Sisak, Harikatha Prasanga to be screened at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

The umbrella theme for the upcoming Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is diversity, focussing on the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) community, women and children.

The festival will screen 60 films under this theme in 20 languages. Critically acclaimed films from different regions of the India and its subcontinent, including Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh will be screened at the venues in Melbourne.

Among the Indian films to screen at the festival are My Son Is Gay, Harikatha Prasanga and Sisak.

My Son Is Gay, a Tamil film directed by Lokesh Kumar, showcases the dark reality of acceptance in the Indian society.

Ananya Kasaravalli's Chronicles of Hari (Harikatha Prasanga) documents the life of a male actor typecast in a female role, who begins to question his identity. The film has already won critical acclaim at the IFFI 2016 (International Film Festival of India) and Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2016.

Faraz Ansari's Sisak is a story of two gay men who meet and fall in love on a train journey in Mumbai.

Speaking about the film's selection at IFFM, Ansari said, "Thrilled to have Sisak selected at IFFM! Sisak is India's First Silent LGBTQ Love Story and the recognition, awards and accolades it has been winning across the world is extremely overwhelming. I wish I could've attended IFFM but I'll be in Sweden where Sisak is closing the Pride Week and opening one of Sweden's most prestigious film festival, Live at Heart. This is the first time an Indian film has got such an honor. I am sure that the audiences in Melbourne will be moved by Sisak and the story it portrays. Fingers crossed."

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will be held from 10 - 22 August.