“I am delighted to be on the jury of KASHISH 2021, a festival that has been a pioneer for LGBTQIA filmmakers and audiences India, and has a rapidly growing reputation globally.”

– Cary Rajinder Sawhney, MBE, Director Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival.

“In times like these, where else can human expression and connection be felt more than through film or art? And KASHISH is special because it just is. The purpose, the philosophy itself is what makes it so. I am finally able to be part of this Jury and a part of a great team and am grateful for it. Of course I miss meeting these wonderful people in the real world, but we must soldier on and continue in whatever way possible. So I say “Unlock with Pride”. Let’s do this together and make this a bigger and bigger movement with every passing year. My best wishes to all the participants and organisers for this huge effort to put this special event together.”

– Gauri Shinde, Filmmaker.

“In these challenging times, if all we can do is keep the flame of art and culture burning, that’s what we must do. Because art will reflect back on these times and art bears witness. I am very excited to be part of this amazing jury for this amazing festival.”

– Ritesh Batra, Filmmaker.

“Our lives are precarious once again; this time with a severity closer home like never before. Precarity is not new to a queer person. It is our constant companion, demonstrated daily by my trans sisters, mothers, trans brothers & lovers. I remind myself of this, as various institutions forsake us today. And I look to the civil society space which emerges once again to rejuvenate faith in our collective humanity. One such space is the KASHISH Film Festival, that has unrelentingly placed the queer life in the public domain. It is an honour to be a part of its 12th edition and as one of the Narrative Jury members, to have the opportunity to affirm, endorse and claim stake to our collective queer lives.”

– Satya Rai Nagpaul, Director of Photography.

“I am extremely happy to have been invited as a Jury Member for the 12th KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, thank you to the organizers. I am very much look forward to watching the movies and curious about the different themes that will come up, and discuss about them with my colleagues.”

– Selvaggia Velo, Festival Director of River to River Florence Indian Film Festival.

“I have heard of the path breaking programming of KASHISH over the years and it’s an honour to be a part of it this year, as a part of the Documentary Jury. As a member of the film community one recognises that the health of good cinema rests on the diversity of stories told, the inclusiveness of all human experience and respect toward all. KASHISH offers me an opportunity to watch films that often get left out of mainstream discourse…I am so thrilled. Thank you for having me.”

– Bina Paul, Vice Chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.

“It gives me great pleasure to be on the Documentary Jury panel of KASHISH 2021 which is happening online again this year. While we are all locked down, we need nourishment for not only the body, but also for the mind and soul. And that can be possible through cinema that is informative as well as uplifting. KASHISH, with its wonderful collection of LGBTQIA+ films, does just that and I’m so glad to be part of this unique ‘Unlock with Pride’ movement!”

– Gargi Sen, Filmmaker.

“The key to the health of a society lies in its diversity, and inclusiveness. If the seven colours of the rainbow are continually normalised as white, we will end as a colour-blind race. I am glad to be on the jury of 12th KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. It is an important space that needs to be guarded like a candle in the proverbial wind.”

– Nandan Saxena, Filmmaker.

“KASHISH is a space that showcases exciting new work by both young and experienced filmmakers, thus making a significant contribution to the queer movement. Having shown work in the festival in the past, I am really looking forward to being a part of the Students Short Jury. As a teacher and mentor of documentary film work, I have learnt so much from my students, and their out-of-the-box ways of seeing and representing their realities. Being on the jury will offer me the opportunity to engage with the voices and narratives of emerging filmmakers, which is a wonderful prospect.”

– Dr. Anjali Monteiro, Filmmaker.

“To be a part of KASHISH 2021 is truly a matter of pride.  A festival like KASHISH, while celebrating diversity, also stands as a testament to our shared humanity. It’s a safe space for people to see and be seen in all honesty, through cinematic expressions. I’m so excited about watching student shorts from around the world, with all their freshness, ingenuity and exuberance.”

– Ketki Pandit, Filmmaker.

“I’m extremely excited to be a part of the Students Short Film Jury for KASHISH 2021. It’s an honour and my colleagues on the jury are also wonderful people! Am looking forward to seeing some unique short films, and these students are major filmmakers of tomorrow! Being the Dean of the School of Contemporary Media at Pearl Academy, I interact with students daily; it’s a sheer joy to see their enthusiasm and energy. I look forward to these student filmmakers being lifelong friends, thank you KASHISH team for this!!”

– Viveck Vaswani, Actor/Producer & Dean of the School of Contemporary Media at Pearl Academy.

“Selecting the winner of the Riyad Wadia Award year after year has been truly rewarding for Wadia Movietone, as we help uncover significant new talent in our midst! It’s a fitting tribute as well to the memory and legacy of the late Riyad Wadia who blazed a trail for others to follow!”,

– Roy Wadia, Jury member for the Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker.