Swara Bhasker, Divya Dutta, and Shabana Azmi will star in the short film “Sheer Qorma,” which will have its world premiere at the BAFTA Qualifying Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival. The festival, which is regarded as the world’s largest queer film exhibition event, will take place from June 10 to June 27.
The film is based on an LGBTQ+ theme and tells the story of love and acceptance through the characters of Swara, Divya, and Shabana Azmi.
#SheerQorma will have its World Premiere at the prestigious @BAFTA Qualifying @framelinefest, San Francisco! 🏳️🌈 Couldn’t have asked for a better & bigger opportunity for our film! Elated & grateful! ♥️ @futterwackening @MARIJKEdeSOUZA @AzmiShabana @divyadutta25 @ReallySwara pic.twitter.com/8yKzxfD9bu
— Faraz Arif Ansari (@futterwackening) May 26, 2021
“Love should not be judged, it should not be restricted, and it should not be confined. ‘Sheer Qorma’ is a touching story about having the freedom to choose who you love. We are overjoyed to see our labour of love transcending borders and receiving recognition on a global stage like the Frameline Film Festival. This has come as a ray of happiness and hope in these dark times “IANS spoke with Shabana Azmi.
Swara Bhasker added: “(I am) Super excited for the fact that the world premiere of ‘Sheer Qorma’ is going to be at the BAFTA Qualifying Frameline. It’s a story that needs to be platformed well, a story that needs to be presented well, a story that needs to reach out to as many people as possible within India, outside of India because again it’s such a universal tale of our time. I think is very important for these stories to be heard.”
Divya Dutta said: “I think it’s a huge deal to qualify for Frameline at the BAFTA. BAFTA itself is the most prestigious festival we have and it’s not easy to qualify at Frameline. So, I think to get out there and be the first to be there — that is the biggest platform for us.”
Directed Ansari said: “I am elated and grateful to have such a prestigious world premiere for Sheer Qorma. It is such a massive honour and feels like such a huge win for us. Frameline is the world’s biggest queer exhibition that celebrates the best queer cinema from across the world. I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better platform for our film to takes its first steps into the world.”
Producer Marijke Desouza added: “What drew me to the film is I liked how Faraz at the scripting level itself had delicately handled the topic of a non-binary & a queer person’s love story while concentrating on the relationship on a parent and child. It made me feel this could be anyone’s love story. It does not have to fit into a queer box but it does so effortlessly and naturally. So I was confident we had a beautiful film to share with everyone.”
The trailer of the film was released early last year. The short film’s release date is yet to be announced.
