At the recently concluded 17th KASHISH Pride Film Festival, the focus on Transgender and Non-Binary films, actors, filmmakers, performers and rights was a prominent feature. South Asia’s biggest LGBTQ+ film festival celebrated trans & non-binary narratives with an overwhelming shout out - on the screen and from the dais.
Festival Director Sridhar Rangayan reaffirmed KASHISH’s role as a social catalyst, “We squarely stand with the trans and non-binary community for their rights. This year more than 40% of films screened at the festival was about transgender & non-binary narratives.
We offered free registration to more than five dozen trans & non-binary individuals to attend the festival, thanks to our partnership with FLUX, who have been globally raising the profile of trans and non-binary individuals." The film festival screened 153 films from 43 countries at Liberty Cinema, Alliance Française and National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) between June 3rd to June 7th .
At the closing & award ceremony held on June 7th at Liberty Cinema, trans rights was celebrated by felicitating Spanish Trans actor Silver Chicón with the Best Performance in a Lead Role award for his performance in the feature film Ivan & Hadoum, for which the film’s trans screenwriter & director Ian De La Rosa won the Best Screenplay award.
Transgender performer Rani Kohenur’s smashing act alongwith Sona Mohapatra was the icing on the cake. But kicking off the trans visibility charge was a powerhouse panel discussion on June 4th at Liberty Cinema, that brought together prominent advocates and changemakers to dissect a critical truth: while media visibility has grown, true systemic equality remains a distinct battle for transgender and non-binary individuals.
The panel was moderated by equal rights campaigner Harish Iyer, known for involvement in landmark Supreme Court cases—including past battles for Section 377 decriminalization and marriage equality, and current petitions fighting for the right of LGBT+ individuals to donate blood.
Iyer opened the dialogue with a poignant provocation: "We have spent decades fighting to be seen. But somewhere between visibility and freedom, did we mistake representation for equality?"
The panel, supported by FLUX, a global trans-led organization, featured diverse, vital perspectives from advocates, creators, and community leaders on how media shapes and reflects queer realities. Radhika Nandgiri (aka Zainab Patel), Co-Chair of FLUX Mumbai and a lead petitioner challenging both the landmark NALSA judgment and the Transgender Amendment Act, spoke on the crucial intersection of corporate and social spaces needed to drive legal and systemic change.
Meghna Kulkarni, a mother of trans children, shared the deep impact of media on families, noting, "Cinema has had a profound experience on minds," highlighting its power to build empathy. Rayyan, an award-winning graduating student of filmmaking from Whistling Woods and an activist, called for an end to tokenism in industry storytelling.
They emphasized the need for "more nuanced conversations with well-etched characters that truly reflect queer realities." Raj Kanaujia, a dedicated social worker and trans man, expressed dismay over the on-going erasure and non-representation of transgender men in mainstream media, stating bluntly on the issue of misrepresentation: "Pehle representation hi nahi hai (Firstly, representation itself doesn't exist)."
Shine Rahman, a trans man bodybuilder with roots in Kerala, analyzed regional cinema from the South. He noted that while South Indian films are increasingly progressive in their themes, "it leaves us wanting for more" when it comes to complete, multi-dimensional inclusion.
Summing up the discussion, Harish Iyer noted: "Aren't we all working to just pass without getting noticed? In an Utopian world, society leads the way for cinema, but art and cinema can also play accelerator and lead society towards inclusion."
About KASHISH Pride Film Festival
KASHISH Pride Film Festival is South Asia's biggest LGBTQ+ film festival, and the first LGBTQ+ film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theatre. It is the first Indian LGBTQ+ festival to be held with approval by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India.
Founded in 2010, KASHISH has grown to become an important medium for exhibition, production and distribution of LGBTQ+ films and the most needed platform to nurture the Indian LGBTQ+ movement. KASHISH has been voted as one of the Top 5 LGBTQ+ Film Festivals in the World, and also one of the Top 5 Film Festivals in India.