The final day of the 14th KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival was celebrated with great pomp and fervour. Anup Soni, Lilette Dubey, Dolly Thakore, Shishir Sharma, Mona Ambegaonkar, and Festival director Sridhar Rangayan were among the notable film personalities that graced the red carpet event, which marked the culmination of the five-day festival. The festivities kicked off with an awards presentation where the French film LIE WITH ME won the Best Narrative Feature and Best Screenplay awards. In addition, Akanksha received the Ismat Chughtai Awad for Best Indian Woman Filmmaker for ROAD BLOCK AHEAD. One of KASHISH’s initial innovations was the creation of an award in honour of renowned author Ismat Chughtai.
The extravagant celebration was held at Mumbai’s famed Liberty Cinema, which was packed with attendees from all walks of life who showed their support for the LGBTQ+ community. The crowd was ecstatic to witness live performances by global queer icon Rani Kohenoor, aka Sushant Digvikar, as well as a transgender troupe performing Lavani dance, and a queer troupe doing Drag & Dance.
“KASHISH team takes pride in hosting the festival with grandeur. We are excited to see the kind of wave the festival has been creating every year with highly impactful films pouring in from across the globe. The festival has grown over a period of years and it is really heart-warming to see the kind of love and support the LGBTQ+ community is getting of people from all walks of life. We hope to keep the momentum going every year with the same enthusiasm”, said Sridhar Rangayan, festival director.
Commenting on the closing ceremony, actor and KASHISH Jury member, Anup Soni said “Being a part of the Narrative Films Jury has been a great learning for me. I feel like I have unlocked the humanitarian side, and this festival has helped me become a nicer person.”
On this occasion actor and Jury member Lillete Dubey said, “The journey with KASHISH has been really inspiring in many ways. I am glad that I could be present at the festival this year to experience the vibe of love and pride.”
The five day extravaganza was filled with entertainment, red carpet events, panel discussions and high octane live performances. This season has already raised the bar and we hope to see the festival grows leaps and bounds.
The online festival will be held from June 16-25th on a global steaming platform. More details can be found at http://mumbaiqueerfest.com
Registrations open to attend KASHISH 2023 : https://insider.in/kashish-2023-jun7-2023/event
