Taking pride in queer identities, breaking the stereotypes of gender binary, and accepting one's sexuality were some of the themes of winning entries at a queer film contest here.
As part of the celebration of the ongoing Pride Month, Blued, a social networking application for the queer community, organised 'Blued Queer Flicks' where short movies on LGBTQ topics from independent filmmakers were invited.
Five winning entries, from a total of 60, were screened at the Russian Centre of Science and Centre on Friday.
From the journey of a transgender woman towards motherhood to the ordinary lives of middle-aged men who dream to abolish concrete societal boundaries, the films portrayed a mix of emotions, trials, and tribulations of the queer.
Sumit Pawar for "Khwaaish" and Shruti Kulkarni for "Outcast by Birth" jointly took home the first prize for their respective short films.
While "Khwaaish" showed the life of a middle-aged man's desire to find a same-sex companion in a city that refuses public acceptance of alternate sexualities, "Outcast by Birth" attempts to reflect upon the social problems faced by the many Indians who consider themselves LGBT by birth.
The second position was held by Praveen Vinxx for "The Holy Mother", while Yadavendra Singh for "The Mirror" and Naveen Tokas for "Inaayat" took home the third and fourth prize, respectively.
Speaking at the event, Anjali Gopalan of Naz Foundation acknowledged the unavailability of spaces for showcasing narratives on sensitive issues of the LGBT.
"I didn't think this was possible in India. This is the first online LGBT short film contest done in India. People should be aware of the needs of this community, which is why we need more of such events," she said.
She also added that the there was an "urgent need to have anti-discriminatory laws which would empower the queer".
Apart from trying to bring queer voices to larger audience, the organisers said that the social media platform is also running a anti cyber-bullying campaign.
"The team is collaborating with Queerythm, a support group for the LGBTQI community in organizing a anti cyber-bullying campaign, offering a 24/7 helpline to address incidents of harassments on dating platforms," Sanyam Sharma, Marketing Director, Blued, told PTI.
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