Too Desi Too Queer: Shorts Film Programme

Director: Various

Run time: 100 mins | Recommended Certificate: 18

Language: Multiple languages with English subtitles. | Year: 2025-26 | Country: Bangladesh, India, United Kingdom

This now legendary LGBTQIA+ showcase is back with a fresh crop of inspiring, thought- provoking short films and Q&A discussions. This year, these UK premieres have been programmed in association with Rainbow Noir, Manchester. We have films for all the community, and you’ll have your chance to share your thoughts on these films with engaging discussions afterwards, exploring struggles, joy, empowerment, connection and mental and physical wellbeing.

Too desi Too Queer Short Film Programme

Warm Shadows (Nighiyaan Chhavan)
Dir: Aakash Chhabra | 15 mins | Panjabi
A son returns from abroad only for his mother to reveal a secret she’s been hiding all his life leading to an exploration of longing, memory, and unspoken tensions through the lens of a mother-son relationship.

Ruse
Dir: Rhea Shukla | 10 mins | Hindi, English with English subtitles
On a rainy afternoon, three teenage girls practise a dance that begins to evolve, balancing between innocence and newfound awareness.

A Thing About Kashem
Dir: Bijon Imtiaz | 17 mins | Bengali with English subtitles
A married man’s unexpected bodily reaction, at the wrong time and in the wrong place, plunges him into a midlife crisis, forcing him to confront his identity and desires.

Body of Our Own
Dir: Rahemur Rahman, Lily Vetch | 25 mins | Hindi, English, Bengali with English subtitles
Filmed over the course of six years, this documentary shows the resilience and sisterhood of three Hijra women.

Tara
Dir: Ashutosh S. Shankar | 23 mins | Hindi, English with English subtitles
A Dalit trans woman navigates love and identity after falling for an upper-caste man, forcing her to confront the silence around her caste.

Almari Ka Achaar (Cupboard Pickle)
Dir: Raakesh Rawat | 20 mins | Hindi with English subtitles
In the narrow lanes of Mumbai, two middle-aged migrants from Rajasthan preserve a lifelong love in silence – hidden behind the shelves of a kirana store and sealed inside a pickle jar tucked away in an old cupboard.

Q&A and debate in partnership with Gay Indian Network (GIN) and other LGBTQIA+ partners.

Event Details