After a highly successful theme of ‘Women Empowerment’ in 2016, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) has chosen the theme of ‘Diversity’ this year. In accordance with the theme, there will be as many as 60 plus films from different regions of the Indian subcontinent across 20 languages that will be screened at the festival. IFFM 2017 begins today and will continue till August 22.

In the celebration of ‘Diversity’, the festival also has a line up of films that celebrate diversity of the LGBTQ community. An array of films celebrating sexuality, showing the gruesome realities and also displaying love without genders has been curated and selected for screenings at this year’s festival.

Amongst the selected films are My Son is Gay, a Tamil movie directed by Lokesh Kumar, which showcases the dark reality of acceptance prevailing in our society. The film will have its world premiere at this festival. Chronicles of Hari, a Kannada film directed by Ananya Kasaravalli revolves around a traditional male theater group where Hari is typecast in a female role, which leads him to question his identity. Sisak, the silent film by Faraz Ansari, is a story of two gay men in Mumbai, who meet and fall in love on a train journey.

Speaking about his film’s selection, Faraz Ansari, Director, Sisak said, “Thrilled to have Sisak selected at IFFM! Sisak is India’s First Silent LGBTQ Love Story and the recognition, awards and accolades it has been winning across the world is extremely overwhelming. I wish I could’ve attended IFFM but I’ll be in Sweden where Sisak is closing the Pride Week and opening one of Sweden’s most prestigious film festivals, Live at Heart. This is the first time an Indian film has got such an honor. I am sure that the audience in Melbourne will be moved by Sisak and the story it portrays.”