Trans-woman, and how she navigates the differing boxes that men force her into, to a dynamic new filmmaker to watch out for, I would like to give a special mention to Bonita Rajpurohit for her film IYKYK.
SPECIAL MENTIONS FOR RIYAD WADIA AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING INDIAN FILMMAKER
ABU SOHEL KHONDEKAR (India) for their film Mehroon
Jury Citation:
Wadia Movietone would like to make a special mention of the beautifully made film whose protagonist symbolises dignity, quiet strength and self-love in the face of truly cruel familial and societal rejection, the special mention goes to ABU SOHEL KHONDEKAR for their film Mehroon.
SPECIAL MENTIONS FOR RIYAD WADIA AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING INDIAN FILMMAKER
SARTHAK CHAUHAN (India) for his film Chitthi
Jury Citation:
We would also like to award a special mention to the heartfelt film, whose anguished narrative, produced on a shoestring budget, also doubles up as a love story of a mother and son; the special mention goes to SARTHAK CHOUHAN for Chitthi.
