Heartening to see greater representation of queer people on screen: Kiran Rao
The Laapataa Ladies director serves as a jury member for the narrative segment of the upcoming edition of the Kashish Pride Film Festival, South Asia’s biggest LGBTQ film festival.
Filmmaker Kiran Rao says it is heartening to see LGBTQ stories finding space in mainstream filmmaking, even though the progress has been quite slow.
The Laapataa Ladies director serves as a jury member for the narrative segment of the upcoming edition of the Kashish Pride Film Festival, South Asia's biggest LGBTQ film festival.
Rao said the representation of queer people in films and web series has increased but more needs to be done.
"There's a long way to go before we can stop having to speak about queer issues with this specifically separate lens... But it's slowly happening, as we can see in many shows on OTT, there's a much greater representation of queer people and a more diverse representation, which is very heartening for filmmakers like me and in general, for us as Indians, because this is something I feel we should all be sensitive to.
"We all need to sort of grow and evolve as a society to not have to box people into this other kind of segment," the director told PTI on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday evening.
In some ways, cinema is a reflection of society, which needs to evolve with time, she said.
"It's wonderful that so much has changed in the last two decades in our country."
The 15th edition of the Kashish Pride Film Festival will be held from May 15 to 19 at Liberty Cinema, Alliance Française de Bombay and Cinepolis. Sridhar Rangayan serves as festival director.
During the festival, 133 films from 46 countries across categories will be showcased. The line-up also includes 10 films from transgender filmmakers.
Rao said she felt "incredibly lucky" when she was approached to serve as a jury member for the narrative segment of the festival. The other members on the panel are popular actors Sonali Kulkarni and Barun Sobti.
"For many years, I've wanted to participate and contribute in some way because I feel strongly about the community and the issues that the queer community faces.
"And, it is a lovely way to participate because I get to see films from all over the world. It's been a rich and diverse collection of films and a lot of fun interacting with my jury members, Sonali and Barun," he added.
She believes festivals like Kashish Pride are important as they create a space where many important issues can be discussed.
"I feel like it's helped the mainstream also in some way get to understand the issues that are faced by the queer community," she added.
Kulkarni, known for films such as Mission Kashmir, Dil Chahta Hai, Taxi Number 9211, and The Good Road, said mainstream cinema is slowly and positively accepting LGBTQ characters as a part of society.
"It's a welcome change and there is a lot of hope that I have in today's filmmakers, producers, storytellers, and writers. They are coming up with some brilliant ideas where we are not treating each other with helplessness or extra attention. We are taking each other in the face of life and that is fabulous," she said.
Forum brings UK and Chinese film professionals together to explore collaborations.
Emerging British-Asian talent gain mentorship and international exposure.
Small-scale dramas, kids’ shows, and adapting popular formats were the projects everyone was talking about.
Telling stories that feel real to their culture, yet can connect with anyone, is what makes them work worldwide.
Meeting three times a year keeps the UK and China talking, creating opportunities that last beyond one event.
The theatre was packed for the Third Shanghai–London Screen Industry Forum. Between panels and workshops, filmmakers, producers and executives discussed ideas and business cards and it felt more than just a summit. British-Asian filmmakers were meeting and greeting the Chinese industry in an attempt to explore genuine possibilities of working in China’s film market.
UK China film collaborations take off as Third Shanghai London Forum connects British Asian filmmakers with Chinese studios Instagram/ukchinafilm
What makes the forum important for British-Asian filmmakers?
For filmmakers whose films explore identity and belonging, this is a chance to show their work on an international stage, meet Chinese directors, talk co-productions and break cultural walls that normally feel unscalable. “It’s invaluable,” Abid Khan said after a panel, “because you can’t create globally if you don’t talk globally.”
And it’s not just established names. Young filmmakers were all around, pitching ideas and learning on the go. The forum gave them a chance to get noticed with mentoring, workshops, and live pitch sessions.
Which projects are catching international attention?
Micro-dramas are trending. Roy Lu of Linmon International says vertical content for apps is “where it’s at.” They’ve done US, Canada, Australia and next stop, Europe. YouTube is back in focus too, thanks to Rosemary Reed of POW TV Studios. Short attention spans and three-minute hits, she’s ready.
Children’s and sports shows are another hotspot. Jiella Esmat of 8Lions is developing Touch Grass, a football-themed children’s show. The logic is simple: sports and kids content unite families, like global glue.
Then there’s format adaptation. Lu also talked about Nothing But 30, a Chinese series with 7 billion streams. The plan is for an english version in London. Not a straight translation, but a cultural transformation. “‘30’ in London isn’t just words,” Lu says. “It’s a new story.”
Jason Zhang of Stellar Pictures says international audiences respond when culture isn’t just a background prop. Lanterns, flowers, rituals, they’re part of the plot. Cedric Behrel from Trinity CineAsia adds: you need context. Western audiences don’t know Journey to the West, so co-production helps them understand without diluting the story.
Economic sense matters too. Roy Lu stresses: pick your market, make it financially viable. Esmat likens ideal co-productions to a marriage: “Multicultural teams naturally think about what works globally and what doesn’t.”
The UK-China Film Collab’s Future Talent Programme is taking on eight students or recent grads this year. They’re getting the backstage access to international filmmaking that few ever see, including mentorship, festival organising and hands-on experience. Alumni are landing real jobs: accredited festival journalists, Beijing producers, curators at The National Gallery.
Adrian Wootton OBE reminded everyone: “We exist through partnerships, networks, and collaboration.” Yin Xin from Shanghai Media Group noted that tri-annual gathering: London, Shanghai, Hong Kong create an “intensive concentration” of ideas.
Actor-director Zhang Luyi said it best: cultural exchange isn’t telling your story to someone, it’s creating stories together.
The Shanghai-London Screen Industry Forum is no longer just a talking shop. It’s a launchpad, a bridge. And for British-Asian filmmakers and emerging talent, it’s a chance to turn ideas into reality.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.