Devi (Goddess)

About the film

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2017

• Short

• 14 min

Drama, LGBTQ

Directed by Karishma Dev Dube

When Tara and her household maid are caught together at a dinner party, Tara must suddenly redefine who she really is according to society. This film, which stars Priyanka Bose from the Oscar Nominated film Lion, explores the realities of being a closeted lesbian in contemporary India.

Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, LA Film Festival, HollyShorts, Outfest LA, BFI London Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest, Raindance Film Festival, Provincetown Film Festival, Jaipur International Film Festival, London Film Festival (Education Programme), Side by Side LGBT Film Festival Russia, Shanghai Queer Film Festival, San Deigo Asian Film Festival

About the film

Extras

Director's statement

Devi portrays a family that exists outside the traditional definitions of families in urban India. This film is my attempt to better understand this familial relationship I have witnessed with our domestic help in India. It confused me as a child, and it still does so now. As a filmmaker, I am interested in narratives that stem from a rapidly evolving culture. Homosexuality, remains criminalized, is still vehemently opposed in my country. The film intends to examine the issues of class and sexuality within a contemporary Indian family setting - where tradition and social standing mean everything, and individuality and western influence are shunned and revered in the same breath. When Devi and Tara are discovered together, the three women must suddenly redefine who they are to each other according societal norms, revealing the relationship for what it really is.