Corporates, Consulates Back KASHISH Pride Film Festival 2026 in Mumbai
Mumbai/IBNS: Corporates, consulates and organisations came together to support the 17th edition of the KASHISH Pride Film Festival, South Asia’s biggest LGBTQ+ film festival, held from June 3 to 7 across Liberty Cinema, Alliance Française de Bombay and the National Gallery of Modern Art.
The festival screened 153 films from 43 countries under the theme ‘Reflect, Resonate, Rejoice’, inviting audiences to reflect on the past, engage with contemporary realities and celebrate progress and victories.
A wide range of corporate houses, consulates, media organisations and institutions supported the festival as part of Pride Month, reaffirming their commitment to diversity, equality and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
“We celebrated our 17th year of the festival, and we came out stronger than ever with a diversified program and more venues,” said Sridhar Rangayan, Founder and Festival Director of KASHISH.
He said the continued support of partners was significant not only financially but also through participation in panels, support for screenings and filmmakers, and employee volunteering at the festival.
The Tourism Office of Spain in India was the Angel Partner and Country in Focus for KASHISH 2026.
“Spain is proud to partner with KASHISH Pride Film Festival 2026 as Angel Partner and Country in Focus,” said Elena Orland, Tourism Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain in India and Director of the Tourism Office of Spain in India.
She said the collaboration reflected Spain’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and LGBTQ+ rights while strengthening cultural and tourism ties between Spain and India.
The Venture Partners were Morgan Stanley, General Mills, TIAA India and FLUX Mumbai. Supporting Partners included KPMG, French Institute in India and the Government of Quebec in India.
Morgan Stanley’s Managing Director and Executive Sponsor of its India Pride and Ally Network, Manoj Gupte, said the festival provides a platform for LGBTQ+ storytelling, creative expression and dialogue, while promoting an environment where people can be their authentic selves.
Francisca Villamil, Senior Director, General Mills, said KASHISH celebrates the journey of “being, becoming, and belonging”, adding that every voice should be heard, valued and respected.
Queen Victoria Ortega, International President and Chief Visionary Officer, FLUX, said cinema can bring trans and queer narratives to the forefront and amplify trans and non-binary voices.
Several organisations, filmmakers and individuals also supported the festival through award partnerships. These included Lotus Visual Productions, K.F. Patil Charitable Trust, Wadia Movietone, Whistling Woods International, GagaOOLala, Samruddhi Studios, Keshav Suri Foundation, Tiger Baby Films, Kindling Films, and filmmakers including Vikramaditya Motwane, Guneet Monga, Renuka Shahane, Abhay Kulkarni and Ashish Sawhny.
The festival’s industry partners were Accord Equips and Iris Prize, while India Circus, Borges, 2.Oh! and Cold Lava were gifting partners. The LaLiT and Offscript Wines were hospitality partners.
Founded in 2010, KASHISH Pride Film Festival, earlier known as KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, is described as South Asia’s biggest queer film festival and was the first LGBTQ+ film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theatre.
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