Only in recent years have we seen some queer characters portrayed without stereotypes within Indian cinema. Rafiul Alom Rahman, director of The Queer Muslim Project (TQMP) notes, “In time, we have seen a shift where there is more content that talks about queerness or has queer characters but it’s still not coming from lived experiences or led by queer people. There is a need for more support for diverse storytellers weaving new and interesting stories about queer people in India. TQMP’s Queer Frames Screenwriting Lab was cultivated as an incubator to give necessary mentorship to storytellers.”

The programme is a four-month hybrid screenwriting programme providing mentorship for queer writers and filmmakers across India. It culminates this weekend with in-person workshops, participant networking and a public event comprising a screening of the French film Two of Us directed by Filippo Meneghetti, and panel discussion. Rahman explains, “We’re often told that queer stories will not reach a wider audience. But it’s important to understand that queer people can also tell masala stories, thrillers, love stories, tales of suspense. This is [one of the notions] the programme has tried to break.”