[2] The shorts, documentary and feature film submitted usually explore the intersections among sexuality/gender identity and other forms of marginalization, also including those based on gender, disability, immigrant/refugee status, caste, socio-economic class, religion, age, and race/ethnicity.
[4] This year’s selection includes a mix of shorts, documentaries, and feature-length films such as Impasse, Binary Error, All Men Should Have Shoes, Oas (Dewdrops), Pussy Cruising, Transcending Boundaries, and Neubau.
[5] In addition to the films, the festival will feature a play titled Neela Bhoomi, [6]directed by Tamilarasi R, which explores the life of a lesbian couple as they navigate the challenges of building a home together.
[8] Highlights among the short films included the award-winning After That Party by Lucas Drummond, the poetic Bodies of Desire by Varsha Panikar, and the world premiere of Sab Rab De Bande, a documentary on queer Sikhs by Sukhdeep Singh.
[12] In addition to film screenings, Reel Desires featured performances, a panel discussion, and the Chennai premiere of the multilingual play *Freedom Begum - In Search of Lost Stories* by Raahi, a Bengaluru-based group of sexual and gender minorities.
The festival primarily showcased works by local indigenous artists and media students, highlighting the challenges faced by grassroots activists and shedding light on realities often overlooked by the general public.
The festival opened with a poetry reading by Kalki Subramaniam, and concluded with a biographical theater performance by author and activist A. Revathi, titled *Vellai Mozhi*, directed by A.
Some notable movies were Sridhar Rangayan’s National Award-winning Breaking Free, Chennai-based Sairam Biswas’s It Adhu But Aanaal and also the acclaimed Aligarh.
The three-day event was from 11 to 13 July 2013 and some movies screened were Gay_Lonely, about a 30-plus gay man, Kuch Palon Mein, Veena Kulkarni's ‘Reminiscene of Ether’, Debalina Majumder’s ‘Ebang Bewarish (And the Unclaimed)’ among others.