Home and exile – a cinematic journey of hope and resilience
Homebound for months during the pandemic, I seized the first opportunity to travel beyond my dull domestic frontiers. This unique excursion was facilitated by the three day virtual Asian Women’s Film Festival organized by the International Association of Women in Radio and Television – India Chapter. Having been a student, researcher and occasional teacher of cinema, I could not...
Of poetry and lockdown diaries
As a writer, raconteur and storyteller, I like to find my material, my stories in the real world. I then imbue them with a setting, a context and characters that find a voice to cut across the real and bring to life a message in my work that needs to be repeated constantly. My most recent work which came...
KASHISH 2021: Renuka Shahane and Onir join this year’s Advisory Board
KASHISH 2021 is scheduled to be held between May 20-30, 2021 under the theme ‘Unlock With Pride’ KASHISH is proud to announce that popular actress Renuka Shahane and national award winning filmmaker Onir have joined its Advisory Board, along with previous eminent board members like theatre personality Dolly Thakore, National award winning filmmaker Arunaraje Patil, president of Whistling Woods Meghna...
KASHISH 2021: Film Submissions open for South Asia’s biggest LGBTQI Film Festival
The twelfth edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is scheduled to be held online next year from May 20 to 30, taking into consideration the prevailing pandemic situation. The organisers have mentioned that they are still considering a two day on-ground festival if the situation improves, a decision which will be taken only in February 2021. Festival director Sridhar...
Director Ram Kamal’s Rickshawala travels to Melbourne and Madrid
After winning the hearts of critics and audience worldwide for his film Season's Greetings, now author turned director Ram Kamal Mukherjee is gearing up for his third feature film Rickshawala, set in the heartland of Kolkata. The Indian film has been selected at the prestigious ImagineIndia International Film Festival in Madrid, Spain, and also been selected at 11th International...
Priyanka Chopra Jonas co-produced Evil Eye to release this month on Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios' upcoming film Evil Eye is a gripping thriller with a suspenseful and chilling storyline. Produced by Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Jason Blum (Get Out), Evil Eye is set to take audiences on twists and turns to explore a dark past and tense family secret. Amazon Studios are bringing one of the most popular audio plays to life with this upcoming release. The film is based on the audio play written...
Arun Fulara’s “My Mother’s Girlfriend” bags the KASHISH QDrishti Film Grant 2020
Anjum Rajabali, Arunaraje Patil, Onir, Neeraj, and Sridhar Rangayan select the winner at an online pitching session The result for the 2020 edition of the much anticipated KASHISH QDrishti Film Grant, the launch of which was covered back in May, which gives Rs.2,00,000 to a filmmaker to make a LGBTQ film is out. The winner is Arun Fulara for his...
Teacher turns author to keep Gujarati alive for future generations
Growing up in a multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual London has been a key factor in shaping my identity. I am British – born and bred. A true Londoner. And I am as Indian as they come. My childhood was an Indian one, from the food, the language, the weekend activities, to the way I interact with people; my experiences have...
Tales from the lockdown
From the minds of Samar and Ashish Hingorani come a collection of stories that follow three characters adapting to the new "normal" in these days of coronavirus. The illustrations are by Lakshmi Hingorani. Enjoy. NOTE: the controls to move back and forth through the pages are at the bottom of each page.
Imaginative animation sensitively shares LGBTQ issues in KASHISH 2020’s QToons programme
Cartoons have had a long history, predating cinematography. Little flip books were around before the movies arrived. There have been the powerhouses of Disney and Warner Brothers who brought us Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, right through to the modern computer generated animations of Pixar and others. Magical The magic, and core power, of animation is that it allows the director...