Anand, a 30-something city dweller compelled to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in the rugged countryside of western India, tenderly bonds with a local farmer who is struggling to stay unmarried. As the mourning ends, forcing his return, Anand must decide the fate of his relationship born under duress.

Making history as the first Marathi film to screen at Sundance in 2025, Cactus Pears weaves a tale of grief, micro-migration, and class commentary all while cradling a heartfelt queer romance at its core. Director Rohan Kanawade artfully delves into the everyday goings of rural Maharashtra, drawing attention to an implicit (and sometimes not) intimate look at queer rural life. Loosely based on the director’s own life, Cactus Pears is awash with stretching silences that echo with untapped desire and rich inner worlds that ache to be in the light. Having won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at Sundance, this film holds your heart with the most careful of hands and remains in your mind like streaking sunsets across dusty plains. 

Presented in partnership with our friends at GAZE International LGBTQIA+ Film Festival

PRE-FEATURE SHORT:

Shame (عيب). Dir. Hadi Moussally. 4 mins, Lebanon, 2024, Digital, Subtitled

In the 19th-century Levant, Salma Zahore posed with family and neighbours for a long-exposure photograph. At the end, she removed her coat, unaware her simple gesture would spark scandal and shame (عيب) in her community.

Screening as part of Queer Spectrum Film Festival