MUMBAI IN MAY: IT’S KASHISH 2015

The sixth edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, scheduled to be held between May 27-31, 2015. South Asia’s biggest and India’s only mainstream LGBT film fest will be held at two venues, Mumbai’s iconic art deco Liberty theatre and Alliance Francaise de Bombay.

Voted as one of the Top 5 LGBT Film Festival in the World, KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is South Asia’s biggest queer film festival and the only LGBT film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theater.

Founded in 2010, KASHISH is held over 5 days at two venues. The festival this year will be held at Liberty Cinema and Alliance Francaise in South Mumbai. It is the only Indian LGBT festival to be held with approval by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India.

THEME: ‘REACHING OUT, TOUCHING HEARTS’

The theme of KASHISH 2015, ‘Reaching Out, Touching Hearts’, reflects the urgent need for all of us to reach across barriers and boundaries, reach out to everyone – parents, families, friends, colleagues and peers.

An equal society without stigma and discrimination is a shared responsibility.

The Indian LGBT movement is at a crucial time in its history, where it is fighting an unjust law – section 377 of the Indian Penal Code – that criminalizes the community. It is important to broad-base this struggle and build alliances across race, class, caste, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation to challenge prejudice, change attitudes and create a society that allows each person to live with love and dignity.

AWARDS

The “competition section’’ will showcase films which will be judged by an eminent jury panel. Best Narrative Feature film wins a cash award of Rs 30,000 and Best Indian Short films wins a cash prize of Rs 20,000. The Best Actor in a Lead Role award wins the actor a trophy. The Riyad Wadia Emerging Indian Filmmaker, instituted by Wadia Movietone in memory of the India’s first gay filmmaker Riyad Wadia, carries a cash prize of Rs 15,000. The other awards are Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Shorts and Best International Narrative Short. The Best Indian queer short film at KASHISH gets to compete for the Iris Prize in UK which carries a cash prize of 25,000 pounds.

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