Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 22 (ANI): India's first-ever LGBTQ film, 'Badnaam Basti' will open at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM).

The organisers confirmed the news on Tuesday, stating that the screening will take place during the IFFM Pride Celebratory Night on August 22. The event aims to offer a 'powerful tribute' to queer cinema and queer South Asian identity in Australia.

Originally released in 1971, Prem Kapoor's 'Badnaam Basti' is dubbed as India's first queer-themed film, also a 'lardmark' in LGBTQIA+ cinema.

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It focuses on the story of a bus driver and a cleaner, subtly redefining queer representation at the time.

The festival organisers also confirmed the screening of filmmaker Onir's 'We Are Faheem & Karun'--another 'tender queer love story.

Navigating through a moving portrait of identity, friendship, and love, the film speaks to today's youth and breaks barriers with heart and honesty, the organisers added.

Speaking about the same, IFFM director Mitu Bhowmick said, 'At IFFM, we believe cinema has the power to connect and create conversations. It is our responsibility to reflect on the world we live in, with all its beautiful diversity.'

Reflecting on the Pride Night, she emphasised that it will not just celebrate queer identity but also reclaim the space that had been long denied to LGBTQIA+ narratives in Indian cinema. Bhowmick said that films like 'Badnaam Basti' and 'We Are Faheem & Karun' will honour the past and embrace a future of inclusive storytelling, as per the press release.

The IFFM 2025 marks 16 years of the largest Indian film festival held outside the country.

Officially backed by the Government of Victoria, Australia, the festival will screen nearly 75 films, spanning across themes of gender, race, sexuality, disability, and women's representation. (ANI)