“Love is not a sin.” These are words that Sitara, Swara Bhasker’s character in Sheer Qorma , wanted to hear from her late mother after coming out. But she never did.
This, and similar affecting elements of the queer experience, formed the underpinnings of the 8th edition of the Out and Loud Pune Queer International Film Festival, which saw the screening of more than 40 films and three panel discussions from May 24 to 26. In a tent adorned with cheery Pride flags on the campus of Max Mueller Bhavan/Goethe Institut, Pune, people gathered to watch films creatively reimagining painful or touching lived realities, and documentaries capturing powerful moments, centred around the queer community. Taking place shortly before Pride month (which is celebrated in June every year), the festival offered up assorted perspectives on queer lives, with feature films, shorts, documentaries and experimental narratives from across India and the globe.
It was organised by MIST LGBTQ foundation, with IBM as a title sponsor. Creating narratives The closing film and arguably one of the biggest draws of the festival was Sheer Qorma , directed by Faraz Asif Ansari. Soft, poignant and rich in detail, the film traces the story of Saira, a non-binary individual played by Divya Dutta, and their relationship with their mother (Shabana Azmi), strained further by the presence of Saira’s wife, Sitara (Swara Bhasker).
A still from Sheer Qorma with Swara Bhasker and Divya Dutta at the Out and Loud Pune .
