KASHISH 2011 - FESTIVAL CATALOG by KASHISH Pride Film Festival

Organised by Solaris Pictures Bombay Dost In association with The Humsafar Trust

KASHISH-2011

Contents Films - Packages and Competition Festival Vision Profile – Shyam Benegal (Festival Patron) Profile – Celina Jaitley (Festival Ambassador) Profile – Sridhar Rangayan & Vivek Anand (Festival Directors) Profile - Jury Members Cinemax – May 25 – Opening Night Film Cinemax – May 26 Cinemax – May 27 Cinemax – May 28 Cinemax – May 29 Cinemax – May 29 – Closing Night Film Alliance Française – May 26 Alliance Française – May 27 Alliance Française – May 28 Festival Sponsors & Partners Festival Team

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KASHISH-2011

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Films - Packages & Competition NARRATIVE FEATURES Bloomington Blue Print Boy Culture (part of Spotlight on Filmmaker) Eating Out (part of Spotlight on Filmmaker) Eating Out 3: All you Can Eat (part of Spotlight on Filmmaker) Elena Undone Fit (part of Filmmaker in Focus) Fixing Frank From Beginning To End Heart Breaks Open (playing in Red Ribbon Films -II) I Am (by Onir) Kick Off (part of Filmmaker in Focus) Plan B Save Me Stranger in Us, The Three Veils Undertow You Should Meet My Son DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Diaries Of Transformation I Am (by Sonali Gulati) I Shot My Love (playing in With Love From Israel) Joy Of Life, The (playing in Retrospective- Jenni Olson) Out In The Silence We Were Here (playing in Red Ribbon Films -I) DOCUMENTARY SHORTS 365 Without 377 Bisexual Revolution Bullied

Bullycides Family In Frame Other Nature Spiral Transition SHORT FILM PACKAGES 2 Strangers, 1 Night Be With Me Bengaluru Pride Shorts Bi Shorts Boy Shorts Curious Thing Trilogy Love Stories For Girls Girls Shorts In Salute Indian Masala Mix-1 Indian Masala Mix-2 Matters Of Heart Q! Shorts Rainbow Warriors Trans Shorts SPECIAL PACKAGES Red Ribbon Films – I Red Ribbon Films – II FILMMAKER IN FOCUS Q. Allan Brocka SPOTLIGHT ON FILMMAKER Rikki Beadle-Blair RETROSPECTIVE PACKAGE Streets Of San Francisco Films of Jenni Olson COUNTRY FOCUS – ISRAEL With Love from Israel

FILMS IN COMPETITION Narrative Feature 1 Bloomington 2 Elena Undone 3 From Beginning To End 4 I Am (by Onir) 5 Stranger in Us, The DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 1 I Am (by Sonali Gulati) 2 I Shot My Love 3 Out In The Silence 4 We Were Here DOCUMENTARY SHORT 1 At Night I Was Beautiful 2 Bullied 3 Creatures 4 Family In Frame 5 More Than A Friend INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT 1 After Lunch 2 Birthday 3 Bye Bi Love 4 Cried Suicide 5 Fresh Air Therapy 6 Honeypot 7 Ishihara 8 Lack of Gravity, A 9 Let The World Know About Me 10 Pictures Of Zain 11 Queen, The 12 Remember Me In Red 13 Word, A 14 You Move Me INDIAN NARRATIVE SHORT 1 Amen 2 Festival Of Love 3 Flower Bud, The (Kusum) 4 In The Closet 5 Little Less Something, A 6 On The Prowl 7 Oo! Fxxx!!

KASHISH-2011

Festival Vision KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is an attempt to encourage greater visibility of Indian and International queer cinema among both queer and mainstream audiences as a means to foster better understanding of queer thoughts, desires and expressions. Kashish means ‘attraction or allurement’ in Urdu. KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival showcases films with gay, lesbian, transgender themes from the world over to advocate and entertain both LGBT and general audience and facilitate dialogue on LGBT issues through panel discussions and filmmaker interactions. The primary objective is to mainstream queer visibility through cinema. The first edition of Kashish, held from April 25-29, 2010, was a milestone event in the LGBT movement in India. It boasted of many firsts - it was the first ever queer film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theatre: PVR Cinemas; it was also the first ever queer film festival in India to apply for and obtain an exemption from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; and it was also the first ever queer film festival in India to have competitive categories and cash awards. Taking this successful initiative forward the 2nd edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival 2011 promises to be BIGGER, BOLDER & QUEERER. Being held from May 25-29, 2011 at two venues in Mumbai – Cinemax Versova and Alliance Française. This year, the festival will showcase 124 films from over 23 countries. Each of the films screened explores the life stories and experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters, highlighting not only the difficulties but also the sheer currents of diversity real life offers when one finds himself or herself different from the flow around. Gay or not, this festival has food for thought on offer for everyone.

KASHISH-2011

Kashish Festival Patron Shyam Benegal

KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is honoured and privileged to have the renowned filmmaker and eminent advocate of good cinema Mr. Shyam Benegal as our Festival Patron. Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director and screenwriter. With his first few feature films Ankur (1974), Nishant (1975) Manthan (1976) Bhumika (1977) and Susman, he created a new genre, which has now come to be called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;middle-of-the-road-cinemaâ&#x20AC;? in India, although he himself has expressed dislike for the term, preferring his work to be called New or Alternate cinema. Following the success of his earlier films, Benegal was backed by film star Shashi Kapoor, for whom he made Junoon (1978) and Kalyug (1981). The 90s saw Shyam Benegal making a trilogy on Indian Muslim women, starting with Mammo (1995), Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001). He also wrote and directed Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1993), The Making of the Mahatma (1996), Samar (1999) and then Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2005). His latest film was Well Done Abba (2009). He has won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi seven times. He has also won the Golden Palm at Cannes (for Nishant in 1976), the Golden Bear at Berlinale (for Ankur in 1974) and numerous other international awards. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. On 8 August 2007, he was awarded the highest award in Indian cinema for lifetime achievement, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2005. Shyam Benegal is the Chairman of the extremely popular Mumbai Film Festival organized by MAMI, a trust that aims to foster a climate of good cinema.

KASHISH-2011

Kashish Festival Ambassador Celina Jaitley

KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is honoured and privileged to have the popular actress and spokesperson for equal rights Celina Jaitley as our Festival Ambassador for the second year.. Celina Jaitley is a popular Indian actress who has acted in many mainstream commercial films. A former beauty queen and model, she was crowned Femina Miss India Universe in 2001. She represented India at the Miss Universe 2001 contest where she was a finalist and finished as the 4th Runner Up. In 2003, she made her film debut in Feroz Khanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Janasheen. Since then she has acted in several Bollywood films like Khel, Silsilay, Jawani Diwani, No Entry, Zinda, Tom, Dick, and Harry, Apna Sapna Money Money, Saania, Red: The Dark Side, Shakalaka Boom Boom, Heyy Babyy, Money Hai Toh Honey Hai, Golmaal Returns, Paying Guest, Hello Darling, Thank You, etc. She is filming currently for the film Quest of Scheherzade along with actors Sean Connery and Orlando Bloom. This will be Celinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first venture into Hollywood. Celina Jaitley has been an ardent supporter of the rights and equality of the LGBT community and supports the gay rights movement in India. She has led the Queer Pride Marches in Mumbai for the past three years. She was also the Festival Ambassador of KASHISH 2010 and helped immensely in mainstreaming the film festival across several media platforms.

KASHISH-2011

Kashish Festival Directors Sridhar Rangayan Festival Director

Sridhar Rangayan is an Indian filmmaker whose compelling films present hard-hitting social issues with warmth, compassion and humor. These award winning films have been at the forefront of India’s emergent queer cinema movement. He has served as a Jury member for prestigious film festivals such as Berlin International Film Festival in Germany; Movies That Matter in Netherlands and SATO in USA. Apart from being Festival Director of KASHISH, he also curated and organized the FLASHPOINT Human Rights Film Festival that screened sensitive & hard hitting documentaries on human rights issues, held in Mumbai and New Delhi between December 2010 – January 2011.

Vivek Anand Festival Director

Vivek Anand, works as Chief Executive Officer of The Humsafar Trust (HST) which is India’s first gay organization. He manages projects on HIV and AIDS, research, capacity building and advocacy. He has also worked on nearly 40 films as an executive producer and producer. His portfolio includes ad films, corporate films, documentaries, television and advocacy films on LGBT rights and issues of HIV and AIDS among marginalized groups. He has presented several papers in national and international conferences since 2002. He states, “Kashish Mumbai International Film Festival which is in its 2nd year is an advocacy tool that mainstreams the issues of LGBT community and for the first time a festival of this stature is being held in India.”

KASHISH-2011

Kashish 2011 Jury Members The KASHISH 2011 Jury Panel consists of five eminent personalities from the field of film, theater and media. While four of jury members Sai Paranjpye, Khalid Mohamed, Shernaz Patel and Samir Soni are from our very own Mumbai, John Badalu joins us from Indonesia.

Sai Paranjpye

Khalid Mohamed

Sai Paranjpye is a National award winning filmmaker and writer whose films have been unique and trailblazing. Her award-winning movies Sparsh, Katha, Chashme Buddoor, and Disha have played at numerous international film festivals and have won numerous awards. She is also well known for her plays that sparkle with Sai’s own brand of endearing humour. Sai has twice served as the Chairperson of Children’s Film Society of India. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan title in 2006 in recognition of her artistic talents.

Khalid Mohamed is an eminent Indian journalist, editor, film critic, screenwriter and film director. He formerly worked for the Times of India as media editor and then as the Editor of Filmfare magazine. He was national cultural editor of Hindustan Times. He has written and directed three feature films Fiza, Tehzeeb and Silsilay. He is also the screenwriter of the award winning trilogy of Shyam Benegal Mammo, Sardari Begum and Zubeidaa. He has recently completed a documentary on Mumbai’s Irani cafes and is directing his first theatre play Kennedy Bridge.

KASHISH-2011

Shernaz Patel

Samir Soni

John Badalu

Shernaz has been a part of the English theatre in India for the past 25 years. Starting with The Diary Of Anne Frank she went on to play lead roles in such milestone plays as Six Degrees Of Separation and Love Letters. Her recent theatre work includes Blackbird (META Award for Best Actress, 2010) Class of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;84 and The Sightless. She has also been successfully working in Indian cinema and television ever since she worked in Sanjay Leela Bhansaliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Black in 2004 for which she was nominated for numerous awards. Her recent films include Lamha, Guzaarish (winner best supporting actress at the Star Screen Awards) I Am, O Maria (in Konkani) and the yet to be released Rock Star, Love, Wrinkle Free and Against Itself. A Charles Wallace scholar, she holds a Masters degree in Acting from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Samir Soni is a popular model, theater and film actor. He was an investment banker on Wall Street, before coming back to India to start modelling. He has attended acting courses in New York and Los Angeles. Samir made his acting debut in Hindi serials with Samandar and went on to do other popular serials like A Mouthful Of Sky, Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, Saaksshi, etc. His film debut in China Gate was followed by roles in Baghban, Dance like a Man, Vivah, Lajja, Fashion and I Hate Luv Stories, etc. He recently featured as one of the contestants in the reality television show Bigg Boss - 4 and was there till the penultimate week before the grand finale.

John Badalu has been working in the media related field since 1995. In 2002, with a few friends, he founded the Q! Film Festival. This is the only queer film festival in the predominantly Moslem country of Indonesia. Apart from being the director of the festival, he is also a film curator for many film festivals in Europe and has served as a jury in Berlin Film Festival and many others. He teaches Media and Entertainment subject at London School Public Relations. He is actively involved in the queer movement in Indonesia. In 2008, Badalu received the Ashoka Fellowship from Ashoka Foundation for his contribution to queer and film activism.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 25

KASHISH-2011

Opening Night Film

1st Show 7.00 PM

Opening Night Film 2009 Narrative Feature

Cinemax

May 25

Undertow (Contracorriente)

100 min Peru, Columbia, France, Germany Spanish with English subtitles Asian Premiere In Competition First Feature of the Director

In a small fishing village in the Northern coast of Peru, where traditions run deep, Miguel (Cristian Mercado), a young fisherman, and his beautiful wife, Mariela (Tatiana Astengo), are about to welcome their first child. But Miguel harbors a scandalous secret. He’s in love with Santiago (Manolo Cardona), a painter, who is ostracized by the townsfolk for being agnostic and open about his sexuality. After a tragic accident occurs, Miguel must choose between sentencing Santiago to eternal torment or doing right by him and, in turn, revealing their relationship to Mariela… and the entire village.

Awards and Festivals: Sebastiane Award for Best LBGT Film – San Sebastian Int’l Film Festival 2009 Audience Award in World Dramatic Competition, Sundance 2010 Special Award for Originality of Vision – Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2010 Special Programming Award for Artistic Achievement - OUTFEST 2010, Los Angeles Jury Award for Best Feature Film — Qfest 2010, Philadelphia Jury Award for Best Director — Qfest 2010, Philadelphia Audience Choice Award — Vancouver Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Best Feature Film- 21st Melbourne Queer Film Festival, March 2011

Director: Javier Fuentes-León

After finishing his medical career in Peru, Director/Writer Javier Fuentes-León was granted a scholarship from the OAS and moved to Los Angeles, where he pursued a M.F.A. in film direction at the California Institute of the Arts. His short film ‘Rooms’ was awarded by the National Film Board of Peru in 1997. He started to write Contracorriente (Undertow) in 2003. Currently, Javier is busy preparing his next three projects.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 26

KASHISH-2011

1st Show 10.00 AM

Rainbow Warriors

Cinemax

May 26

Some stories are extraordinary because there are ordinary people behind those. This package brings together a selection of five inspiring short films about those, who have the courage to be, who they are and what they want to be. 2009 Docu Short

Constable 027 Director: Christopher Lee Ball

8.15 min UK English Asian Premiere

2010 Docu Short

29 min

Llanden has been a police officer for barely six weeks. He is prepared to dedicate his life to the service, but is the service prepared to accept his way of life? This inspiring portrait of an officer embarking on a personal and professional journey reminds us of the redemptive power of youth and acceptance.

Creatures (Agrinigal?) Director: B.Ilangovan

India Tamil with English subtiltes In Competition

A true story of two new generation transgendered women in a southern metro of contemporary India and their struggle to lead a dignified way of living. A story that is as moving as it is inspirational.

KASHISH-2011

2010 Narrative Short

Gender Busters Director: Sam Berliner

6 min USA English Asian Premiere

2009 Narrative Short

In their fight for the Gender Evolution Revolution, the Genderbuster superheroes drive around resolving the gender-binary dilemmas of folks all over San Francisco.

I Am A Woman Too (Naanum Oru Penn) Director: V. Ramanathan

10 min India Tamil with English subtiltes

2010 Music Video

Selvi, is a software professional. Her immediate superior and colleagues are not forthcoming to her, as they maintain that their company appointed her under their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Corporate Social Responsibilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; program as she is a transgender. Selvi decides to take everything in her stride and struggle against prejudices at her office.

Going All Out For Equality Director: Gabriel London

2 min USA English, Spanish & French with English subtitles Asian Premiere

A globe-trotting short music video, made by a new global LGBT equality organization called All Out has been produced in collaboration with LGBT activists in 11 cities on 5 continents (including New Delhi, India).

KASHISH-2011

2nd Show 11.30 AM

2010 Narrative Feature

Cinemax

May 26

Bloomington

83 min USA English

Asian Premiere In Competition First Feature of the Director

A love story between two outcasts who are lucky enough to find each other and make a connection (whether lasting or not) for what is probably the first time in their lives and have to subsequently deal with its consequences. A coming-of-age drama about a former child actress Jackie, attending college in search of independence and who ends up becoming romantically involved with a female professor. Their relationship thrives until an opportunity to return to acting forces her to make life-altering decisions. Jackie realizes that discovering her life’s passion and charting her own course might also mean having to say goodbye to her first true love.

Awards: Best Women’s Feature (North Carolina LGBT Fest), Director’s Spotlight (Vancouver Queer), Best Director (Indianapolis LGBT Fest), Opening Night (Barcelona LGBT Fest)

Director: Fernanda Cardoso

Director/ Writer/ Editor Fernanda Cardoso, originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil is a graduate of the University of Southern California Film School and has been working for the past nine years as a television editor on shows such as the upcoming “The Real L Word”, “America’s Next Top Model” and “Amazing Race”. She was a recipient of the Ila Rosenbaum Screenwriting Scholarship, the Barbara Boyle Scholarship and a fellowship from Film Independent. “Bloomington” is her feature directing debut.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 26

3rd Show 1.30 PM

2 Strangers, 1 Night

Moms always say and even popstar Prince crooned “Don’t talk to Strangers”. Does hell really break loose if one talks to strangers? A whimsical mix of seven short films, where two perfect strangers are fated to spend one imperfect… or magical night together. 2008 Narrative Short

510 Meters Above Sea Level Director: Kerstin Polte

16 min Switzerland German with English subtitles

2008 Narrative Short

A small airport in Switzerland. Simone has to attend her father’s funeral. But she misses her connecting flight. Natalie is waiting. For whom, she doesn’t know yet. Two strangers, caught in a night with no morning.

Back Room, The Director: Greg Ivan Smith

16.13 min USA English Asian Premiere

Two strangers uncover astonishing connections as they search for a mysterious Renaissance painting. Errol is at the end of a very long week as manager of his bookstore. As he closes his shop, a stranger bursts in with an intriguing query: to find the artist whose painting so deeply moved him recently in Florence, Italy. The stranger has just one clue: the painter’s name written phonetically as “Jack Carroo-see”. Is there something about that name?

KASHISH-2011

2009 Narrative Short

Bedfellows Director: Pierre Stefanos

15.15 min USA English Asian Premiere

2010 Narrative Short

Narrated in the style of an old children’s fairy tale but set against the modern-day backdrop of New York, ‘Bedfellows’ follows the adventure of 20-something Bobby, as he returns to the gay bar, where he had his first heartbreak. Upon meeting and spending the night with an attractive stranger named Jonathan, Bobby dreams about what a lifetime relationship with him could be like. The dream takes us on a 30-year journey of ups & downs in life and love. But what will happen when Bobby wakes up to reality in the morning?

Watching Pan Director: Ho Rui An

22.3 min Singapore English & Mandarin with English subtitles World Premiere

Sun Li is eighteen, a Chinese migrant, and an obsessive. Emotionally estranged from her family, she tails and watches a strange, enigmatic girl whom she barely knows. On the eve of her return to China, a chance encounter leads her into the world that was previously only seen from a distance. Watching Pan is an examination of desire expressed not in the specificities of sexual, platonic or familial love, but as it is, as an unarticulated, ineffable and understated need to connect to another individual.

KASHISH-2011

2010 Narrative Short

Honeypot Director: Julien Leyre

5.32 min

Director’s Debut Film

Australia English In Competition Asian Premiere 2009 Narrative Short

A chance encounter at a remote beach’s restroom between an Asian and a cowboy. Sparks will surely fly… but in which direction?

Gently Director: Rikki Beadle-Blair

15 min UK English

It’s Dean’s 21st birthday and best friend Mark is determined to show his young mate the time of his life. And opportunity knocks when drunkenly careening around London’s Soho in a bicycle rickshaw, they almost run down a glamorous pair of foul-mouthed drag queens. Mark sees Dean’s eyes drinking in the younger one and the game is on. As the course of events keep altering unexpectedly everyone makes deeper bonding more than any of them ever expected. 2010 Narrative Short

Queen, The Director: Christina Choe

8 min USA English & Korean with partial English subtitles Indian Premiere In Competition

Bobby, a Korean-American teenage outcast, is working at his parents’ dry cleaners on prom weekend. When the prom queen and her boyfriend, stop by with their dress and tuxedo, Bobby has his own prom to remember.

KASHISH-2011

4th Show 3.15 PM

Boo To Bullying

Cinemax

May 26

KASHISH invites students, teachers, professionals and the LGBT community members, to join a special afternoon of screening and panel discussion against anti-gay bullying in colleges and workplaces. 2010 Docu Short

Bullycides Director: Jacqueline Gares

15 min USA English

LGBT children and those who are perceived to be gay, lesbian or challenge tradition gender roles are among those most likely to be targeted by bullies. The filmmaker meets heartbroken families fighting for federal legislation to protect their children. This documentary has become an educational media tool for the United States Department of Education and the anti-defamation league. 2010 Docu Short 40 min

Bullied Directors: Bill Brummel & Geoffrey Sharp

USA

English Indian Premiere

Panel Discussion

BULLIED centers on the powerful story of Jamie Nabozny, a gay teenage boy, tormented for years by classmates in his middle and high schools. Jamie fought back, not with his fists but in a courtroom. He filed a federal lawsuit against the school that led to a landmark court decision holding public schools accountable for not stopping anti-gay abuse. The screenings will be followed by a Panel Discussion on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bullying and Homophobia in Colleges and at Workplaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. British filmmaker Rikki Beadle-Blair will share his experiences and will be joined by Parmesh Shahani who is openly gay at his corporate workplace, a college student and a lesbian woman.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 26 2011 Docu Short

5th Show 5.00 PM

365 Without 377

55 min Italy English & Hindi with English subtitles Asian Premiere Director’s Debut Film

Director: Adele Tulli

Imposed under the British colonial rule in 1860, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalized any sexual acts between consenting adults of the same sex, stigmatizing them as “against the order of nature”. On 2nd July 2009 the Delhi High Court passed a landmark judgement repealing this clause, thus fulfilling the most basic demand of the Indian LGBTQ community, which had been fighting this law for the past 10 years. Three characters, Beena, Pallav and Abheena travel through the city of Bombay heading to the celebrations for the first anniversary of the historic verdict. ‘365 without 377’ is the story of their personal journeys towards being out and proud, set during a memorable day in the LGBTQ history of India.

Adele is a scholar of South Asian Studies and a feminist and queer activist. She has focused her research on social movements in contemporary India, extensively travelling in India, working mainly on Indian feminisms and Indian ecological resistance movements. Queer and gender studies have been a central part of her academic research as well as of her activism. She is part of feminist and queer groups and has led workshops and seminars on gender and sexuality issues both in India and in Europe. She attended KASHISH last year as a volunteer, and this year she is screening her debut documentary.

KASHISH-2011

Filmmaker In Focus Rikki Beadle-Blair Born and raised by his lesbian mother Rikki Beadle-Blair (born in July 1961) is a British actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, singer, aerobics teacher, designer, choreographer/dancer and songwriter of West Indian origin. Recently included on the Pink List as one of Britain’s 100 most influential gay people, Rikki has a life-long commitment to creating challenging, transformative entertainment in the mediums of Film, Theatre, Music, Television, Radio, Dance and Design. Rikki wrote the movie Stonewall, a co-production between BBC Films and US indie film company, Killer Films. The movie, directed by Nigel Finch, went on to win the audience awards at the London Film Festival and the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay film festival as well an award for Rikki at Outfest LA for Outstanding Screenwriting. Among other television projects, Rikki wrote, directed and featured in the internationally successful Channel 4 series Metrosexuality, also composing the soundtrack. His radio documentary, ‘The Roots of Homophobia’ was awarded the Sony award for Best Documentary Feature. He was also a writer and the executive story editor for the US TV series, ‘Noah’s Arc’, and was supervising director of debut films with first-time gay filmmakers as a director for the ‘Out in Africa’ organization in South Africa. Adopted from his plays of the same name Rikki has directed three feature films for his company Team Angelica: ‘Fit’, ‘KickOff’ and ‘Bashment’. Both, ‘Fit’ and ‘KickOff’ are screening at KASHISH this year. Rikki is currently working on his trilogy of Feature films, ‘The South London Passion Project’ to be shot this summer in Bermondsey, South London. Filmography: 2010 Fit 2010 KickOff 2010 Bashment 2009 Gently (short)

Filmmaker present at the screening

2007 Souljah (short) 1999 Acts of Passion (TV series) 1999 Metrosexuality (TV series) 1999 Take 2 (short)

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 26 2010 Narrative Feature

6th Show 6.30 PM

Filmmaker In Focus Fit

105 min UK English

Sparkling with infectious energy, colorful characters, and positive messages about self-image, FIT focuses on the everyday lives of six diverse British youths who are brought together by an enthusiastic dance teacher, Loris (played by Rikki himself). None of these teens are what they seem at first glance, with gay hearts lurking behind tough exteriors and straight kids expressing themselves in very queer ways. Scenes of serious youth soul searching are juxtaposed with dance class moments that are both funny and exhilarating. The film also has some good soundtracks which can be a treat for music lovers. The film looks at bullying in colleges and homophobia on campus with a sensitive and often campy humour but makes a definite point that remains with the viewer long after leaving the theater.

Director: Rikki Beadle-Blair

Recently included on the Pink List as one of Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 100 most influential gay people, Rikki has a life-long commitment to creating challenging, transformative entertainment in the mediums of Film, Theatre, Music, Television, Radio, Dance and Design. Detailed profile on Page 35. Filmmaker present at the screening

KASHISH-2011

GAY & LESBIAN LIBRARY

Directed by Laure CHARPENTIER

Directed by Aluizio ABRANCHES

Directed by Umberto CARTENI

Directed by Enrique Buchichio

Directed by Kareem MORTIMER

Directed by Kit HUNG

Founded in 1997, WIDE Management is a leading independent sales company, currently representing more than 10 new features films every year, and a library of more than 400 fiction titles, 300 documentary movies and several TV series. Our catalogue contains an impressive variety of movies and documentaries from internationally acclaimed directors and actors. Visit our website: www.widemanagement.com // wide@widemanagement.com

de BOMBAY The official French Center French classes & Cultural events More information on : bombay.afindia.org/ culture.mumbai@afindia.org, 22.03.61.88 Theosophy Hall, 40 New Marine Lines, Churchgate On Social Media

Rendez-vous Pictures

Dedicated to the promotion and distribution of independent cinema from different origins.

http://www.rendezvouspictures.com

Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning

South Asians in Seattle, USA

7th Show 9.00 PM

2010 Narrative Feature

Cinemax

May 26

Elena Undone

111 min USA English In Competition

Peyton and Elena are, on the surface, diametrically opposite. Peyton is a well-known lesbian writer, while Elena is a photographer and a mother of teenage children caught in a loveless marriage to an anti-gay pastor. But when their paths cross, several times over, they feel compelled to connect. What begins as a friendship quickly blossoms into something deeper. The two form an immeasurable bond that shakes the foundation of their sheltered worlds and Elena is confronted with intense and unexpected feelings for a woman. While this beautifully shot film is believed to be autobiographical in narrative, Director Nicole Conn treats the audience to cinema’s longest lesbian on-screen kiss to date, 3 minutes and 24 seconds.

Director: Nicole Conn

Author, Screenwriter, Director and Producer; Nicole Conn (born October 29, 1959 in Mesa, Arizona), is most famous for her debut feature, the lesbian love story, ‘’Claire of the Moon’’ (1992). In 2004, POWER UP! named her one of the top ten gay women in show business. Well known for her speed, quality and prolific ability to write in many genres, Conn has written five novels, a parent’s guide, two teleplays, nine screenplays, and has produced four soundtracks. She currently resides with her life partner and photographer Marina Rice Bader and their family of (wonderful if precocious) six children in Los Angeles.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 26

8th Show 11.15 PM

Matters of Heart

A heart-warming package of seven shorts mirroring that tickling feeling of passion that makes one feels good, yet one hesitates to call it ‘love’… those moments of heartbreak when one gets politely denied by the object of affection one has been crazy about… those countless blue days, when one starts believing that it’s hard to find someone to give and receive affection. We agree with Tracy Chapman, “It’s just the draw of cards in Matters of the Heart…” 2008 Narrative Short

The Chef’s Letter Director: Sybil H. Mair

14 min UK English Asian Premiere

A successful chef’s routine life in his kitchen is put to test, when unexpectedly he falls in love with one of his staff. At the last moment, he decides to make his feelings known, and so he struggles to write the letter, that could overturn his ordered life forever. With his plan set in his mind, he launches into the day’s work. But as the hours progress, reality and plan diverge… Will he possess the courage to act? The Chef’s Letter stars Jonathan Firth, the younger brother of Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) in the title role.

2010 Docu Short

I Saw You Directors: Maile Martinez & Lane Stroud

9 min USA

English Asian Premiere

A hilarious and endearing look at some of the infamous classifieds in Seattle’s alternative weekly newspaper, ‘The Stranger’.

KASHISH-2011

2010 Narrative Short

Hermann Director: Hana Geissendorfer

26 min Germany

German with English subtitles Asian Premiere

2008 Narrative Short

67 years old Hermann distracts himself from his solitude with his love for watching birds and friendship to his feathered pet, Gloria. His passing days are rigidly structured, yet he is still full of desire… Then he meets Jörg. With Jörg, Hermann’s hopes are raised that he may no longer have to be lonesome. However things are not as easy as they first seem, especially with Gloria standing in his way.

Last Call Directors: Nick Corporon

18 min USA English Asian Premiere

One year, five months. That’s the time it has taken Gavin to get to today; that’s how long he’s been sober so that he can get back to Mark, the love of his life. But fate has something else in mind when Gavin is killed on his way to reconciling with Mark. A recovering alcoholic, Gavin ends up in a purgatory where the mysterious bartender lets him re-live three memories from his life, to show the quality of his character. Gavin must prove to the bartender his worth. He soon finds, as always, fate has something else in mind.

KASHISH-2011

2009 Narrative Short

Nothing Happened Director: Julia Kots

10 min USA English Asian Premiere

2009 Narrative Short

Sex. Drugs. Diet tips… best friends tell each other everything, right? But is there one topic that should remain off-limits? Perhaps there is one conversation you’re not supposed to have.

Professor Godoy Director: Gui Ashcar

14 min Brazil

Portugese with English subtitles Indian Premiere

2008 Narrative Short

Mr. Godoy teaches Maths at a private High School’s senior year. Stubborn and severe, Godoy lives a dull life defined by rules. But just before he completes his 25th year as a teacher, something new happens and disrupts his apparent stability and leads him to face his fears and yearnings.

Birthday (Födelsedag) Director: Jenifer Malmqvist

18 min Sweden, Poland Swedish with English subtitles In Competition Indian Premiere

Sara prepares a surprise for her partner Katarina’s birthday with the help of their daughter Johanna and their friend Fredrik. It was supposed to be a celebration, but one of the surprises will burst some balloons. On this early summer day, Katarina has something to tell her.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 27

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 27

1st Show 10.00 AM

Love Stories for Girls

Caring and cruel, fighting and forgiving, friends and couples, puppy crushes and LTRs – this engaging package offers all. A good way to start-off your day! 2008 Docu Short

In The Theme (B Teme) Director: Olga Popova

14 min Russia Russian with English subtitles Indian Premiere

2010 Narrative Short

Story of a young lesbian couple, their relationships and the world surrounding them as they celebrate their first wedding anniversary. They give each other small gifts, drink a bottle of champagne together, show off their wedding bands and enjoy reminiscing about their relationship. But they have to face questions on maternal arguments, conflicts with other young people, their plans on having a family and their everyday life “in the theme”.

Legally Challenged Director: Priti Narayanan

15 min USA

English World Premiere

You ever wondered how close the reel-life of ‘Dostana’ is to real life for queer legal immigrants in the US? Legally Challenged depicts the lives of two ‘work visa’ holders from India living in San Francisco, USA. Indians, Priti and Dinesh (aka Dean) are in committed relationships with Americans, Mira and Jen. Their cozy middle class existence gets a sudden jolt when both Priti and Dean get laid off in the 2008 Great Recession. Would Priti and Dean have to, in just a month, leave their lovers, friends, and the lives that they have built for themselves over a decade? Will the lesbian couple be treated unjustly, because of who they are and whom they choose to love?

KASHISH-2011

2008 Docu Short

Close (Pod Bluzką) Director: Lucia Von Horn Pagano

8.12 min Poland Polish with English subtitles Asian Premiere

2010 Docu Short 35.6 min

First love among friends is intimately captured in this fascinating documentary. Friends can be both caring and cruel at the same time. Longing for an everlasting friendship, the filmmaker’s quest ends when she finally meets Agnieszka and her friends - an interesting but enigmatic bunch of girls!

More Than A Friend (Taar Cheye Se Anek Aaro) Director: Debalina Majumder

India Bengali with English subtitles In Competition

More Than A Friend flaunts the growing awareness about same-sex relationships in India through the lives of Rupsa, a filmmaker and her lover Ranja, a college teacher. Ranja’s mother who comes to stay with the couple has always been a little uneasy with the idea of her daughter’s being in love with another woman. Their domestic help, Lakkhir Ma, also seems be wary of their relationship. The film is interspersed with real-life interviews of people belonging to various strata of the society, who express their views on many related concerns and share their experiences of humiliation and anxiety. It does not attempt at answering all the questions it raises, but presents the multifaceted nature of the debates around the subject.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 27

2nd Show 11.30 AM

Be With Me

How does one deal with the loss of their dear ones? Whether one clutches onto those fond memories or even gather courage to turn a new leaf, the heart always pleads silently- “Be with me… because I just need to be with someone…” This is the theme of these eight moving shorts underlining the constant human need of being loved and accepted beyond all boundaries. 2009 Narrative Short

Three Minutes Director: Jenn Garrison

3.30 min USA No dialogues Indian Premiere

2010 Narrative Short

A post-apocalyptic dance movie! Jesse and Max race through their war torn city to share three minutes together. Even in times of war one can reclaim hope & happiness.

Five Minutes Director: Ricky Mastro

10 min Brazil Portuguese with English subtitles

It took only five minutes for her world to stop spinning. When you spend your whole life beside one person, all the time in the world is not enough to say goodbye.

KASHISH-2011

2009 Narrative Short

Equals (¿Iguales?) Director: Javier De la Torre

14 min Spain Spanish with English subtitles

2009 Narrative Short

‘Equals?’ charts a conversation between three couples, gay, lesbian and transsexual. Who are they really? What do they expect from life? As all the conflicts are resolved one question remains – “aren’t all relationships alike?”

Live A Bit Longer (Vivre Encore Un Peu) Director: David Lambert

17 min Belgium French with English subtitles Indian Premiere 2009 Narrative Short 15 min

In the early hours of every single night, while his lover, Pierre is asleep upstairs, Nico is working with his father at the bakery. One day, all of a sudden he collapses on the ground…

Strongest, The (A Mais Forte) Director: Ricky Mastro

Brazil Portugese with English subtitles Asian Premiere

Will the apartment that brought two sons together push two mothers apart? A fight between two mothers of a gay couple that is provoked by the death of a loved one, leads to a surprising end!

KASHISH-2011

2010 Narrative Short

Organism Director: Nina Reyes Rosenberg

14 min USA English with bit of Spanish

Indian Premiere

2009 Narrative Short

An alternative love story that straps the viewer into an emotional roller coaster. When Jen and Carmen lock eyes, they hesitate, not quite sure of their own evolving bodies and minds.

Pictures Of Zain Director: Faryal Velmi

17 min UK English

Asian Premiere In Competition

2010 Narrative Short

A mother embarks on a journey of self discovery after the death of her gay son - confronting her prejudices and making amends with his grieving lover on the way. The story brings a sharper focus about inter-racial couples â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a relationship between a Pakistani and a British guy.

Fresh Air Therapy (Frischluft-Therapie) Director: Christoph Scheermann

6 min

Germany German with English subtitles Indian Premiere In Competition

After a sudden incident an under-counseling couple unexpectedly discovers the ultimate fact that counseling isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only way to work out their differences. A humourous twist to a touching tale.

KASHISH-2011

3rd Show 1.30 PM

Red Ribbon Package - I

Cinemax

May 27

Presented by UNAIDS, UNDP and Alliance India. During 80s and 90s the American gay community suffered a bigger jolt. It was one of the most distressful times in human history; the epidemic of AIDS was engulfing the whole of America. It is 30 years since AIDS descended, Kashish hosts Indian premieres of LAST ADDRESS and WE WERE HERE as a cinematic tribute to the extraordinary resilience shown by the LGBT community of New York City and San Francisco. 2009 Docu Short

Last Address Director: Ira Sachs

9 min USA No dialogues

In LAST ADDRESS, filmmaker Ira Sachs, moved to New York, in 1984, uses images of the exteriors of the houses, apartment buildings, and lofts where these and others were living at the time of their deaths to mark the disappearance of a generation. This film is both a remembrance of that loss, as well as an evocation of the continued presence of their work in our lives and culture. 2011 Docu Feature 90 min

We Were Here Director: David Weissman

USA English In Competition

WE WERE HERE is a documentary, which focuses on 5 individuals â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all of who lived in San Francisco prior to the epidemic. Their lives changed in unimaginable ways, when their beloved city changed from a hotbed of sexual freedom and social experimentation into the epicenter of a terrible sexually transmitted plague. WE WERE HERE speaks to our capacity as individuals to rise to the occasion, and to the incredible power of a community coming together with love, compassion, and determination.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 27 2010 Narrative Short

4th Show 3.15 PM

Matchmaker Director: Georgette Okey

9 min UK English

Life like football, is a beautiful game. Lewis has always aimed to play life centre forward. Until one Saturday on the way to the Arsenal game with his friends he finally meets his match. This unexpected and potentially volatile meeting with Charlie, forces Lewis to think on his feet… He struggles to find a path between two worlds. Can he find a solution to help him protect Charlie, and still keep a straight face with his childhood friends? 2010 Narrative Feature

Kick Off Director: Rikki Beadle-Blair

101 min UK English Film Maker in Focus

This is the best and worst day of Archer’s life. Finally captain of his own gay 5-a-side football team - Platoon F.C - he has the chance to break boundaries and stereotypes, while doing what he loves most: winning. His rebellious team has brought along a posse of flamboyant supporters plus his well-meaning, but clueless boyfriend has designed a neon pink team strip... size Xtra small. And as if that wasn’t enough, who are they up against for their first match? The notorious Bethnal Reapers – the hardest most cunning team in East London. It’s going to be a bloodbath. On the other side, captain Adam is desperate to save his team Reapers from getting banned from the league. The drama escalates at a breathless comic pace until we reach the grand climax: the penalty shoot-out !

KASHISH-2011

5th Show 5.00 PM

2010 Docu Short

Cinemax

May 27

Through Our View Finder Directors: Jasmine K Roy & Avinash Roy

28 min India Marathi & Hindi with English subtitles

The story of a group of MSM (Men having Sex with Men) who have come together to learn the basics of filmmaking and narrate their own stories. The film traces their journey as they go about making a film on their sexual identity, their dual existence, their love lives, marriage, their inner world and the irony that surrounds their lives.

Bengaluru Pride Shorts

These four enticing short films were the outcome of a community funded project which brought together 15 people from the sexual minority community (lesbians, gays, kothis, hijras, female to male transgenders). The group was trained rigorously in the basic filmmaking techniques for two months. Very much on the lines of the ‘Fucking Different…’ project from Germany, here too the participants belonging to one sexual minority made films about the participants of the other sexual minority, thus immediately getting acquainted with the issues as well as the community.

2010 Docu Feature 4.30 min

Challenge Directors: Pavan, Kiran and Christy

India Telugu with English subtitles

A documentary about a physically handicapped transgendered person, who makes room for himself in this world with unflinching courage and determination.

KASHISH-2011

2010 Docu Short

A Dream Not Deferred (En Aasai, En Kanavu) Directors: Amrita, Charu, Kannan, Siddharth

6.56 min India Tamil with English subtitles

2010 Narrative Short

This short film explores themes of migration, sartorial style and freedom in the life of a female-to-male transgender person.

Festival Of Love (Kaadal Thirunal) Directors: Gayathri, Bharathi, Rajesh

9.10 min India Tamil with English subtitles

2010 Narrative Short

A short film celebrating the eternal emotion called – love, between two women through the medium of poetry.

On The Prowl Directors: Henry, Charan, Sandeep

4.18 min India English

Shot to the soundtrack of ‘I wanna mmm’ by The Lawyers, this music video is about cruising along the busy streets of Bengaluru, desperately trying to find someone.

KASHISH-2011

6th Show 6.30 PM

2011 Narrative Feature

Cinemax

May 27

I Am

110 min India Hindi with English subtitles In Competition

I AM is about issues and dilemmas that bruise the modern Indian society. Unravelling and exploring these tribulations, the film unfolds many a tale of individuals struggling to find their identity, and uphold their dignity in a world that is callous, cold and unsympathetic. Shot in four different cities across India, I AM is a fusion of stories where the protagonists share a common dream – a desire to regain their lives, to regain an identity which has been taken away from them. I AM OMAR is a horrific tale of sexual discrimination; blackmail and prejudice are part of the torrid fabric. It reveals how the police use Article 377 (law under Indian Penal code which criminalizes homosexuality) to harass and blackmail gay men. In the current climate of media sensationalism, perhaps this story gains even more poignancy Awards: Winner Best Film - London Asian Film Festival Best Actress for Juhi Chawla – London Asian Film Festival Audience Choice Award, Best Film at River To River Film Festival, Florence ‘2010

Director: Onir

Onir made his first documentary Glimpses of a College Street. He then received a Scholarship for training at SFB/TTC in Berlin. Upon returning to India in 1992, he produced and directed Fallen Hero, his first independent documentary portraying a painter’s life. Onir directed and co-produced his first film My Brother Nikhil, the first mainstream Hindi film specifically addressing homosexuality. He followed up with two more films - Bas Ek Pal and Sorry Bhai, ‘I Am’ is his fourth feature. Onir’s empathy for victims of social injustice, sensitivity as a director, and experience in producing independent feature films sets him apart from others.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 27

7th Show 9.00 PM

Boy Culture screens as part of “Spotlight on Filmmaker- Q Allan Brocka” along with a bonus short, At Night I Was Beautiful. 2010 Docu Short

At Night I Was Beautiful Director: Steven Wilsey

10 min USA English

A handsome young man re-enacts and reflects on his past as a sex worker in New York City – about his clients, his days of drug abuse and his need for… a loving touch. 2006 Narrative Feature

Boy Culture

88 min USA English Spotlight on Film Maker

A refreshingly realistic, emotional quest based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Rettenmund; Boy Culture is the candid confession of X (Derek Magyar), a wildly successful male escort. After being in the profession for ten years, X gets romantically entangled with his two roommates Andrew (Darryl Stephens) and Joey (Jonathon Trent), and an enigmatic elderly client, Gregory (Patrick Bauchau). But before Gregory will agree to sex, he tells an unsettling love story spanning fifty years and dares X to try something he has not felt in years- Emotion! Awards and Festivals on the adjoining page. Filmmaker present at the screening.

KASHISH-2011

Spotlight on Film Maker Q. Allan Brocka Writer / Director / Producer, Q. Allan Brocka is of Filipino heritage currently based in West Hollywood, California. He is the creator of the stop-motion animated series Rick & Steve The Happiest Gay Couple In All The World on MTV’s Logo Network. He is also the writer and director of the award-winning feature films Boy Culture and Eating Out. He co-wrote and produced Eating Out 2 & 3 and was a writer on The Big Gay Sketch Show, Noah’s Arc: Jumping The Broom. He is currently in pre-production for his animated feature Nureyev’s Dog, as well as two more sequels to the Eating Out series. His films Boy Culture, Eating Out - I and Eating Out - 3 Eat All You Can, are screening at KASHISH this year. Awards & Festivals for Boy Culture: London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, 2006 Grand Jury Award for Best Screenplay - Outfest, L.A., 2006 Atlantic Film Festival, 2006 Verzaubert Queer Film Festival, 2006 Paris Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, 2006 Paramount Comedy Award - Milan International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, 2006 Jury Prize for Best Film & Best Narrative Feature - Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, 2006 Philly Film Festival, 2007 Cleveland International Film Festival, 2007 Mostra Internacional de Cinema Gay i Lèsbic de Barcelona, 2007 Alternative Spirit Award - Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2006 Best Film - Festróia: Tróia International Film Festival, 2007 Filmography: 2012 Eating Out 5: The Open Weekend (in pre-production) 2011 Eating Out 4: Drama Camp (in pre-production) 2007- 2008 Rick & Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World (TV series) 2006 Boy Culture 2005 Camp Michael Jackson (TV documentary) 2004 Village People (video short) 2004 Eating Out 2004 Porno Valley (TV series documentary) 2003 Seventy (short) 2002 Roberta Loved (short) 1999 Rick & Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World (short) 1998 Quenton (Queerbait) (short) Filmmaker present at the screening

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 27 2009 Narrative Feature

8th Show 11.15 PM

Repeat of Opening Night Film Undertow (Contracorriente)

100 min Peru, Columbia, France, Germany Spanish with English subtitles Asian Premiere In Competition First Feature of the Director

Director: Javier Fuentes-León

After finishing his medical career in Peru, Director/ Writer Javier Fuentes-León was granted a scholarship from the OAS and moved to Los Angeles, where he pursued a M.F.A. in film direction at the California Institute of the Arts. His short film ‘Rooms’ was awarded by the National Film Board of Peru in 1997. He started to write Contracorriente (Undertow) in 2003. Currently, Javier is busy preparing his three next projects.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 28

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 28

1st Show 10.00 AM

Q! Shorts A fascinating package of four short films from Q! Film Festival, Jakarta caringly curated by John Badalu, who is also jury member of KASHISH this year. John is the festival director and programmer of Q! Film Festival which is organized by a non-profit organization called Q-munity. Organising a gay related event in Indonesia that has more than eighty percent Muslims is not an easy task to do. QFS is the first ever gay and lesbian film festival organised in a predominantly muslim country. Since 9 years, despite all the disruptions and death threats to Q-munity members, the screenings keep continuing every year. So, recline in your seat and enjoy the Indian premiere of these Indonesia shorts!

2009 Narrative Short

Boy Crush (Gay/ Tidak) Director: Sigi Wimala

12 min Indonesia Bahasa with English subtitles

2010 Narrative Short

Anto is a soft spoken and non-conforming boy with a long time crush for Rani. But after having several homoerotic dreams, involving a naked man, he begins questioning his sexual orientation. Especially when his best friend, Rudi bluntly tells Anto he might be gay for having those dreams.

The Game Kiss Director: Paul Agusta

8 min Indonesia Bahasa with English subtitles

Peter and his best friend Marko both have a repressed secret from each other. The rising tension comes to a boil and everything explodes during a perfectly innocent video game session.

KASHISH-2011

2010 Narrative Short

Hypocrite (Munafik) Director: Dirgayuza Setiawan

14 min Indonesia/ Australia Bahasa with English subtitles

2009 Narrative Short 27 min

A fun, satirical short that tells the story of two Indonesian men Surya and Nugra, living in a relationship that is deemed not acceptable according to their faith and societal norms.

The Clown And The Bride

(Sang Badut Dan Seorang Pengantin) Director: Billy Christian

Indonesia Bahasa with English subtitles

On a building rooftop, a mysterious male clown is crying and waiting for something. Behind the clown, an innocent and beautiful bride wakens and starts screaming, as she realizes her hands are tied up. As the clownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s make-up washes off with tears and the bride unveils her real identity, a bitter truth about their relationship is revealed.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 28 2009 Narrative Feature

2nd Show 11.30 AM

Spotlight on Film Maker Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat

80 min USA

English Indian Premiere

The deception and partner juggling of the prior two films continues in EATING OUT 3 as bombastic Tiffani (Rebekah Kochen) attempts to help her geeky but very cute friend Casey (Daniel Skelton) find true love - or at least a sexy hunk. Taken under Tiffani s wing, Casey pretends to be Ryan, Tiffaniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hot, straight, stripper ex-boyfriend, in order to seduce the smoldering Zack (Chris Salvatore) online, which works, until the real Ryan shows up! Only through some fancy footwork, advice from his Aunt Helen (John Waters Cult Icon Mink Stole) and mentor Harry (Emmy Award winning Leslie Jordan, Sordid Lives, Will & Grace), and a daring sexual escapade can Casey figure out how to set things right and perhaps even find the love heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been looking for. Glenn Gaylord is the director of this film and Q. Allan Brocka is the writer.

Writer: Q. Allan Brocka

Writer / Director / Producer, Q. Allan Brocka is of Filipino heritage currently based in West Hollywood, California. He is also the writer and director of the award-winning feature films Boy Culture and Eating Out. He co-wrote and produced Eating Out 2 & 3. He is currently in pre-production for his two more sequels to the Eating Out series. His films Boy Culture, Eating Out - I and Eating Out - 3 Eat All You Can, are screening at KASHISH this year. Writer Q. Allan Brocka present at the screening.

KASHISH-2011

3rd Show 1.30 PM

Boy Shorts

Cinemax

May 28

Is male bonding just about jumping in bed, having that quick fling or is there more to it? Six, not sex, shorts show different aspects that may counter the proverb ‘boys will be boys’! 2010 Narrative Short

Masala Mama

Director: Michael Kam

9 min Singapore Tamil, Hokkien with English subtitles

Indian Premiere 2009 Narrative Short

The young son of a poor “rag-and-bone” man aspires to draw superheroes, but goes about it the wrong way by stealing a comic book from the gentle owner of a small grocery shop.

Swing Director: Leon Cheo

6 min Singapore English Indian Premiere 2010 Narrative Short 12 min

Two young men wrestle with intimate memories of their past after their break-up.

Unmade Directors: Nick Atkins, Katie Amos, Patrick McCoy

Australia English Asian Premiere

Unmade is a love story about the cultural anxieties associated with the dynamics of a serodiscordant relationship, place a strain on a couple’s intimacy and bring their relationship towards a premature end.

KASHISH-2011

2008 Narrative Short

New Skin Director: Bretten Hannam

19 min Canada English

Asian Premiere

2010 Narrative Short

The only thing that makes Paul’s otherwise troubled life seem bearable is company of his new friend Keith. Though tough and reckless, Keith seems to be the only one, who really cares about him. But does Keith really have Paul’s best interests in mind, or will Paul find himself in more trouble than he bargained for?

Cakes And Sand (Torten Im Sand) Director: Christoph Scheermann

15.42 min Germany German, English with English Asian Premiere

2009 Narrative Short

Tim and Julian are deeply in love, they plan a weekend trip to the sea to spend some time together away from the pulsating city of Berlin where they live. This trip ends with two cakes in the sand. Can love rescue what sex destroys?

Broken Hart Director: Michael Allen Angel

25.14 min USA No dialogues, English captions Asian Premiere

A silent film about a melancholy man who wakes up one morning to discover it is Valentine’s Day - the loneliest day of the year for him. When everyone around him are crisscrossing with flowers, cards and love, will our tragic hero also find his share of happiness?

KASHISH-2011

4th & 5th Show 3.15 PM

Cinemax

May 28

Can a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity be stronger than the bond which he/she shares with his/her parents? As studies reveal that most of the children whether they are younger or older, when they have come out to their parents, have usually taken years to come to terms with their sexuality or gender. Some have a very hard time with this process, some never really come to terms with it themselves and some find it easier not to come out to their parents at all. But many have seriously thought about it and finally wanted to be honest to themselves and their parents by coming out. KASHISH brings three passionate personal coming out accounts of a F2M, a bisexual and a lesbian and their relationships with their parents. 2010 Docu Short

Spiral Transition Director: Ewan Duarte

6 min USA English

Asian Premiere

2010 Docu Short 7 min USA, India English & Telugu with English subtitles In Competition

A candid documentary exploring the filmmaker’s gender transition and how it changes his relationship with his family, especially with his mother.

Family In Frame Director: Neelu Bhuman Filmmaker’s Debut

An intensely personal documentary about gender identity and acceptance in one woman’s traditional Indian- American family. Amidst a multiplicity of voices of family members, this short film is an honest and uplifting portrayal of the experience of queer identity.

KASHISH-2011

I Am 2011 Docu Feature 71 min India / USA English & Hindi with English subtitles

Asian Premiere In Competition

A personal documentary about coming out to parents living in India, at a time when Section 377 was very much in place. I Am chronicles the journey of an Indian queer filmmaker who returns to Delhi, eleven years later, to re-open what was once home, and finally confronts the loss of her mother, whom she never came out to. As she meets and speaks to parents of other gay and lesbian Indians, she pieces together the fabric of what family truly means, in a landscape, where being gay was until recently a criminal and punishable offense. Awards and Festivals:

Grand Jury Prize - Best Documentary at IFFLA 2011

Director: Sonali Gulati

Panel Discussion

Writer/ Director/ Producer SONALI GULATI is an independent filmmaker, a feminist, grass-roots activist, and an educator. She is an Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Photography & Film. She has an MFA in Film & Media Arts from Temple University and a BA in Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College. Gulati grew up in New Delhi, India and has been organizing the South Asian queer rights movement for over a decade. She has made several short films that have screened at over two hundred film festivals worldwide.

The film screening of Sonali Gulati’s ‘I Am’ will be followed by a Panel Discussion on ‘Parents of Queers’. Mothers of queer persons and a noted activist working for rights of queer persons, will have a dialogue on what it means to be a parent of a queer son or daughter in India and how a support group could possibly help in providing information and comfort to parents of queers.

KASHISH-2011

6th Show 6.30 PM

2010 Narrative Feature

Cinemax

May 28

The Stranger In Us

107 min USA English

In Competition First Feature of the Director

The pleasures and pitfalls of the nocturnal urban landscape serve as the backdrop for this non-chronological narrative. Small-town Anthony (Raphael Barker, Shortbus) follows his heart to San Francisco, eager for domestic bliss with new boyfriend, Stephen (Scott Cox). Soon Anthony faces a waking nightmare as their volatile relationship reaches the breaking point. Isolated and financially strained, Anthony takes to the nighttime city streets, where he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Gavin (Adam Perez), a precocious, young street hustler. Anthony finds the human contact he craves, yet his inner struggles continue to engulf him. Featuring a vérité-style portrayal of San Francisco’s grittier side, the film explores youthful impulsivity and perilous street life with both clarity and compassion. Variety calls this film festival hit “a modest but affecting drama that’s engrossing by leisurely degrees.” Awards:

Audience Award at the 11th Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival in Colorado Springs, Colorado Audience Award (2nd place) Reeling 29 in Chicago, Illinois

Director: Scott Boswell

THE STRANGER IN US is Writer/ Director Scott Boswell’s first feature film. Previously he completed numerous award-winning shorts, including “One Fine Morning” (2002) and “Katydid” (2004). In 2005, Scott directed “Spin the Bottle,” a mockumentary featuring drag celebrity Peaches Christ that played in festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe. Currently Scott teaches filmmaking at San Francisco State University. In his spare time, he runs a feature screenwriting group in San Francisco.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 28 2009 Narrative Feature

7th Show 9.00 PM

Plan B

103 min Argentina English First Feature of the Director

After his girlfriend dumps him, Bruno (Manuel Vignau) decides he’ll do anything to get her back, and he plans a cold, sweet vengeance. Bruno befriends her new boyfriend, Pablo (Lucas Ferraro), in an effort to break up the couple, by introducing him to another woman. But, along the way, the possibility of a Plan B arises, a more effective one, which will put his own sexuality into question. Set among the roof terraces, gyms, and apartments of Buenos Aires, PLAN B is a sexy and smart modern-day love story. Awards:

Audience Award - 11th Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival in Colorado Springs, Colorado Audience Award (2nd place) - Reeling 29 in Chicago, Illinois Audience Award - Melbourne Queer Film Festival, 2010 Bill Sherwood Award for Best First Feature - Toronto LGBT Film and Video Festival, 2010 Best Actor Award to Lucas Ferraro - Bilbao Zinegoak, 2010

Director: Marco Berger

Marco Berger (born 1977) is a young, talented director from the University of Cinema in Buenos Aires. His short film, “The Watch” was selected by the Cinefondation, screened in Cannes/2008 and in Sundance/2009. Plan B is his first feature. His latest feature film, AUSENTE (Absent) was awarded the prestigious Teddy Award for Best Feature at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2011.

KASHISH-2011

Country Focus: Israel

ISRAEL is one of the world’s most progressive countries in terms of equality for sexual minorities. Homosexuality was decriminalized in Israel over 20 years ago, and major Supreme Court decisions and groundbreaking legislation soon followed. Israel also has one of the highest percentages of support for same-sex marriage in the world, with 61% of Israelis supporting civil marriage for same-sex couples. Gays and lesbians can serve openly in military services. Out Magazine has named Tel Aviv “the gay capital of the Middle East.” The level of tolerance and acceptance for gays and lesbians is evidently much higher in Israel in comparison to all of the Asia. KASHISH rejoices Israel’s spirit of harmony by having its first major country focus on queer Israeli cinema and will show seven contemporary films that explore the Israeli LGBT community, gendered identities, and sexual politics, offering a unique perspective and different insights on Israel, its society and culture. These include the Israeli Academy Award winner and leading documentary film maker, Tomer Heymann’s latest film “I Shot My Love” and a special Israeli Short Films package called, “With Love From Israel!”

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 28

8th Show 11.15 PM

With Love From Israel! Six intense and ingenious short films made by young Israeli filmmakers. While ‘The Play Was Over’ is made by a queer/trans duo; ‘Ishihara’ is the graduation film of the filmmaker for the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. Deep Red and A Word are student film productions from The Sam Spiegel Film & TV School, Jerusalem (JSFS), Shotgun and Try Out are by the student filmmakers of Beit Berl College Of Arts.

2009 Narrative Short

Deep Red (Adom Adom) Director: Eddie Tapero

19 min Israel Hebrew with English subtitles

2010 Experimental Short

Gur and Yuval will stop at nothing to make enough money for a fresh start in Berlin. As they approach their goal, the tension is growing between the two, until an unexpected event causes Gur to question both their plan and their relationship.

Ishihara Director: Yoav Brill

6.04 min Israel English

Indian Premiere In Competition

An autobiographic short employing the unique language of ‘Ishihara’ tests, used for detecting color blindness, to make a film about homosexuality in a wider perspective, that will sneak behind the viewer’s back without alienating the straight audience. The idea of different people seeing the world in different ways, fits in both the contexts and makes it easier to show that eventually, it is in all in the eye of the beholder.

KASHISH-2011

2009 Narrative Short

The Play Was Over Directors: Emil Ray & Ronny Almog

7 min Israel Hebrew with English subtitles

A love story told through a narrative of theatrical play that begins when the play ends and continues beyond countries and gender.

Indian Premiere

2007 Narrative Short 17 min

Shotgun Director: Ronny Hirschmann

Israel Hebrew with English subtitles

A brief encounter between a Bruce Springsteen fan and a troublemaker turns into a great friendship. But will it last life-time?

Indian Premiere

KASHISH-2011

2007 Narrative Short

Tryout Director: Nimrod Rinot

16 min Israel Hebrew with English subtitles

2010 Narrative Short

A film is about secrets, fears, commitments and love. Dan, a married man facing a critical time in his life, as his boyfriend wants him to accept their love without hiding.

A Word (Mila) Director: Yoav Inbar

18.58 min Israel Hebrew with English subtitles

In Competition

Ron realizes he is not able to say the words â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I love youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to his partner. This is the starting point of a bad day, with not-so good events to cherish for Ron.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 29

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 29

1st Show 10.00 AM

Indian Masala Mix- 1 As the name suggests this package is dedicated to our emerging Indian filmmakers. From its very first year, KASHISH searches out and discovers Indian short filmmakers, who have a gripping story that is told in an appealing manner. We acknowledge their efforts by putting out their films to a larger audience. This year by collaborating with Indieflix for KASHISH Coffee-Break Online competition, we managed to take ten short films from our festival to an international audience literally. Four of those were Indian short films. The Online competition got over, but you can still enjoy two of them here.

2010 Narrative Short

The Flower Bud (Kusum) Director: Shumona Banerjee

10.31 min India Bengali and English with English subtitles In Competition

2010 Narrative Short

Can hope be found in the most unusual places amongst the most unlikely characters? A transvestite prostitute and a straight out-ofjob obsessive, suicidal, English literature teacher find themselves locked in a room, struggling to negotiate the night in each other’s company - two people who are alike because they are both desperate misfits, yet they are so different...

Credit (Udhaar) Director: Ankit Pahwa

27 min

Director’s Debut

India Hindi & English with English subtitles World Premiere

Aravan, an openly gay, young ad agency executive falls for the charm’s of his male colleague only to discover that he was just faking to be to be gay and in love with Aravan for his own good. ‘Credit” is about Aravan’s constantly piling debts and the trap of credit cards, which he is falling into along with the feeling of being used and fooled in love.

KASHISH-2011

2010 Narrative Short

Oo! Fxxx!! Director: Lokiish Todi

8 min India No dialogues In Competition

2010 Narrative Short 5.38 min India

Sumitra, a young cosmopolitan woman keeps receiving bouquets everyday. She goes out to find the sender and as her relationship starts growing with its sender, she realizes that life has its own story to tell...

In The Closet Directors: Mathew Menacherry, Miriam Chandy Menacherry

English In Competition

A romantic mid-day tryst - fine wine, red roses, candles and silk. The excitement mounts until a few truths spill out of the closet.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 29 2010 Narrative Feature

2nd Show 11.30 AM

You Should Meet My Son

86 min USA English Asian Premiere First Feature of the Director

A heart-warming comedy about a conservative Southern mom, Mae (Joanne McGee) who just wants to see her son Brian (Stewart Carrico) happily married. She introduces him to every eligible girl in town. But for some reason, he never seems to hit it off with them. And then Mae discovers the shocking truth: that her only son is gay. Determined that he won’t go through life alone and miserable, she sets out to find him the perfect husband! Awards: Best Feature - Reel Out, Ontario, 2010 Best Men’s Feature - North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, 2010 Best Domestic Feature - Memphis Out Flix, 2010 Best Screenplay – Tenerife Festival Del Sol, Spain, 2010 Festival Screenings: Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, 2010 Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Opening Night Film), 2010 Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Opening Night Film), 2010 Image Out: Rochester, 2010 Tampa Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, 2010 Pittsburgh Gay Film Festival, 2010 Reel Affirmations: Washington DC, 2010 Torino Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, (Closing Night Film), 2010

Director: Keith Hartman

Writer/ Director KEITH HARTMAN was raised in Alabama and graduated from Princeton University. He’s the author of four books, including the noir mystery The Gumshoe, The Witch, and The Virtual Corpse. He’s been nominated for the Lambda Literary Award four times, and has won the Spectrum Award for gay science fiction twice.

KASHISH-2011

3rd Show 1.30 PM

Indian Masala Mix- 2

Cinemax

May 29

In continuation of films by emerging filmmakers from home turf, this package brings two thought-provoking shorts that show contemporary gay subcultrure in two metros - Mumbai and Bengaluru. 2010 Narrative Short

Amen Directors: Ranadeep Bhattacharyya & Judhajit Bagchi

24 min

First Short of the Directors

India English with English subtitles In Competition

2009 Narrative Short 47 min

The World Wide Web brings the two protagonists, Andy and Harry, together on a nonchalant afternoon. Andy, the suave and rich urban banker stands in a place, where he shouldn’t ideally be, while his counterpart, the soft-spoken, overtly humble Harry, stands tall and firm and is completely rooted where he is today. Both have different hopes from the destined meeting. Their interaction brings out questions, that need to be answered, truths that need to be accepted and a life that stands to be reckoned.

A Little Less Something Director: Siddhanth K.S.

India English In Competition

Love can be really weird. For some it is blind, for others it’s cool. But there are many who are stuck in it and don’t really know what to do. Set amidst a very different side of Bengaluru, a simple love story, with angles of love, happiness, sorrow, betrayal, confusion, agony, urge and loads of drama… it just happens to be about two men. Throw in a very different side of Bengaluru, some great fusion music and of course loads of darkness, because love and no darkness? Not happening…. Hence we say, “The only constant in love is ... to move on.”

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 29 2010 Narrative Feature

4th Show 3.15 PM

From Beginning To End (Do Começo Ao Fim)

94 min Brazil Portugese with English subtitles In Competition

Francisco (Lucas Cotrim / João Gabriel Vasconcellos) and his younger half-brother Thomás (Gabriel Kaufman / Rafael Cardos), are being raised in upper class comfort in Rio by their doting mother, Julieta (Julia Lemmertz). Five years apart, the boys are best friends and unusually close to each other, so much so, that their intimacy brings vocal concerns from relatives. Fast-forward several years with Francisco and Thomás now strikingly handsome, bronzed young men and their childhood intensity has evolved into a torrid sexual relationship. But when Thomás is offered a chance to train for the Brazilian swim team in Russia for a long period of time, the proposed separation brings fears that their love is threatened. Festival Screenings: Seattle International Film Festival, 2010 Frameline 34 San Francisco, 2010 Outfest, 2010 Philadelphia QFest, 2010 Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Australia, 2010

Director: Aluisio Abranches

Writer/ Director ALUISIO ABRANCHES studied economics before taking cinema studies at the London Film School during the 80s. He initially made short films. He lived in Paris and Los Angeles and produced two documentaries and one feature film “Carlota Joaquina, Princesa do Brasil” by Carla Camurati in 1995. His first film was an experimental feature film entitled “A Copo de Colera” in 1998. In 2002, his second feature film “Ace Tres Marias” (The Three Marias), was selected at the Berlin Film Festival. “Do Começo Ao Fim” (From Beginning To End) is his third film.

KASHISH-2011

5th Show 5.00 PM

2009 Narrative Short

Cinemax

May 29

Ajumma! Are You Krazy??? Director: Brent Anbe

25.45 min USA English Indian Premiere

The story follows the misadventures of three hopelessly romantic Ajummas or older ladies, Judy, Susan and Amy are fueled by their schoolgirl hormones, go on a hilarious journey to try and meet their latest heartthrob, hunky and chiseled, six pack-ready Korean superstar Michael Park (Michael Hsia) by tracking his every move, from stealing his itinerary, to breaking into his hotel room. But what they find about him is a surprise they didn’t bargain for!

Curious Thing Trilogy Fusing the two genres of documentary and narrative film, Alain Hain (Director, Producer) and Jason Mills (Writer, Producer) tell three stories of friendship between a gay man and a straight man, monogamous relationship, acceptance and homophobia. 2009 Narrative Short 9 min

Curious Thing Director: Alain Hain

USA English Asian Premiere

Over the course of three nights, six gay men sat down for interviews with the filmmakers about their experiences, sexual and otherwise, with straight men. Those documentary interviews provide the narration for ‘Curious Thing’ as we watch Jared (Danny Bernardy) who is closeted and Sam (Matthew Wilkas) who is straight, form a friendship. But as Jared’s walls slowly come down and his passion for Sam grows, things take an unexpected turn.

KASHISH-2011

2010 Narrative Short

The In-Between Director: Alain Hain

10 min USA English Asian Premiere

2010 Narrative Short

Where do you draw the line, in a monogamous relationship, when you suspect the man you love isn’t faithful? Jared has found himself his ﬁrst live-in boyfriend, but begins to suspect that the man he is in love with, isn’t as faithful as he would hope. His paranoia got the better of him? Or are his instincts dead on? The second in the trilogy explores the challenges, expectations and hope that comes from entering into a monogamous relationship. Continuing in the series’ format, ‘The In-Between’ uses documentary audio of gay men discussing their experiences with monogamy, as the ﬁlm’s narration. A drama, a tragedy and a documentary all in one, ‘The InBetween’ crosses many boundaries, both in form and subject.

A Lack Of Gravity Director: Alain Hain

13 min USA English Asian Premiere In Competition

Does time really change things? With a new partner and a quiet life in the suburbs, Jared finds himself tackling new obstacles. How does he live his life as a dignified gay man in a society, that does not consider him equal? And how will he handle his partner’s constant need to censor any public affection? One horrific event forces them both to figure it out. The finale piece in this trilogy of short films, ‘A Lack Of Gravity’ explores homophobia, activism and gay rights in America. Continuing in the series’ format, documentary audio of gay men discussing their experiences with homophobia acts as the film’s narration.

KASHISH-2011

6th Show 6.30 PM

Award Ceremony

Cinemax

May 29

KASHISH Competitive Categories Best Narrative Feature Best Documentary Feature Best Documentary Short Best International Short Best Indian Short The above categories are judged by a five member international jury panel. Each of the winning films will be awarded a specially designed KASHISH plaque. The Best Indian Short will qualify for nomination to the Iris Prize 2011 and has a chance of winning GBP 25,000 award which is the highest cash prize at a LGBT film festival.

Riyad Wadia Award A new award has been instituted this year, to support Indian filmmakers who are making films on queer themes. The ‘Riyad Wadia award for Best Emerging Filmmaker’ carrying a cash award of Rs.10,000 will be selected from the Indian Short films and awarded to a filmmaker for his first or second film. This has been instituted by the Wadia family in memory of Riyad Wadia, who made India’s first gay film ‘Bomgay’.

KASHISH COFFEE BREAK Audience Award This year, the festival boasts of a new addition – India’s first online queer short film competition. KASHISH Coffee Break Online competition presented by Indieflix, a Seattle based online platform, showcases 10 queer short films from around the world, each less than 10 mins. The online competition was held from May 1 – 20, 2011. Viewers across the globe got to watch, comment and vote for these short films right on their laptop or tablet during a coffee break. The winner - decided on the basis of online votes - will receive an award at KASHISH’s closing ceremony as well as a distribution deal with Indieflix.com.

KASHISH-2011

Cinemax

May 29

KASHISH-2011

Closing Night Film

7th Show 9.00 PM

Closing Night Film 2010 Narrative Feature

Cinemax

May 29

Three Veils

117 min USA English

Three Veils is a poignant film about three young Middle-Eastern women living in the U.S, each with their own personal stories. Leila (Mercedes Masöhn) is arranged to be married, however as the wedding night approaches, she makes a desperate attempt to get out of this arrangement and things go terribly wrong. Amira (Angela Zahra) is a very devout Muslim struggling with deep repressed feelings toward women, but when these feelings start surfacing, she finds herself in a battle, between her faith and her love for Nikki. Nikki (Sheetal Sheth) is a lost soul who spirals downward on a self destructive path, haunted by a tragic death in the family that resulted in a cold and rather abusive relationship with her own father. As the three stories unfold, the lives of these three women intertwine as they each struggle to defy tradition and create their own realities. Awards: Audience Award For Best Narrative Film - Portland Women’s International Film Festival, 2011 (Opening Night Film)

Director: Rolla Selbak

Rolla Selbak is an award winning filmmaker based out of California. Growing up in the U.A.E, some of her earlier memories are of dressing her younger siblings up in silly costumes and shooting mock-commercials. She moved to the US and pursued a Computer Science degree at Portland State University. In Portland, she wrote and directed her first full-feature script, “Making Maya”, a coming of-age drama of a teenage girl. In 2008, Rolla was announced a Winner of the LinkTV’s for her documentary “Green Blue Sea”. Rolla Selbak’s next project is an adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “Death is a Lonely Business”.

KASHISH-2011

Alliance Franรงaise

May 26

KASHISH-2011

1st Show 10.00 AM

2010 Docu Feature

Alliance FranĂ§aise

May 26

Other Nature (Tritya Prakarti)

57 min Nepal English & Nepali with English subtitles

OTHER NATURE chronicles the life experiences of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and third gender (LGBT) Community of Nepal, as the country transitions to a federal republic after 240 years of monarchy. More specifically, it documents the pilgrimage to third gender human rights activists make to Muktinath, a temple in the Himalayas, to pray for gender equality. The stories of a runaway lesbian couple from Kolkata and another lesbian couple that was unjustly discharged from the Nepali Army are also included; while the challenges faced by third gender sex workers, highlight the struggles faced by the LGBT community in Nepal, to realize their right to self-determination. Festival Screenings: BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, 2010 Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival, 2010 Frameline 34, San Francisco LGBT Film Festival, 2010 NewFest, New York LGBT Film Festival, 2010 Outfest, Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival, 2010 Asian American International Film Festival, 2010 Vancouver Queer Film Festival, 2010 Montreal LGBT Film Festival, 2010 Chicago LGBT Film Festival, 2010 Milwaukee LGBT Film Festival, 2010

Director: Nani Sahra Walker

Nani S. Walkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first film, Coming In From The Cold, premiered at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Grenoble Film Festival, and Outfest, Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in 2009. Nani has five years experience in broadcast television and independent filmmaking in New York City, including animation in the acclaimed documentary Fahrenheit 911.

KASHISH-2011

Alliance Française

May 26 2010 Experimental Short

2nd Show 11.30 AM

Birth 2 Director: Antony Hickling

7.43 min France Bengali, Hindi, English with English subtitles

2010 Docu Feature

Centerpiece of a trilogy, Birth 2 is a manifesto that explores the construction of sexual identity. The film suggests that sexual identity is a large spectrum, which is often situated outside of socially accepted “gender norms”.

Diaries Of Transformation Director: Anirban Ghosh

70 min India Bengali, Hindi, English with English subtitles

The film captures the stories of seven individuals with trans identities in and around Kolkata, as they narrate their tales of love, violence and social acceptance in times of change. Raju, Bini, Rai, Bhaskar, Tista, Suman and Sabir come from very different socioeconomic backgrounds. Yet, there are certain interconnecting issues of social acceptance and finding a space in the largely hetero-normative social order. In each of these diaries, which reflect the larger image of how politics of power operate, within the milieu of turmoil and shifting identities. The characters in the film celebrate their sexuality and look forward to a better future, to a society, where all are different and all are equal.

KASHISH-2011

3rd Show 1.30 PM

Trans Shorts

Alliance Française

May 26

Vibrant, Diverse and Alive! Six shorts celebrating the spirit of the significant “T” of LGBT. They touch on themes of connection, competition, desire, fear, love and self-worth. 2010 Narrative Short

The Lusty Gypsies Director: Nikki Lee Taylor

8 min USA English Asian Premiere

2009 Experimental Short

Onstage, it’s all sparkles and smiles. Offstage, the gloves come off. Brianna is vain, impractical and a spirited dreamer looking for love in men with serious problems.

Confession Director: Abby Lambert

1.56 min Canada No Dialogues Asian Premiere 2009 Narrative Short

A female confesses to herself, the desire to be masculine. Using male and female gender performativity, she achieves this.

The Truth (Sach) Director: Faraz Haider

20.58 min India Hindi with English subtitles

An emotional drama on life of Shabbo, an eunuch. Will her humanitarian act of kindness be reciprocated by those she has been concerned for?

KASHISH-2011

2010 Narrative Short

Four Play: San Francisco Director: Kyle Henry

26 min USA English Indian Premiere

2009 Narrative Short

Aliya, a transvestite prostitute heads off on a job across the bay, to Marin County during the Christmas season. As she reaches there it becomes clear to her, that this job will be both a physical and emotional challenge. As the pressure mounts, an awakening begins and ultimately, she discovers a passion she never dreamed possible.

Loop Planes Director: Robin Wilby

11.07 min USA English Asian Premiere

2010 Narrative Short

A journey of self-discovery begins with a wild ride. Today, with the arrival of a pink haired girl, with his mother at the amusement park, Nick is in for the time of his life.

Remember Me In Red Director: Hector Ceballos

15.21 min USA Spanish with English subtitles In Competition

Transgender Fidelia; shocked by the sudden death of her best transgender friend, wishes to do the decent thing and bury her, in her favorite red dress. But her friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents have already arranged to bury their son as a man. Fidelia must figure out a tactic to honor the way her friend would want to be remembered.

KASHISH-2011

4th Show 3.15 PM

Repeat Screening -

Alliance Française

May 26

Be With Me How does one deal with the loss of their dear ones? Whether one clutches onto those fond memories or even gather courage to turn a new leaf, the heart always pleads silently- “Be with me… because I just need to be with someone…” This is the theme of these eight moving shorts underlining the constant human need of being loved and accepted beyond all boundaries.

Three Minutes Five Minutes Equals (¿Iguales?) Live A Bit Longer (Vivre Encore Un Peu) Strongest, The (A Mais Forte) Organism Pictures Of Zain Fresh Air Therapy (Frischluft-Therapie) Find details on Page No. 56 to 58

KASHISH-2011

Alliance Française

May 26

5th Show 5.00 PM

Bi Shorts

Is Bisexuality a fad or an individual trait? Bisexuals are often misunderstood – the gay men call them liars and the straight men call them confused. Here’s a chance to possibly know them better and experience the ups and downs of swinging both ways. Enjoy these four tricky and ticklish tales of bisexual affairs. 2010 Narrative Short

Bye Bi Love Director: Giovanna Chesler

17 min USA English Asian Premiere In Competition

2010 Narrative Short

A flood of memories is unleashed for Vera upon receiving a wedding invitation to her ex-girlfriend’s hetero nuptials, officiated by her very own ex-husband.

Gayby Director: Jonathan Lisecki

12 min USA English Indian Premiere

Jenn and Matt, best college buddies who are now in their 30s, make an effort to ‘reconnect’. They decide to have a baby together, taking the easiest, cheapest route of just having sex – even though Matt is gay and Jenn is straight. WARNING: This film contains an incredibly awkward sex scene!

KASHISH-2011

2010 Narrative Short

He She We Director: Branden Blinn

10.17 min USA English, French with English subtitles Asian Premiere

2010 Narrative Short

A comedy of errors caused by language handicap. Challenged in the English language, a young Frenchman writes a note to his older female lover, telling her that he’s leaving her for someone “of his own age.” What he meant to say was someone “of his own sex”.

After Lunch (Depois Do Almoco) Director: Rodrigo Diaz Diaz

13 min Brazil Portuguese with English subtitles Indian Premiere In Competition

After a Sunday lunch with all the family, while the husbands are watching soccer on TV and the kids playing around, the two friends Nana and Andrea talk about their dreams, but this one is a little bit different. After Lunch is part of the fourth edition of the series, Fucking Different, German project created by Kristian Petersen, who proposes that the male directors express their ideas about love & sex between women and women directors to express their ideas about sex & love between men.

KASHISH-2011

Alliance Française

May 26 2011 Narrative Short

6th Show 6.30 PM

Healing Waters Director: Nickolas Bird

8.35 min Australia English World Premiere

2007 Narrative Feature

A straight-eccentric man feeling ashamed of reciprocating the intimacy extended to him by an unemployed pool guy. To stop such desires, he enlists his preacher to cure him, of his evil homosexuality. However, there’s a problem. The treatment isn’t working.

Save Me Director: Robert Cary

96 min USA English Asian Premiere

100

A deft exploration of the controversial ex-gay movement, SAVE ME follows Mark (Chad Allen), a sex and drug-addicted young man, who overdoses and finds himself at the mercy of his disapproving family. Their solution to Mark’s problems is to check him into a Christian-run ministry overseen by Gayle (Judith Light), who believes, she can help cure young men of their ‘gay affliction’ through spiritual guidance. At first, Mark resists the efforts of Gayle and her loving husband, but soon finds solace and brotherhood with several of the members, including Scott (Robert Gant), who is battling family demons of his own. When Mark and Scott begin to find their friendship developing into an unexpected romance, both are forced to confront the new attitudes they’ve begun to accept, and Gayle finds the values she holds as an absolute truth to be threatened.

KASHISH-2011

Alliance Franรงaise

May 27

KASHISH-2011

101

Alliance Française

May 27 2010 Docu Feature

1st Show 10.00 AM

The Bisexual Revolution (La Bisexualite: Tout Un Art?)

58 min France French, German & English with English subtitles Asian Premiere

Director: Eric Wastiaux

Director: Laure Michel

102

In a world visibly divided between gay and straight, the bisexual is easily overlooked. This film undertakes a rare examination of society’s view of bisexuality and its expression in contemporary art and culture. From Europe to North America, the film traces the history of bisexuals from ancient times through the liberation movements of the ‘70s and beyond. Archive footage and film clips portray a wide range of cultural artifacts from the worlds of music, literature and cinema: David Bowie to Tokio Hotel, Brett Easton Ellis to Philippe Besson, John Schlesinger’s Sunday Bloody Sunday to Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain. The final segment of the film examines the evolving norms of youth culture. What does the future hold as bisexuality moves from the exotic to the banal? ERIC WASTIAUX is a film director currently living in Paris. He started a career in journalism 20 years ago; in rock music, in Bordeaux. He began making international documentaries including : “Carnival ! The Mud of Trinidad and Tobago” (1998) ; “24 Crazy Hours in New York” (2000) ; “ Living At the Morgue” (2004) “Virginia; Cheju, The Island of Women” (2009), and “The Kogis Indians, the Free Spirit of Colombia” (2010). LAURE MICHEL had the idea to make a documentary on Bisexuality and wrote about it for the cover of Tecknikart. She then sold it to the German and French TV Arte. Laure Michel and Eric collaborated on this documentary Bisexual revolution. The documentary has been seen by more than a million people in France and Germany.

KASHISH-2011

2nd Show 11.30 AM

Girls Shorts

Alliance Française

May 27

Enjoy seven sexy-senti-raunchy-crunchy-punchy shorts…. a potpourri of almost all the possible emotions and feelings. After all, girls don’t believe in anything half-way!

2007 Narrative Short

Duck Soup Director: Kathryn Goldie

3.36 min Australia English Asian Premiere

2009 Narrative Short

So what could go wrong with a sweet compliment over a simple meal - “I love duck soup, but I love you more” ? But to one woman who hears this, these words have a Byzantine depth in their hidden meanings.

Public Relations Director: Gianna Sobol

17 min USA English

Sometimes the worst people bring the best people together. A Hollywood assistant and her New York counterpart discover bad bosses plus wild nights, equal the semi-true story of two girls in love. A funny, fresh take on growing up – and getting laid.

KASHISH-2011

103

2010 Narrative Short

Two Beds Director: Kanako Wynkoop

8 min USA English Asian Premiere

2009 Narrative Short

A queer doppelganger couple debate polyamory versus monogamy in a hotel room, where the twin beds have no hope of being pushed together.

The Best Is Yet To Come Director: Eunice Wu

15.22 min Taiwan English, Mandarin with English subtitles Asian Premiere

2010 Narrative Short

A young couple Sam and Alice privately confront their family, fears and dreams, as the result of the much debated and highly publicized controversial Proposition 8 vote for same sex marriage is announced on the big Presidential election night in California State, 2008.

Cried Suicide Director: Lauren Palmigiano

13.42 min

Filmmakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Short Film

USA English Asian Premiere In Competition

104

Heartbroken over an ex-girlfriend, Jay is desperate for attention and fakes a suicide attempt. When she returns home with her best friend Jen, she gets more than she bargained for from sympathetic friends in the form of tears, food, and even porn.

KASHISH-2011

2010 Narrative Short

Let The World Know About Me (Que El Mundo Sepa De Mi)

Director: Mariana Giordano

14 min Argentina Spanish with English subtitles World Premiere In Competition

2010 Narrative Short

A musical with an old-world charm, telling the story of Juliet, a young girl from the 50Â´s, who has to decide between the revelation to the world about her only love, or be condemned for her awfully immoral union.

You Move Me Director: Gina Hirsch

12 min USA English In Competition Indian Premiere

A classic American buddy comedy, about two best friends embarking on a covert mission, to retrieve the last batch of stuff from the apartment of an ex-girlfriend.

KASHISH-2011

105

Alliance Française

3rd Show 1.30 PM

May 27 Retrospective Package:

Streets of San FranciscoFilms of Jenni Olson

Director: Jenni Olson

1994 Experimental Short 1 min

JENNI OLSON is one of the world’s leading experts on LGBT cinema history. She has been programming, researching, collecting, creating, and writing about LGBT cinema history since 1986. In 1995, Jenni was one of the founders of PlanetOut.com, where she established the massive queer film industry resource, PopcornQ and pioneered the first online showcase for LGBT short films (the PlanetOut Online Cinema), as well as founding the PlanetOut Short Movie Awards in 2000. As a film collector and archivist Jenni’s historical movie trailer programs (including the ever-popular: Homo Promo), have been shown at film festivals around the world, as have her many short films and videos: Levi’s 501s Commercial, Sometimes, Blow-up, Blue Diary, Meep! Meep!, Matzo Maidels and 575 Castro St. Her wildly entertaining coffee table tome, The Queer Movie Poster Book was a 2005 Lambda Literary Award nominee.

Sometimes Jenni Olson shows us just what “butch” means in 30 seconds. This is the shortest film in KASHISH 2011 !

USA English 1997 Experimental Short

Blue Diary

7 min USA English

Through voiceover and static San Francisco landscapes, Blue Diary tells the melancholy story of a young dyke, pining over a one-nightstand with a straight girl.

106

KASHISH-2011

2000 Experimental Short

Meep Meep!

1 min USA English

A one-minute tale of dyke drama, set against a backdrop of gorgeous urban landscapes. 2008 Experimental Short

575 Castro St.

7 min USA English

575 Castro St. reveals the play of light and shadow upon the walls of the Castro Camera Store set for Gus Van Sant’s film Milk. The audio track is an edited down version of the 13-minute audio cassette that Harvey Milk recorded in his camera shop on the evening of Friday, November 18, 1977 and was labeled: “In-Case the tape was to be played, in the event of my death by assassination”. 2005 Docu Feature

The Joy Of Life

65 min USA English

Grappling with gender identity issues and the occasional episode of depression, the film’s lone protagonist pinballs from sexual conquest to neurotic despair, manic romance to pathetic solitude. This narrative of self-discovery resonates with her discovery of the city, and leads into an in-depth documentary reflection on the history of suicide of the Golden Gate Bridge, known to be the number-one suicide landmark in the world.

KASHISH-2011

107

Alliance Française

May 27

4th Show 3.15 PM

Repeat Screening -

Deep Red (Adom Adom) Ishihara The Play Was Over Shotgun Tryout A Word (Mila)

Find details on Page No. 78 to 80

108

KASHISH-2011

5th Show 5.00 PM

2010 Docu Feature

Alliance Française

May 27

I Shot My Love

70 min Israel/ Germany English, Hebrew, German with English subtitles In Competition

Seventy years after his grandfather escapes from Nazi Germany to Palestine, Israeli documentary director Tomer Heymann returns to the country of his ancestors to present his film “Paper Dolls” at the Berlin International Film Festival, and there meets a man who will change his life. This 48-hour love affair, originating in Berghain Panorama Bar, develops into a significant relationship between Tomer and Andreas Merk, a German dancer. When Andreas decides to move to Tel-Aviv, he not only has to cope with a new partner, but manage the complex realities of life in Israel and his personal connection to it as a German citizen. Tomer’s mother, descendant of German immigrants, has watched her children leave the country one by one, and now cannot help but try to influence the life of Tomer, the one son who remains. Festivals: Berlin International Film Festival, Germany, 2010 Dok.Fest Munchen Film Festival, Germany 2010 Torino GLBT Film Festival, Italy 2010 Queer Screen Documentary Film Festival, Australia, 2010 Mix Brazil Film Festival, Brazil 2010 Hamburg GLBT Film Festival, Germany 2010

Written and Directed by: Tomer Heymann

Writer/ Director/ Producer TOMER HEYMANN (born in 1970) has directed many documentary films and series in the past ten years. His films “It Kinda Scares Me” and “Paper Dolls” have won major awards at different prestigious film festivals. Tomer’s 8-part series “The Way Home” won the “Best Documentary Series” award at the 2009 Jerusalem International Film Festival and “Best Documentary Series” at the Israeli Documentary Competition.

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Alliance Française

6th Show 6.30 PM

May 27 Repeat Screening -

Matters of Heart A heart-warming package of seven shorts mirroring that tickling feeling of passion that makes one feels good, yet one hesitates to call it ‘love’… those moments of heartbreak when one gets politely denied by the object of affection one has been crazy about… those countless blue days, when one starts believing that it’s hard to find someone to give and receive affection. We agree with Tracy Chapman, “It’s just the draw of cards in Matters of the Heart…”

The Chef’s Letter I Saw You Hermann Last Call Nothing Happened Professor Godoy Birthday (Födelsedag) Find details on Page No. 50 to 52

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May 28 2010 Docu Feature

1st Show 10.00 AM

Out In The Silence

65 min USA English In Competition

The announcement of filmmaker Joe Wilson’s wedding to another man, ignites a firestorm of controversy and a quest for change in the small Pennsylvania hometown he left long ago. Drawn back to his conservative small hometown, by a plea for help from the mother of a gay teen being tormented at school, Wilson becomes entangled in the frontlines of the cultural war. As walls are torn down and bridges built, “Out In The Silence” takes viewers on an exhilarating journey through love, hate, and understanding in rural America. Awards: Emmy Award for Achievement in Documentary Bravery in Story Telling- Nashville Film Festival Social Significance- S. Dakota Film Fest Best Documentary- Out Takes, New Zealand

Director: Joe Wilson

Director: Dean Hamer

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Co-Producer/ Director JOE WILSON got involved in documentary filmmaking through his social activism on human rights issues. Wilson’s first film “Otros Amores”, won the Videomaker Magazine National Documentary Challenge and started him on his way. Since then he and Qwaves.com partner Dean Hamer have produced over a dozen pieces and won numerous awards Scientist turned filmmaker DEAN HAMER was convinced that there was a better way to communicate the complex scientific and social ideas, he decided to try his own hand at turning these stories into compelling documentaries. Hamer’s debut film “The Preacher And The Poet” was a winner of the PBS/Independent Lens Online Shorts Festival.

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2nd Show 11.30 PM

Red Ribbon Package II

Alliance FranĂ§aise

May 28

Presented by UNAIDS and UNDP Whether it is in the sprawling city of Seattle or the conservative by lanes of Kolkata, the stigma of HIV is still a frightening prospect. The young Indian man in Let There Be Light and the activist and poet in Heart Breaks Open, both react in almost a similar way, when they come to know of their HIV positive status. These two films of Red Ribbon Package II are contrasting in their settings, but very similar in their theme.

2010 Narrative Short

Let There Be Light Director: Som

18 min India Bengali with English subtitles

2011 Narrative Feature

When a young man from a middle class Bengali family comes to know that he is HIV+, his known world undergoes a sea change. He gets flooded with uneasy curiosities and hatred, in reality, as well as in his dreams. He decides to put an end to his life, but as he heads to commit suicide, he meets a street urchin who turns his life around completely.

Heart Breaks Open Director: Billie Rain

81 min USA English Asian Premiere

Model queer activist and poet, Jesus prides himself in his work with the Seattle LGBT community. At the same time, Jesus is having unprotected sex and cheating on Johnny, his long-time partner (Samonte Cruz). Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world implodes when he discovers that he is HIV positive, forcing him to confront his innermost fears, his relationship with his ex-boyfriend, and a future living with HIV. Faced with the unknown, Jesus is pulled from of self-destruction by Sister Alysa Trailer (Brian Peters), a drag queen nun and leads him to a path of self-discovery.

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May 28

3rd Show 1.30 PM

In Salute

‘In Salute’ is our reverence to those visionaries, who were ostracized and were consumed by homophobia. KASHISH screens three short films from three continents highlighting stories of three such pioneers. 2010 Narrative Short

Billy And Aaron Director: Rodney Evans

10.8 min USA English Asian Premiere

2008 Docu Short

A short drama about African American jazz composer Billy Strayhorn and the consequences of his decision, to live as an openly gay man within the homophobic jazz milieu of the 1940’s.

Decoding Alan Turing Director: Christopher Racster

17 min USA English Asian Premiere

2008 Docu Short

Alan Mathison Turing, an English Mathematician was found dead at age 41 with a poisoned apple lying next to his bed. Rumor goes further that the apple was poisoned. He was in possession of some of the most critical British State secrets of the time.

Projecting The Body Director: Walter McIntosh

55 min

Director’s first film

Australia English Asian Premiere

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Projecting the Body reveals the forgotten history of queer filmmaker, dancer, artist Stephen Cummins who lit up Sydney in the 1980s and early 90s.

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4th Show 3.15 PM

Spotlight on Film Maker 2004 Narrative Feature

Alliance Française

May 28

Eating Out 1

88 min USA English In Competition

The fastest way to a girl’s heart is through her gay best friend! After getting dumped by his slutty girlfriend Tiffani (Rebekah Kochan), Caleb (Scott Lunsford) commiserates with his roommate Kyle (Jim Verraros), who notes that while he has trouble getting the men he wants, he could get any woman because he’s gay. Later at a party, Gwen (Emily Stiles) dumps her boyfriend and roomie Marc (Ryan Carnes) after he comes out to her. Caleb sees her and instantly falls in love with Gwen. Kyle comes up with a crazy scheme. He tells Gwen that Caleb is gay so she’ll set him up with Marc. Caleb can use Marc to get to Gwen, while Kyle uses Caleb to get to Marc (Ryan Carnes), who Kyle is infatuated with. Also, Tiffani lives next door to Gwen and Marc so seeing Caleb date Marc would make her crazy. Eventually hearts get smoldering but smoke is coming out from somewhere else.

Director: Q.Allan Brocka

Writer / Director / Producer, Q. Allan Brocka is of Filipino heritage currently based in West Hollywood, California. He is also the writer and director of the award-winning feature films Boy Culture and Eating Out. He co-wrote and produced Eating Out 2 & 3. He is currently in pre-production for his animated feature Nureyev’s Dog, as well as two more sequels to the Eating Out series.

Director Q. Allan Brocka present at the screening.

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May 28 2007 Narrative Feature

5th Show 5.00 PM

Blue Print

75 min USA English Asian Premiere First Feature of the Director

In the chaos of New York City, two boys attempt to make a connection. While waiting to meet a college mate at a café, dreamy strait-laced Los Angeles transplant Keith (Blake YoungFountain) finds himself drawn into a conversation with an attractive outgoing street smart urbanite named Nathan (Damion Lee) about hip-hop’s merits or lack there-of. At first, Keith is uncertain of Nathan’s motives: Is he flirting? Is this a con?... but soon gives in to curiosity and attraction. Thereafter, Keith and Nathan set out on a motorcycle road trip, out of the urban landscape, into the woods and lake, where their romance is enabled and complicated by some smoke, witty banter, a skinny dip session and one surprise arrival. Awards: Best Film from the “African Diaspora” nominee at the Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO).

Director: Kirk ShannonButts

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KIRK SHANNON-BUTTS is a New York City based filmmaker with a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Film & Television Production from Chapman University in Orange, California. Kirk received a coveted Jerome Foundation grant for his first feature film Blueprint, which premiered at the London Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and has screened in over fifty international film festivals, universities, gay prides and even a high school. Next for Shannon-Butts is Julien’s Bed, premiering in November on the BGL Cruise. OUT Magazine named Shannon-Butts to its OUT100 list calling him ‘The Visionary’.

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6th Show 6.30 PM

2002 Narrative Feature

Alliance Française

May 28

Fixing Frank

104 min USA English Indian Premiere First Feature of the Director

Reporter, Frank Johnston (Andrew Elvis Miller) is sent undercover by his boyfriend, psychotherapist Jonathan Baldwin (Paul Provenza) to write an expose on Dr. Arthur Apsey (Dan Butler, from TV’s Frasier). Apsey claims to be able to successfully change gays to straight, and Jonathan convinces Frank to pose as a patient wanting to convert. But Jonathan and Frank underestimate Apsey’s brilliance, leading Frank to doubt himself and his six-year relationship with Jonathan. As Frank falls under Apsey’s spell, his relationship with Jonathan deteriorates, and a fierce psychological tug of war erupts between the two powerful doctors over the heart and mind of Frank. With careers, relationships and even core identities at stake, Frank must make some decisions, that eventually explode the lives of them all. Award and Festivals: Fixing Frank enjoyed a successful theatrical run in select cities. It was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award (2006) and won Best Feature, Special Interest at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Director: Michael Selditch

Michael Selditch practiced architecture for 14 years before he turned producer, writer, director, creator and/or show-runner on numerous non-scripted television shows since 1999. Selditch directed Queer Eye for the Straight Guy on a recurring basis during its 100-episode run. He directed and co-executive produced the one-hour special, Project Jay (2005) on fashion designer Jay McCarroll, the first winner of Project Runway. He was also a producer on Morgan Spurlock’s 30 Days (2006), the highly acclaimed series on FX. He followed it up with an independent feature film on McCarroll entitled, Eleven Minutes (2009).

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Partners and Associates Principal Partner

Associate Partners

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Multiplex Partner

Venue Partner

Online Competition Partner

Associate Partners

Associates

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Festival Team Festival Directors Sridhar Rangayan Vivek Anand

Technical Support Abhijeet Rao Sanjay Thakur

Festival Programmer Saagar Gupta

Accounts Ramesh Jagtap

Creative Director Suhail Abbasi

Legal Advisor Usha Andevar

Head - Sales, Marketing & Operations Pallav Patankar

Merchandising Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Kloset

Guest & Hospitality Co-ordinator Shobhna S. Kumar Jury Co-ordinator Abheena Aher Publicity & Press Co-ordinators Nitin Karani Shibu Thomas Festival Curators & Advisors Paul Lee (Canada) John Badalu (South East Asia)

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Festival Catalog : Program Notes Saagar Gupta Concept & Design Suhail Abbasi Design & Layout Yogesh Jahagirdar Poster Concept & Design Suhail Abbasi Festival Trailer Nithin Palal Anuraag Festival Website Wickiewoola