KASHISH 2021 From May 20; Onir, Renuka Shahane On Advisory Board

KASHISH is proud to announce that popular actress Renuka Shahane and national award winning filmmaker Onir have joined its Advisory Board, alongwith previous eminent board members like theater personality Dolly Thakore, National award winning filmmaker Arunaraje Patil, president of Whistling Woods Meghna Ghai Puri and communications specialist Roy Wadia.

Sridhar Rangayan, festival director, said, "We are thrilled to announce reconstitution of the KASHISH Advisory Board, with inclusion of two amazing members - Renuka Shahane and Onir, two young, accomplished creative persons who will add great value to the already eminent board. Together we are looking forward to building a progressive and inclusive festival."

"I am so happy to be on the Advisory Board of KASHISH. It will give me the opportunity to spread the message of inclusivity and break prejudices about the LGBTQIA community that still exist. To change the mindset of people is a long, uphill struggle. Film festivals like KASHISH are very important as they have been instrumental in pushing the envelope in changing the attitude of people. KASHISH also gives the LGBTQIA community a secure, loving space for artistic expression and social interaction. I am looking forward to being a part of the change I would like to see, one step at a time, towards unconditional inclusiveness and equality and towards a society where all love is considered equally valid and beautiful!", said Renuka Shahane whose film Tribangha as director will be releasing on Netflix soon.

"It's a privilege to be in the advisory board of the largest queer film festival in South Asia . I look forward to working with the team and looking at how we can have better representation of all the shades in the queer lives spectrum, be it in the films we screen or the people behind the scene. We also want to work towards being more inclusive in trying to have narrative representation from smaller towns and also in various languages", said Onir who is currently working on his dream project We Are, a sequel to his national award winning film I Am.

The organizers said the Advisory Board met recently virtually and discussed the way ahead for the festival.

KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, South Asia's biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival, is being held May 20-30th, 2021 virtually again this year, with a possibility of a one or two ground event. The organizers have announced the theme for the festival, which is 'Unlock With Pride', representing the festival's mission to unlock geographical & racial barriers, and encourage love & acceptance of LGBTQIA+ individuals, and thereby unlock a new normal of hope for everyone.

Film submissions to KASHISH 2021is open currently to all formats of long and short films from around the world, dealing with LGBTQIA+ themes. Filmmakers can submit through FilmFreeway : https://filmfreeway.com/KASHISH2021

For more information about KASHISH, please check http://mumbaiqueerfest.com