Attend these two events to understand more about the LGBTQiA+ community

Watch LGBTQiA themed films on the big screen with 1200 people Thatrsquos the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Festival for you Considered South Asiarsquos biggest queer film festival KASHISH is currently on its 14th edition with 127 films from 45 countries which can all be viewed online while 110 films from 41 countries will be screened offline as well ldquoKASHISH debuted in 2010 after the reading down of Section 377 by the Delhi High Court We started with Patrik Age 15 a Swedish feature film with one screen at PVR Cinema Juhu that had 125 seats Crowds were queuing up for showsrdquo says festival director Sridhar RangayanSridhar RangayanOver the years KASHISH has been instrumental in advocating equal rights sensitising society to LGBTQiA issues and nurturing queer filmmakers in India Rangayan observes that films have moved from romcom and entertainment to reflect a more nuanced world view ldquoWe are seeing an increase in Indian LGBTQ centric submissions from 22 films in the first year to 90 this yearrdquo says Rangayan ldquoTheir quality has also improved drasticallyrdquo he shares ldquoThe narratives have shifted from angstridden whoamI whatamI kind of films to dealing with realities of LGBTQ personsrsquo lives in everyday situationsIt has also shifted from urban centric topics to rural and semiurban environmentsrdquoThe theme for the year is ldquoBe Fluid Be Yourdquo ldquoItrsquos giving wings to aspirations of the contemporary generation that is fluid in thoughts actions and sexualitiesrdquo says Rangayan ldquoThis is expressed through films art and poetry and is universal in appealrdquo Some nottomiss movies this year include Ektara Collectiversquos Ek Jagah Apni and Tsuyoshi Shojirsquos Old NarcissusWHAT KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film FestivalWHERE Liberty Cinema and Alliance Franccedilaise de BombayWHEN June 7 to 11PRICE Rs 999 onwardsTO BOOK insiderinRang deSocials Satrangi Mela is back with a much bigger celebration this Pride month ldquoWe started as an online edition in June 2020 and soon realised that the community needs spaces to create awareness and interact with each other through art and culturerdquo says Pearl Daruwalla Manager of Diversity and Inclusion at Impresario Handmade Restaurants Their first offline session was in November 2021 and since then they have had more than 15 editions across the countryBesides a flea market place Satrangi Mela also has performances such as drag showcases open mic theatre productions and a DJ and live music during the partySatrangi Mela is an allday marketplace for queer businesses and artistes As the day progresses expect open mics flashmob drag shows and theatre productions which ultimately lead to a party ldquoWe donrsquot believe that Satrangi Mela or awareness has to happen only during Pride monthrdquo says Daruwalla ldquoThat is why we do it all around the year not just for the community but also for alliesrdquo Besides a flea market showcases and performances this edition will also have face and body painting tarot card reading tattoo artistesmdashall of which will eventually melt into a discothemed ballPearl DaruwallaWHAT Satrangi Mela Pride EditionWHERE antiSOCIAL Lower ParelWHEN June 11 2 PM onwardsPRICE till 5 PMTO BOOK insiderinmiddayrsquos top three movies to miss work forPine ConeDir Onir105 min India HindigtgtgtThese are three stories from the life of filmmaker Sid Mehra as he negotiates relationships in the search for love The stories are in reverse chronological order 2019 2009 and 1999 A human being is a human being and love is love and Sid while proudly gay is not defined by it and refuses to apologise prejudices be damnedThe Law of LoveDir Barbora Chalupovaacute89 min Czech Republic CzechgtgtgtCzech society may seem LGBTQiA friendly but when it comes to the raging issue of legalising samesex marriage ignorance and hatred suddenly seem to make an appearance Czeslaw and his companions run a campaign to show that the fight for LGBTQiA rights in Europe is a long way from overMama BearsDir Daresha Kyi90 min USA EnglishgtgtgtDid you know there are more than 32000 mothers in America many from conservative Christian backgrounds who fully accept their LGBTQiA children They call themselves Mama bears because while their love is warm and fuzzy they fight ferociously to make the world kinder and safer for all LGBTQiA folks