Riyad Wadia Award

Riyad Wadia Award For Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker

Instituted in memory of late filmmaker Riyad Wadia, who made India’s first gay film BOMgAY, Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker is an attempt by KASHISH to recognize and nurture emerging Indian voices. Indian narrative and documentary short films with LGBTQ+ themes that are the filmmaker’s first or second film completed after January 1, 2021 compete for this award which carries a Golden Butterfly trophy and Rs.25,000 cash award sponsored by Wadia Movietone – one of the pioneering Indian production companies established in 1933.

Six emerging Indian directors have been nominated under this category for KASHISH 2022. Their films collectively display narratives from the diverse spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community.

ANUREET WATTA
Director, Kinaara

ANUREET WATTA is a 22 year old filmmaker and poet living in Delhi. Their works revolve around exploring queerness outside of the cis hetero-normative gaze. Kinaara is their debut short film and was made on a zero budget. They are currently directing on their next short film, Oranges in the Winter Sun as well as attempting to write their first feature film with Faraz Arif Ansari.

KINAARA
Dir: Anureet Watta / 5 min / 2021 / Narrative Short / India

The film captures the relationship between two queer women at the edge of the partition of India in 1947. Narrated through a letter, it tells the story of longing for a relationship that is doomed in several ways – their love misunderstood, the patriarchy shackling their dreams and their romance split at heart by the partition and inevitable separation of them. In the lap of big ideas of liberty and hope created by those in power, this film captures two women, their desperation and their hope in the face of it all.

NEMIL SHAH
Director, Dal Bhat

NEMIL SHAH is an independent filmmaker based in Mumbai. He recently graduated from Mumbai University and completed his first film named Dal Bhat, starring Sanjay Mishra. He likes to explore the basic necessities of life and hopes to find the ecstatic truth in the simple things by making films.

DAL BHAT
Dir: Nemil Shah / 32 min / 2021 / Narrative Short / Kutchi Gujarati / India

Based in a small village in Kutch, India, Mukti wishes to swim in the newly filled lake, after a drought spanning for years. A seemingly simple wish turns to an unexpected discovery about themselves.

NOTE: The film is also nominated in the Indian Narrative Shorts competition section at KASHISH 2022.

RAMNATH SHANBHAG
Director, Dear Bhargava

RAMNATH SHANBHAG is a corporate professional, a writer by passion with a strong and poetic hold on the Kannada language. Aways been passionate about music and movies, he has worked as Lyricist for short films music video, and a feature film. He has also penned multiple promotional jingles for Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM and worked as Content Producer for Radio Roasting Show.
Dear Bhargava is his debut work as a Director.

DEAR BHARGAVA
Dir: Ramnath Shanbhag / 16 min / 2021 / Narrative Short / Kannada / India

A gay son decides to move out of the country and disconnects himself from a family due to fear of disapproval of his sexuality. On returning home for his father’s funeral, he finds a letter in his father’s closet addressed to him.

NOTE: The film is also nominated in the Indian Narrative Shorts competition section at KASHISH 2022.

SAGAR DEVRAM MINDE
Director, Her Canvas

SAGAR MINDE is an independent filmmaker from Pune. He has done masters in Journalism and Mass Communication from Pune University and Graduation in BFA Painting from Bharati Vidyapith, Pune University. He also holds a diploma in Photography by Ferguson College and in Cinematography from Vikshi Institute, Pune.
Her Canvas is his debut short film.

HER CANVAS
Dir: Sagar Devram Minde / 2022 / 10 min / Narrative Short / No Dialogues / India

On a cloudy melancholy evening Myra a visual artist experiences an overwhelming surge of emotions. Hinged between past and present she tries to make sense of reality around her.

NOTE: The film is also nominated in the Indian Narrative Shorts competition at KASHISH 2022.

SOHAG SEN
Director, The Sorrow of Love

Having completed 50 years in arts, SOHAG SEN remains the most sought after actor’s coach in the country. An accomplished theatre personality, she was the first to introduce the concept of ‘workshop in films and on stage’. Besides working with filmmakers like Buddhadev Dasgupto, Goutom Ghosh, Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen and many others she has been directing and writing plays for ENSEMBLE, her theatre foundation, and is also a guest faculty at National School of Drama.
The Sorrow of Love is her directorial debut.

THE SORROW OF LOVE
Dir: Sohag Sen / 16 min / 2021 / Narrative Short / Bengali, English / India

Placed amidst the pandemonium of the recent pandemic, The Sorrow of Love is about those who have departed, and also about those who are left behind… to mourn or to gather their wits to start afresh.

TRUPIL SHARAD PATIL
Director, Partner

TRUPIL PATIL is an active member of Marathi theatre and has worked on many short films as a writer.
Partner is his debut short film as a director.

PARTNER
Dir: Trupil Sharad Patil / 14 min / 2021 / Narrative Short / Marathi / India

For years Amit has kept his relationship with Abhay, a secret from his mom. After being given an ultimatum by Abhay, he finally musters courage to come out to her but totally unsure how will she face his truth!