Award winning Indian filmmaker and gay activist Sridhar Rangayan and his cast to attend the festival
Award winning Indian filmmaker and gay activist Sridhar Rangayan’s narrative feature Evening Shadows will have its World Premiere in Sydney at the 25th Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival on February 25th at the Event Cinemas.
Set in a small town in Southern India, the film Evening Shadows, is about a son coming out to his mother and the upheaval it causes within the traditional family and society around. It is a sensitive heartwarming film that underlines the challenges gay men continue to face in India to come out to their family, as well as question the dominant patriarchal social mores.
The film recently received a U/A certificate by the Indian censor board, in a landmark decision that offers hope to the Indian LGBTQ community.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better showcase for the World Premier of our film than Mardi Gras Film Festival, which is one of the oldest and most prominent film festivals celebrating its 25th edition this year. Our film not only underlines the challenges, but celebrates diversity. Audiences at the festival will get a close peek at the cultural and social conflicts Indian LGBTQ community faces even today, as well makes a strong plea for gender equality”, said Sridhar Rangayan, director of the film who has been invited by the festival to present the film.
Rangayan is also one of the Jury members to judge the ‘My Queer Career’ Australian short film competition at the festival, which is Australia’s largest competition for LGBTIQ short films.
Lisa Rose, festival director of Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival said, "It's rare for us to be able to program narrative features from India, especially ones that have such a universal and relatable story. I'm thrilled we will have its World Premiere and a number of the key players as festival guests."
Lead actor Mona Ambegaonkar, who plays the mother in the film, actor Kala Ramanathan and co-producer Maulik Thakkar will be joining Rangayan in Sydney to present the film. The film is co-presented by Trikone Australasia, a leading support group for South Asian LGBTIQ community in Sydney.
“A fitting premiere for a film that is destined to go far, the Mardi Gras Film Festival, Sydney has honoured us by hosting our World Premier. Evening Shadows is a true globe trotter! Born in the heart of Southern India it has leaped across hemispheres and continents already. It’s a matter of great pride that our film is being appreciated so much across the world and it validates all our hard work and all our hopes for the film. I am looking forward to our screening there with great anticipation and a pounding heart. I hope and pray that our simple and honest narrative will touch those who watch it", said actress Mona Ambegaonkar who plays the mother in the film.
Maulik Thakkar, a recent graduate from the University of Auckland, is one of the 180+ contributors to the film Evening Shadowscrowdfunding. With his generous contribution, he is one of the co-producers of the film and looks forward to the film’s first ever public screening, "A collaborative labour of love leads to this day at the Mardi Gras Queer Screen Film Festival. Evening Shadows is an invitation to a journey of self-reflection. It'd be my hope that everyone who watches it finds it thought-provoking. If there were a single phrase to describe what I am looking forward to, it would probably be that 'art works wonders when a myriad of perspectives engage with the craft of the filmmaker'. As the clock ticks toward the film's premiere, I find myself growing restless with excitement", he said.
After its World Premiere at Mardi Gras Film Festival, the film will have its Indian Premiere at the government-run Bengaluru International Film Festival end of the month and then its European Premiere at Roze Filmdagen film festival in Amsterdam on March 10th.
Trailer of the film can be viewed at https://youtu.be/iDpqasfWF9k
Tickets for the event can be bought at http://tix.queerscreen.org.au/
About the film EVENING SHADOWS
While gay rights and marriage equality has been embraced by most countries, a small town in Southern India lives within a cocoon of traditions and social morality. In such a milieu when a young gay man Kartik, comes out to his mother Vasudha, her entire world comes crashing down. She has no one to turn to dispel her fears and doubts, to understand her loving son’s truth. Moreover as a woman, trapped within a patriarchal conservative society, her biggest challenge is to deal with her dogmatic husband Damodar, and the conservative society around her. ‘Evening Shadows (Surmaee Shaam)’ is a universal story about a mother-son bonding and its emotional strength to withstand the ravages of time and harsh realities.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Evening_Sh
About the filmmaker SRIDHAR RANGAYAN
Sridhar Rangayan wears many caps – of a filmmaker, writer, activist and festival director. He has consistently strived to give a voice to social issues in India through his films, writings and public speaking for over two decades.
His award winning films The Pink Mirror, Yours Emotionally, 68 Pages, Project Bolo, Purple Skies and Breaking Free present hard-hitting social issues with warmth, compassion and humor; and are at the forefront of India’s emergent queer cinema movement. His film BREAKING FREE won the National Award for Best editing (non-fiction) and was also selected for the prestigious Indian Panorama by Directorate of Film Festivals, Government of India.
He has served as Jury for prestigious film festivals such as Outfest (USA), Berlinale (Germany), Iris Prize (UK) and Movies That Matter (Netherlands).
Rangayan was one of the Grand Marshals of Montreal Pride 2016 and had the honour of meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
He is the Founder Festival Director of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, which has over 8 years, become the biggest LGBTQ film festival in South Asia and an important event in Mumbai’s cultural calendar.
He is also one of the founders of India’s first LGBTQ organization The Humsafar Trust (founded in 1994) and worked with India’s first gay magazine Bombay Dost (started 1990) for two decades.
He has figured in the list of ‘Global List of LGBT Influencers’ by BFI Flare, UK; ‘5 most influential gay & lesbian Indians’ by Pink Pages, India; and ‘21 heroes changing LGBTI Asia for the better’ by Asia LGBT Milestone Awards, Hong Kong.
EVENING SHADOWS Screenings
Mardigras Film Festival, Sydney - February 25, 2018
Bengaluru International Film festival - Feb/March 2018
Roze Filmdagen, Amsterdam - March 10, 2018
Outfest Fusion, Los Angeles - March 10, 2018
Twitter: https://twitter.com/E
YouTube Trailer: https://youtu.be/iDpq