KASHISH 2016 | Movie Review

Movie: Trade Queen | 7 min

pic courtesy: madisz.ro 

Country: Germany (2015)

Director: David Wagner

Ordinary sales men by day, extraordinary excitement by night! Mr. Jonas and Mr. Schmidt have boring and normal day jobs and go to every door selling pots. They add life to their lives by Mr. Jonas spending his evening drinking whiskey and in pubs whereas Mr. Schmidt turns himself into a drag queen!

Shot in black and white format with no dialogues, this 7 minutes film will certainly keep you awake and make you do some soul-searching.

Movie: No Matter Who (A Qui La Faute) | 19 minutes

pic courtsey: prod3.agileticketing.net

Country: France (2015)
Director: Anne-Claire Jaulin
Cast:
Ilys Barillot as Marie (Alpha female/Bully)
Louisiane Gouverneur as Lise

A Kiss That Changed Everything! When a French girls scout go on a trail, Lise who is a lesbian becomes the centre of attraction as the alpha girl of the group kisses her in the woods. Being docile and sweet, Lise soon finds herself being ridiculed and outcasted from the troop.

Adding to the severity of the abuse, Lise is awakened in the middle of the night and taken deep into the forest, tied to a tree and her long mane chopped as a sign of punishment.

When the movie ends with the ring leader finding herself facing Lise's intense glare, the movie brilliantly portrays the juxtaposition of the abuse being fought with confidence and silencing hatred by doing what defines you!

Awards:
Festival du Film de Cabourg
Best Actresses: Ilys Barillot & Louisiane Gouverneur

North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Best Women’s International Short Film

Movie: He Who Has Two Souls (Celui Qui A Deux Âmes) | 17 minutes

pic courtesy: studio-wasia.com

Country: France (2015)
Director: Fabrice Luang-Vija
Music: Terje Isungset 

Fantasising on men and women, Fabrice Luang-Vija's He Who Has Two Souls gives life to a man's dilemma. Living in a snowy wonderland, the hero is beautiful as a woman and handsome as a man. The interludes of repeated animated stills of his confusion adds volumes to his gender fluid mindset.

His desire of being with someone who understands that sometimes he wishes to sow or sometimes go out in the cold and hunt for fishes resonates with the feeling of being accepted that lingers in the minds of each and every one.

Awards:
Yoram Gross Award for Best International Short Animation (Academy® Accredited) at Flicker Fest

More to come for Sunday's movies at Kashish Film Festival 2016! Stay tuned. 

-siddheshgarg

Morals of A Bengali Fakir Story

Women who give birth to Muslims are not circumcised themselves,
Women who give birth to Brahmins do not wear the sacred thread.

Pic courtesy: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JkNgeFKkHUM/maxresdefault.jpg

   A rhyme of Islamic learning, a poem going beyond mosques and spiritual teaching and a musical celebrating the journey of reaching divinity forms the essence of Bishar Blues documentary. Resonating on to the beats of Bengali homeland, Amitabh Chakraborty showcases the life of Bengali Fakirs in reelity. 

   Recording amidst the rhythm of ignored boroughs of West Bengal, these fakirs echo the universal knowledge of Marfat that is a Muslim community far from the mainstream practices of Shariat. The very essence goes back to the age-old baritones of Islam which by-passes the materialistic route between man and The Almighty.  Unlike the powerful Muslims, the simplistic living of the Prophet and succeeding Khalifas was the reason they could strike a connection with Allah.

   Mansoor Fakir who is one of the spiritual stars of this Partha Barman's discography reminisces the times when his devout Muslim father threw away the veil system within his Pathan rooted family. Further to this, his father created an ashram and would sing the songs of enlightenment with his fellow Hindu brothers.

People who have knowledge of the self know how God's workshop functions.

   Expanding the thread of knowing the inner you can lead to reaching God, this Best Non-Feature National Film Award recipient highlights the tales of brotherhood and building a link with the Almighty. With minimal Amit Debnath and Amitabh's edits, the film showcases the ethnic and geographical mix of Islam through Marfat's songs brilliantly. 

-siddheshgarg