Vinay Giridhar’s debut indie feature documentary Emergence: Out Of The Shadows will get a double festival premiere in Mumbai in June as it has been selected for the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival as well as the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF).
Kashish 2022 is being held physically from 1–5 June at Liberty cinema in Mumbai and online from 3–12 June. Emergence: Out Of The Shadows is one of five films that will be screened in the Documentary Features competition section at the festival.
At MIFF, which is being held from 30 May to 4 June in a physical format at the Films Division complex in Mumbai, the film has been selected in the International Competition section for documentary films.
“As an emerging BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, People of Colour] filmmaker, I am so grateful that my film is being embraced by some of the biggest LGBTQ+ and South Asian film festivals in the world," Vinay Giridhar said. "I made Emergence: Out Of The Shadows to educate the South Asian and broader community and break down barriers so no kids are disowned because of their sexuality. I want to give hope and spread a message that we must all love one another and be kind.”
Producer and cast member Alex Sangha said, “Emergence: Out Of The Shadows had a shoestring budget and is really a community project. Many organizations, supporters and partners, largely from Surrey, Vancouver and other parts of British Columbia, came on board to finance the documentary. We are so grateful that our film is finding an audience and having an impact around the world.”
In addition to its screenings in India, the documentary is headed to Frameline: The San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival in California, where it is eligible for the Audience award for Best Documentary. The film will also be part of Frameline’s Pride Encore streaming window from 24–30 June.
Emergence: Out Of The Shadows won Best Film for Championing Change at the recently concluded UK Asian Film Festival (UKAFF).