Queer Kahaniyaan Film Series: ‘Trans Kashmir

Experience three powerful films centering queer stories from Kashmir, Pakistan, and the South Asian diaspora—'Trans Kashmir,' 'Joyland,' and 'The Queen of My Dreams.' This series invites South Asian and LGBTQIA+ community members in Williamstown to gather, reflect, and imagine new possibilities together. This student-curated series features one documentary and two feature-length films highlighting queer stories specifically in Kashmir, Pakistan, and the South Asian diaspora: Trans Kashmir (2022) (April 29), Joyland (2022) (April 22), and The Queen of My Dreams (2023) (May 6). Together, these films offer layered portrayals of queer identity, resistance, and belonging. The film series aims to foster a sense of community for South Asian and LGBTQIA+ folks around Williamstown, offering a space to connect, reflect, and imagine new ways of being together. This series is organized by Williams College Museum of Art Student Program Assistant Tashfa Zafar and is free and open to the public at Images Cinema. ‘Trans Kashmir’ (2022): Once entertainers and employees of the royal courts, they were believed to have mystical powers. Today they fight for dignity in life and death. This film is about the extreme hardships, resilience and beauty of Kashmir’s transgender community and their growing movement for basic human rights.