Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai is Associate Partner of the festival to be held in Mumbai from June 12-16, 2019.

The Consulate General of Canada was an associate partner with the KASHISH Mumbai Queer International Film Festival for the tenth edition of the event from June 12-16, 2018. The film festival was held at two iconic venues in South Mumbai -- Liberty Carnival Cinemas and Metro Inox.

This is Canada’s sixth consecutive year of support at KASHISH, with14 Canadian films being screened at South Asia's biggest LGBTQ film festival, including in the competition categories for the top awards.

This year there will also be a special guest Amrit Sandhu, the lead actor of Canadian film 'Roobha', which is competing in the Best Narrative Film category, will be an added attraction. One of the highlights of Canada’s support is the key event the powerhouse panel discussion 'Mainstreaming LGBTQ Narratives'which will have festival guest Canadian actor Amrit Sandhu as a speaker on Saturday June 15th at 4:30pm, co-sponsored by Consulate General of Canada and Keshav Suri Foundation.

Annie Dubé, Consul General of Canada in Mumbai confirms “Canada is proud to have supported the KASHISH Mumbai Queer International Film Festival for the sixth consecutive year, “We believe that KASHISH is an important forum to build awareness and promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Working with partner organizations around the world is one important way that Canada supports inclusion. What was exciting about this year? We are pleased to support the participation of Amrit Sandhu lead actor of Canadian film Roobha. We are also pleased that the festival line-up includes 14 Canadian films. Congratulations to Team KASHISH on putting together one of Asia’s best queer film festival. See you there!”

"Canada has been a torchbearer in terms of LGBTQ rights, but more importantly they have also been embracing of LGBTQ diversity as well as racial and ethnic minorities. The films from Canada, which were screened at KASHISH 2019 are a testimony of it. Whether it is the centerpiece documentary feature 'Our Dance Of Revolution' about the black LGBTQ community, or the narrative feature 'Roobha' which is about a Sri Lankan Tamil family in Canada, or some of the South Asian short films from Canada, the diversity is astounding. The Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai has been a huge supporter of LGBTQ rights and been part of so many initiatives here, including KASHISH which they are supporting for past several years", said Sridhar Rangayan, festival director of KASHISH.

KASHISH 2019

Around 160 LGBTQ films from 43 countries were screened at the 10th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival from June 12-June 16, 2019. This includes 31 short and feature length films from India. South Asia's biggest LGBTQ film festival was held at two of Mumbai city's iconic theatres - Liberty Carnival Cinemas and Metro Inox.

KASHISH 2019 Theme

KASHISH 2019 festival theme ‘Over The Rainbow’ not only commemorates the reading down of Sec 377 and decriminalization of same-sex relationships in India, but also defines the challenges in store for the LGBTQ community’s journey towards empowerment and social acceptance. Bringing together films from all over the world as well as panel discussions and performances, the festival will showcase the shared struggles and victories, and offer a window to existing and future possibilities. Let’s together journey over the rainbow to discover the land of equality & dignity.

About KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival

Voted as one of the Top 5 LGBT Film Festival in the World, KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is South Asia's biggest queer film festival and the only LGBT film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theatre. Founded in 2010, KASHISH is held over 5 days at three venues. It is the first Indian LGBT festival to be held with approval by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India. KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is presented by KASHISH Arts Foundation and organized by Solaris Pictures. Besides the annual film festival its other initiatives are KASHISH Forward - India’s first travelling campus LGBTQ film festival, KASHISH Global – that facilitates screening of Indian LGBTQ films across the world, Best of KASHISH film screenings and KASHISH Chalchitra Utsav – a festival of LGBTQ films in regional languages.