PANORAMA SECTION

Narrative Features

A (DIS)LIKED STORY (Na Aavadti Goshta)
Dir: Sai Deodhar
120 MIN | 2025 | India | Marathi, English

Na Aavadti Goshta is the story of two small-town cousins, Avantika and Soha, who are complete opposites and constantly at odds. Yet beneath their differences lies a shared dream to build a life in London and discover who they truly are. When they finally get the chance to leave, distance and displacement begin to reshape their relationship. As Soha comes out as a lesbian, Avantika must confront her own fears and assumptions, gradually becoming her sister’s fiercest ally.

A warm coming-of-age tale, the film explores love, identity, and the quiet strength of chosen and inherited family.

Screening: Friday June 5, 7.15 PM | Liberty Cinema

Three lesbians navigate their desires, fears, and contradictions in Paris. Nour, an intense and impatient musician, falls for a woman who is both guarded and demanding. Their budding relationship wavers under the weight of Nour’s rushed expectations. Insecure Laura suggests to her two partners that they have a child to strengthen their throuple – unknowingly upending their already delicate balance. Meanwhile Gabrielle, a respected therapist, is neglected by her workaholic partner who is too busy to notice the cracks forming. Gabrielle begins to dangerously bond with one of her patients…
Caught between doubts and desires, these romantic entanglements ask us : should I make the run for it, or should I commit ?

Screening: June 6, 11.45 AM | Alliance Française

Supported by: French Institute in India, Embassy of France

ASTRONAUT LOVERS
Dir: Marco Berger
116 MIN | 2024 | Argentina, Spain | Spanish

Transpiring over a languid summer by the sea in Argentina, The Astronaut Lovers is a breezy comedy about Pedro (Javier Orán) and Maxi (Lautaro Bettoni), two childhood friends reunited years later as young men. Openly gay, Pedro is amused by Maxi’s curiosity about “gay shit” and his playful “straight dude” flirtations… but things kick up a notch when Maxi tries to make his ex-girlfriend jealous by saying Pedro is his boyfriend. Treating it like a jovial roleplaying game, Pedro starts to lose sight of what’s real and what’s fantasy.

Screening: Friday June 5, 9.45 PM | Liberty Cinema

Supported by: Tourism Office of Spain in Mumbai

BLUE LIGHTS
Dir: Lucas Santa Ana
100 MIN | 2024 | Argentina | Spanish

At his 70th birthday dinner, Alejandro welcomes friends and family into his home for what begins as a warm, if slightly awkward, celebration. As the night unfolds, wine flows, emotions rise, and buried truths come to light. Alejandro’s niece and her wife face quiet hostility from a guest’s husband as they discuss starting a family. A younger guest living with HIV speaks candidly about his polyamorous life, unintentionally revealing a past fling with the husband of another attendee, setting off a ripple of tension across the table.

Screening: Friday June 5, 5.45 PM | Alliance Française

GUNYO CHOLO – THE DRESS
Dir: Samundra Bhatta
127 MIN | 2025 | Nepal | Nepali | South Asian Spectrum Narrative Feature

The only male descendant of a patriarchal retired army official, Gulabi, is being groomed by his father to follow in his footsteps into a career in the military. As a young boy, he struggles to understand his true identity. Furious and deeply ashamed, his austere father discovers his son’s aspirations to become a trans-woman. His father disowned him from the family’s home in the village, and to survive, much to his chagrin, he has no alternative but to lead a life of dancing and prostitution in the city of Kathmandu, Nepal. (Gunyo Cholo is a traditional dress worn by girls in the Nepali culture that marks the ‘coming of age’.)
Screening: Thursday June 4, 3.30 PM | NGMA

INSTABOYS
Dir: Matthew Chess
95 MIN | 2025 | USA | English

Set in Miami, Instaboys follows Diego, an eighteen-year-old grappling with his identity, and Roman, a charming flirt who avoids real connection. A chance meeting draws them into an unexpected bond that pushes both beyond their screens and comfort zones.
As Diego faces family disapproval and an uncertain immigration future, Roman confronts the emptiness of his fleeting relationships. Together, they discover that intimacy isn’t measured in clicks or followers, but in honesty and courage.
A romantic, funny, and quietly political coming-of-age story about finding authenticity in a world of appearances.

Screening: Thursday June 4, 9.45 PM | Liberty Cinema

JAMEELA
Dirs: Zainab Malik, Mina Isabella Jafri Malik
93 MIN | 2025 | Pakistan | Urdu | South Asian Spectrum Narrative Feature

Jameela follows a transgender woman navigating love, loss, and survival in a society that often refuses to accept her. Jameela embodies the struggles and resilience of her transgender community and embarks on a journey to follow her dreams and live her truth. The film is a cinematic celebration of vibrant color, authentic stories, and hope.

Screening: Thursday June 4, 3.30 PM | Alliance Française

ON THE ROAD
Dir: David Pablos
93 MIN | 2025 | Mexican | Spanish

Veneno, a rebellious young drifter, frequents roadside diners where he sleeps with truck drivers. Urgently needing a ride, he meets Muñeco, a hardedged driver who keeps to himself. He convinces Muñeco to take him deep into the hyper-masculine world of long-haul trucking across the north of Mexico. As they travel together and an unexpected intimacy builds between them, shadows from Veneno’s past resurface, putting both their lives at risk.

Screening: Saturday June 6, 9.45 PM | Liberty Cinema

Supported by: Tourism Office of Spain in Mumbai

PUCALLPA (Pucallpa la europea)
Dir: Santi Zegarra
105 MIN | 2025 | Peru | Spanish

Elsa, a trans woman who goes back to Lima after being deported from France. With no money, she’s welcomed by Naomi and Pamela. In this context, Elsa meets Yena, an Argentinian actress who lives in the rich district of Las Casuarinas, who hires her to take care of her dog. In this new reality between privileged people, Elsa and Aymerick, Jenna’s French husband, start to develop a deep relationship.

Screening: Saturday June 6, 5.45 PM | Alliance Française

THE VOICELESS WATERS (Sililare)
Dir: Shirly Samarasinghe
90 MIN | 2026 | Sri Lanka | Sinhala | South Asian Spectrum Narrative Feature

Durga, a young man from a rural community, lives with his mother who is the family’s sole breadwinner since his father’s death. As she travels to the city each day to sell fruit, Durga dedicates himself to mastering a traditional dance, preparing for his maiden performance. A chance encounter in the city introduces them to Tekla, a well-educated woman whose presence begins to reshape Durga’s world. As circumstances draw their families closer, Durga forms a deep bond with Tekla’s son, Johannes—one that quietly blossoms into something more. Their relationship finds a moment of affirmation on the day of Durga’s debut performance, where personal and cultural identities intersect. Set against the rhythms of tradition and change, the film traces Durga’s journey of self-discovery, love, and belonging, as he navigates the distance between rural roots and an evolving future.

Screening: Saturday June 6, 3.30 PM | NGMA

THE LAST FIRST TIME (El fin de las primeras veces)
Dir: Rafael Ruiz Espejo
76 MIN | 2024 | Mexico | Spanish | Narrative Feature

A cinematic coming-of-age story about Eduardo who comes for a college entrance exam in Guadalajara, meets city kid Mario and falls fast for the more sophisticated youth. Through the afternoon and a wild partying evening, Eduardo’s initial shyness gives way to wild abandon as he explores his sexuality. The Last First Time is filled with angst and wonder as Eduardo finds himself through his adventurous day in a new city.

Screening: Friday June 5, 1.45 PM | Alliance Française

Documentary Features

“A MINUSCULE MINORITY”
Dir: Avijit Mukul Kishore
63 MIN | 2025 | India | English | Documentary Feature

“A Minuscule Minority” documents a crucial evolution in India’s queer rights movement. It features conversations with second and third-generation activists and looks at the shift from petitioning the judiciary, to engaging directly with political parties in the fight for equal rights for queer people.

Screening: Thursday June 4, 5.45 PM | Liberty Cinema

ON THE PATH TO LEO (En camino a Leo)
Dir: Ana Bárcenas Torres
97 MIN | 2025 | Mexico, Italy | Italian, Spanish

At seventeen Leo begins his gender transition, a journey that challenges his mother Ana to confront her own fears and prejudices as she walks beside her son while he embraces his true identity.

Screening: Thursday June 4, 10.00 AM | Alliance Française

THE THIRD (Tritiya)
Dir: Niladri Sekhar Dassarma
61 MIN | 2025 | India | Bengali

TRITIYA – the third, is a documentary on the fierce journey of a transgender poetess and social activist Rani Mazumdar. It showcases Rani’s fight against the social and political challenges and her desires of being a transperson.

Screening: Thursday June 4, 5.45 AM | NGMA