#reeldesires

Click on this link to download the brochure for Reel Desires, Chennai International Queer Film Festival 2025.

This online festival can be accessed via Zoom.

Reel Desires: Chennai International Queer Film Festival  #CIQFF2019, will be held on August 2, 3, and 4, 2019. We seek submissions of Indian and international feature films, shorts and documentaries on the themes of sexuality and gender diversity.  

Reel Desires #CIQFF2019 comes in the wake of India’s 2018 Supreme Court landmark decision in Navtej Singh Johar and Ors. vs. Union of India that read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, thereby decriminalising consensual relationships among adults. As LGBTIQA+ collectives in India take on the task of increasing inclusion and reducing discrimination on the ground, we also work to engender change in hearts and minds, a task substantially more challenging than legal reform. One way we do this by participating in and producing cultures that reflect both the universality and specificity of our experiences. We at Reel Desires invite films, both Indian and international, that augment and enrich these cultures.

Submissions to #CIQFF2019 may be made online here.

The organizing collective of Reel Desires, Chennai International Queer Film Festival 2016 would like to thank all the volunteers, supporters, filmmakers, cultural performers, technicians, panel discussants, and media persons who helped make it a success. 

Some of the media coverage and curtain-raisers are linked below. 

http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-lowdown-on-chennai-international-queer-film-festival-2016/article8911242.ece

http://indulge.newindianexpress.com/screen-pride-2/section/56671

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Queer-film-festival-to-focus-on-struggles-of-community/articleshow/53407275.cms

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/viral-and-trending/250716/bringing-reel-desires-to-life.html

A write-up of Day 2 is below:

Day 2 of #ReelDesires #CIQFF2016 began with Máscaras, David San Juan's hilarious take on love and revenge. Taejha Singh Susheela's lavani performance piece was greatly appreciated, as was his introduction to the Marathi folk dance form and its variants in 17th century Tanjavur.

Directors Akhil Sathyan (That's my Boy) and Aaditya Joshi (Darwaaze) had travelled to Chennai for the filmfest, and received much applause for their films. While Akhil has already garnered awards for his documentary on transman Sonu, Aditya's world premiere of Darwaaze received enthusiastic response for its portrayal of a very real problem faced by queer couples - finding and keeping housing. Sanyogeeta Bhave's performance as the Puneri housewife who is curious about, then warms up to, the nice boys next door, was stellar. As was Veena Nair's portrayal of the fierce mother in Vikrant Dhote / Srikant A. Krishnan's short Any Other Day. The film-fest premiere of Mridul George 's evocative Mattoru Katha (Yet Another Story) rounded off this year's selection of brilliant Indian queer shorts.

Many of the films today explored the theme of interpersonal and/or systemic violence: Jake Graf's Dawn, James Doherty's Breathe, Any Other Day, and Nancy Nicol's Sangini. The last-mentioned - a documentary on (late) Betu Singh and Maya Shanker and their work providing a safe place and crisis support for lesbians, bi women and transmen - highlighted the violence facing those of us assigned female at birth who step out of the bounds of imposed gender or (hetero) sexuality.

Gender- and sexuality-based violence formed the theme of the panel discussion that followed. Sankari, Kalpana Karunakaran, Ragamalika Karthikeyan and Shoba shared their experiences with raising awareness of, preventing or responding to violence faced by ciswomen and/or LGBTI people. The panel concluded with Sankari's tips for LGBTI youth to prevent situations from escalating into crises, and a call for women's rights and anti-DV movements to work together with queer/trans movements to eradicate gender-based violence. Post-panel discussions in the lobby around sensitizing shelters and short-stay homes on queer/trans issues suggested that the discussants had brought some of the audience closer to thinking about workable strategies. Special thanks to Kalpana Karunakaran and Shoba for gamely agreeing to be on the panel at the last moment. We missed Poongkhulali Balasubramanian and Swetha Shankar.