Mumbai-based designer Pari Nirmal wins the KASHISH 2026 International Poster Design Contest, bringing the festival’s theme “Reflect, Resonate, Rejoice!” to life through a vibrant design celebrating queer identity, cinematic storytelling and collective pride.
The visual identity of one of South Asia’s most significant celebrations of queer cinema has found its face for 2026. Mumbai-based designer Pari Nirmal has won the KASHISH 2026 International Poster Design Contest, emerging from a pool of nearly 35 entries submitted by designers from across India.

The winning design will represent the 17th edition of the KASHISH Pride Film Festival, scheduled to take place in Mumbai from June 3 to June 7, 2026. Widely regarded as South Asia’s biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival, KASHISH has long been a vibrant platform for queer storytelling, dialogue, and visibility.
Nirmal’s design struck a deep emotional chord with the festival’s organisers, resonating strongly with this year’s theme — “Reflect, Resonate, Rejoice!”

A Design Inspired by Reflection and Celebration
For Pari Nirmal, the journey toward creating the winning poster began with her own experience at the festival. “My first experience at KASHISH last year opened up a whole new world for me,” she says. “When the poster competition was announced and I saw the theme ‘Reflect, Resonate, Rejoice!’, it immediately struck a chord.”

Her design grew out of that personal connection — and from a broader reflection on the pace and complexity of contemporary life. “In a time when we are constantly on the move, it is crucial to pause, reflect, and celebrate what we achieve — both individually and collectively,” she explains. “The design captures the vibrant, shared reality that KASHISH brings to life: a space where voices flow freely, emotions combine, and identities find expression.”

The poster visually captures this spirit through symbolic imagery and vibrant colour, representing the diversity, dynamism, and emotional depth of queer communities and stories. “This energy extends beyond the festival itself,” Nirmal adds, “contributing to a larger movement of visibility, understanding, and acceptance. The recognition reaffirms why I design — to listen closely, learn continuously, and create work that connects people. I am grateful that my design is the face of this year’s festival.”

Symbolism That Reflects Queer Stories Across Time

Festival director Sridhar Rangayan believes the design captures both the emotional and cinematic spirit of KASHISH. “The design is simple as well as complex,” he explains. “The way the hands almost touching each other connects the past and the present. The filmstrip shaped like an hourglass symbolizes stories across time.”

The poster’s layered symbolism reflects the continuity of queer narratives — stories of struggle, resilience, love, and pride that connect generations. “Vibrant colours and radiating patterns represent the diversity of LGBTQ+ voices and the emotional ripple of cinema,” Rangayan adds. “They invite audiences to reflect on identities, resonate with shared experiences, and rejoice in pride and community.”
It is precisely this emotional resonance that the festival hopes audiences will carry with them into the theatre.

The Theme: Reflect, Resonate, Rejoice
The theme for #KASHISH2026, “Reflect, Resonate, Rejoice!”, invites audiences to engage deeply with the full emotional spectrum of queer life. It calls on the community and its allies to look back with honesty and honour queer legacies, to allow personal truths to echo through shared experience, and to celebrate the powerful joy that binds communities together.
In many ways, the theme represents the journey of queer cinema itself — transforming deeply personal stories into universal experiences that transcend borders, languages, and identities.

The Poster That Will Travel Everywhere
As the winning designer, Pari Nirmal will receive the KASHISH Golden Butterfly Trophy along with a cash prize of ₹20,000. Her artwork will become the official visual identity of the festival and will appear across all festival creatives — including posters, billboards, cinema slides, merchandise such as T-shirts and coffee mugs, and a wide range of digital and print communication.
The design will therefore become the first image audiences encounter when they step into the vibrant world of KASHISH 2026.

Celebrating Queer Cinema in South Asia
Founded in 2010, the KASHISH Pride Film Festival has grown into a landmark cultural event for queer cinema in India and South Asia. It was the first LGBTQ+ film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theatre and the first to receive approval from the Ministry of Information &

Broadcasting, Government of India.

Over the years, KASHISH has become an essential platform for the exhibition, production, and distribution of LGBTQ+ films, while also nurturing conversations around identity, representation, and social change. The festival has been voted among the Top 5 LGBTQ+ Film Festivals in the World and is also widely recognised as one of the Top 5 Film Festivals in India.

As anticipation builds for the 2026 edition, the festival’s programming team is currently curating its line-up of films from across the globe. The full film programme will be announced in the coming weeks.
For now, the vibrant new poster by Pari Nirmal offers the first glimpse into what promises to be another powerful celebration of queer cinema, community and pride.

More information about the festival is available at

http://mumbaiqueerfest.com 

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