Updated
Faraz Arif Ansari’s Sisak, a silent short film on two men who love each other, has been denied a screening at an international film festival, DNA reports. In a letter to director and producer Ansari, the Tehran International Short Film Festival has cited resistance to gay, queer, LGBTQI issues in Iran as reason for turning the film down.
Silverscreen is waiting for clarification from the festival organisers and has also reached out Ansari for confirmation.
The Tehran Festival organisers reportedly told Ansari, “We truly love your film but given the socio-political scenario here, it will be absolutely impossible to allow the film to be a part of TISFF. You have made a great film, and it’ll go places.”
Sisak tells the story of two men who meet on Bombay’s local trains, and fall in love with each other. But they soon realise they cannot be with each other. The film has been claimed as India’s first LGBTQI silent short film.
The film gets its name from the Urdu word ‘sisak’, meaning a cry that is caught in one’s throat; an unexpressed emotion.
Recommended
Pic: Scroll.in
UPDATE:
The article was amended on March 18, 2007. Silverscreen had earlier incorrectly reported that the Washington West Film Festival had also refused to screen Faraz Ansari’s film. In fact, the Washington West Film Festival has not been at all in touch with Faraz Ansari or their representatives. Silverscreen had based our reporting on a DNA story on the same subject, which has since been changed.