Ritesh Batra and Gauri Shinde join Kashish 2021 Jury to honour LGBTQIA+ films

55 of these films are in competition, competing for a total cash award of Rs.1,90,000.

BAFTA Award nominated writer-director Ritesh Batra of Lunchbox and Photograph fame as well as Indian film director Gauri Shinde, critically acclaimed for English Vinglish and Dear Zindagi have joined the list of jury.

Besides, National Award winning cinematographer Satya Rai Nagpaul (Aligarh, Alms Of The Blind Horse, The Fourth Direction) alongwith eminent festival directors Cary Rajinder Sawhney (London Indian Film Festival) and Selvaggia Velo (River to River Florence Indian Film Festival) headline the KASHISH 2021 Narrative Jury panel.

Sridhar Rangayan, festival director, said, “We are super pleased to have such eminent and accomplished personalities on the KASHISH 2021 Jury panels, who bring in their very own rich and diverse experiences in the jurying process. Our team is mighty thankful to them for their amazing support and co-operation in the jurying process, during these challenging times."

"May the best film win, but let us celebrate the uniqueness of each and every film that is in competition, but also all the films screening at the 12 day film festival. Each one of them makes us reflect on our own privileges and shortcomings and offer a mega blockbuster of entertainment.”

The KASHISH 2021 Documentary Jury panel boasts of two National Award winners – two time National Award winning editor Bina Paul (Mitr, My Friend and Sthithi) and three time National Award winning filmmaker Nandan Saxena (Cotton For My Shroud, Candles In The Wind and I Cannot Give You My Forest) alongwith documentary filmmaker, curator, producer and distributor Gargi Sen.

National Award winning writer, filmmaker & academician Dr. Anjali Monteiro (A Fly in the Curry: Independent Documentary Film in India, DigiNaka: Subaltern Politics and Digital Media in Post-Capitalist India), writer, filmmaker and an Educator Ketki Pandit (Mansha Ki Shaadi , Clock In The Jungle ) and well-known actor, producer and teacher Viveck Vaswani (Khandaan, Nai Dishayen) are part of the KASHISH 2021 Student Shorts Jury panel.

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

“In times like these, where else can human expression and connection be felt more than through film or art? And KASHISH is special because it just is. The purpose, the philosophy itself is what makes it so. I am finally able to be part of this Jury and a part of a great team and am grateful for it," said Gauri Shinde, Filmmaker.

“Our lives are precarious once again; this time with a severity closer home like never before. Precarity is not new to a queer person. It is our constant companion, demonstrated daily by my trans sisters, mothers, trans brothers & lovers. I remind myself of this, as various institutions forsake us today," said Satya Rai Nagpaul, Director of Photography.

"One such space is the KASHISH Film Festival, that has unrelentingly placed the queer life in the public domain. It is an honour to be a part of its 12th edition and as one of the Narrative Jury members, to have the opportunity to affirm, endorse and claim stake to our collective queer lives," he added.

“I have heard of the path breaking programming of KASHISH over the years and it's an honour to be a part of it this year, as a part of the Documentary Jury. …I am so thrilled,” said Bina Paul, Vice Chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.

“I’m extremely excited to be a part of the Students Short Film Jury for KASHISH 2021. It’s an honour and my colleagues on the jury are also wonderful people! Am looking forward to seeing some unique short films, and these students are major filmmakers of tomorrow!" -Viveck Vaswani, Actor/Producer & Dean of the School of Contemporary Media at Pearl Academy.

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

KASHISH 2021 will be available to audiences not only in India, but also across the world.

Registration details to attend the festival can be viewed at the Attend tab on the festival website: http://mumabiqueerfest.com. Schedule and also program details can also be viewed there.