NATASHA MENDONCA
Bombay-born filmmaker Natasha Mendonca’s home city has been a guiding light for much of her emerging career. Her latest short documentary, Jan Villa, concerns the impact of the 2005 floods on this post-colonial metropolis, weaving in stories of family and the concept of home. It’s currently gobbling up awards on the film festival circuit, though she says the most rewarding part of her work is not the awards, but “to fight for innovative films—a genuine cinematic language that aims to use pictures and sound in alternative ways.” In 2003, Bombay was also at the center of her world when she skirted India’s censorship laws to found Larzish, the country’s first film and video festival centered on sexuality and gender. Based in Bombay, Larzish inspired queer filmmakers in other cities around India to begin their own such festivals. Expanding queer visibility in India through film is one of Mendonca’s greatest feats, and it’s not without an agenda. “I’m grateful to be able to create queer imagery that is not for pure entertainment,” she says, “but is palatable to a mainstream audience.” –SJ
