Watch: New doc on the Indian queer movement will make you feel warm and fuzzy

Hello, want to take a two minute break from whatever else you’re doing and feel warm and fuzzy about the Indian queer movement? Because I sure do. 

You’re in luck: Check out this trailer for a new documentary on the Indian queer movement, In the Mood for Love, which will be screened for the first time at the Open Frame film festival in Delhi on Sunday the 20th. The film features LGBT Indians reflecting on the role of love in their lives and guys, the trailer really makes me want to cuddle someone.

The film comes almost two years after the Indian Supreme Court voted to uphold Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, an 1860 British colonial law that criminalizes all forms of non-heterosexual/penetrative intercourse. While there are a bunch of other intersectional fights to be fought in the Indian queer movement (and good people fighting them), Section 377 remains a focal point of struggle. 

For filmmakers Sandeep Kr. Singh and Aakriti Kohli, many narratives of the Indian LGBT movement focus around oppression, so they wanted to make a film that told stories of normal queer people being awesome:

Indian films on the LGBTQ community have done phenomenally well in documenting stories of oppression and struggle, describing the historic ongoing struggle seeking legal recognition. But we also felt that there was room for discussing the idea of love and its many interpretations. It was a conscious decision on our part to look for stories of hope and triumph.

Or, as one of the people featured in the trailer said: 

I think the basic idea is to show how ordinary this love is, and how ordinarily extraordinary this love is. That’s it.

Ohmigosh this is as sweet as a big bowl of ice cream/low-key makeout sesh.

Transcript:

Voiceover: Human beings — we cannot be alone. That’s why constantly we need attention.

Voiceover: I think love is also born out of self love.

Voiceover: We met in Dilli Haat, INA Dilli haat. [talking over each other]

Voiceover: Love is starting from Radha-Krishna. It’s not about krishna and Arjun or, I don’t know.

Voiceover: I think what is more important to get at is to love is solidarity. So love brings solidarity with it.

Voiceover: I’m always on the lookout to sensitize people about different types of relationships [subtitles translated from Hindi]

Voiceover: My sister has an advantage because I am a lesbian — she can now marry anybody from any community. My mom will be glad that at least she is marrying a boy. [subtitles translated from Hindi]

Voiceover: Exactly — it’s the same with me. [subtitles translated from Hindi]

Voiceover: These landlords say you can’t bring female friends to your place. And I’m like, sure, no problem — only male friends will come.

Voiceover: I think the basic idea is to show how ordinary this love is, and how ordinarily extraordinary this love is — that’s it. Love is really just an emotion. It’s genderless.