Embracing Rainbow
Every individual likes to be identified differently irrespective of the sex they are assigned from birth. That’s where we need to understand what separates gender from sex and some art festivals are already getting it right for us.
Art aficionados are going to have a gala time this month as Kala Ghoda arts festival, one of India’s pioneering multi-cultural street art fest is coming this February in its 22nd edition. The 9-day festival starting from February 6 and continuing till February 14 has an array of creative events lined up. This includes immersive conversations on gender, film screenings, food demonstrations, fine arts showcase, performing arts programmes, virtual tours of historical places and more.
Heralding gender sensitization
One of the most anticipated events will be the two film screening events dated February 6th and 12th. One of them will showcase six riveting International short films presented by KASHISH Mumbai Queer Film Festival which has joined forces with Kala Ghoda fest for the third time.
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The films shall portray diverse experiences of LGBTQ and help fathom the complexities of gender and sexuality. The experiences showcased in films hail from USA, UK, Taiwan, Macedonia and Brazil emanating a multiplicity of narratives. The films have been either award winners or popular choice audience winner at KASHISH 2020 fest previously.
The 9-day festival has an array of creative events lined up that includes immersive conversations on gender, film screenings, food demonstrations, fine arts showcase, performing arts programmes, virtual tours of historical places and more
"Through KGAF 2021, we are able to amplify the voice of the still marginalized LGBTQIA+ community. While reading down of Sec 377 has removed the illegal tag attached to the community, social recognition and acceptance are yet to come by. Films serve a great purpose in creating awareness about the lives and aspirations of the community, and we are happy to be presenting two film programs and a panel discussion to Kala Ghoda Arts Festival audiences," says Sridhar Rangayan, festival director, Kashish.
Rainbow on the screen
The foreign films presented at the impressive lineup of the festival include ‘Breakwater’, ‘Neon Hearts’, ‘The Summer of 12’, ‘My Brother Is a Mermaid’, ‘We are dancers’ and ‘We Are Touch Screen’. They touch on the theme of freedom of identity and shows what it truly means to be free as a bird.
'Breakwater' directed by Cris Lyra is about a group of young lesbians that head on a trip to a remote beach for mental rejuvenation and emotional refuge. Their experience sets them liberated and helps them have ownership of their physical selves. Exploring the idea of freedom with edgy narrative, ‘Neon Hearts’ by Ana Jakimska too delved into how a middle-aged family man lives a secret life. Breaking the hetronormative notions takes a toll on personal relations too in the purview of rigid norms of society. Making a case in point is ‘The Summer of 12’ directed by Kuan-Ling Kuo that shows how the cusp of early puberty threatens to turn innocent friendship into something much more. Another film in the event ‘My Brother Is A Mermaid’ by Alfie Dale narrates the social realist fairytale about a trans-feminine teenager. The film examines how a child's unconditional love can be a strong force for good. On the other front, we have ‘We Are Dancers’ directed by Joe Morris that is centred around a drag queen. Charged with strong political undercurrents the film has a gripping story in gender discourse. Last but not the least, ‘Touchscreen’ directed by Arthur Halpern speaks about coming out of long-lived inhibitions and acknowledgement of identity and self-hood.
Discussion is key
A mere showcase of gender-sensitive films might add to cinematic pleasure but still not give words to the latent message. To make sure that the viewers are well-acquainted with the idiosyncrasies of queer community, a panel discussion will be held under the title ‘Trans Representation in Mainstream Media’ that shall shed light on the representation of transgender women in feature films released on OTT platforms and theatre. The discussion will bring together actors and content creators like award-winning director Ranjith Sankar (Nyan Marykutty), actor and producer Ashish Sharma (Khejdi), trans activist and actor Rudrani Chhetri to name some.
“I as an actor and an individual strongly feel that such discussions on inclusivity are very essential to bring about a sense of acceptance from all corners of the professional environment. An individual irrespective of gender choice is empowered if they are independent and are financially secure and that can only happen if equal professional opportunities are provided and an inclusive healthy work environment is created,” said Ashish Sharma.
With such art festivals championing inclusivity through art, all we can say is that it makes the horizon of thinking and creating more eclectic. This way art goes beyond pleasure and mirrors society!
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