Jasmine That Blooms in Autumn, a Bengali-language short film exploring elderly queer love, has been officially selected for its world premiere at the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2025. It is the only Indian film in the lineup and will follow up with another screening at the Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) later in March.
Directed by Chandradeep Das and written by Rahul Roye, who co-wrote the screenplay with Das, the film brings to light the silent struggles and quiet defiance of elderly LGBTQ+ individuals in a conservative society. It has been produced by Tushar Tyagi, Rahul Roye, and Nikita Ivanenko, with executive production support from Sein Lyan Tun and Abdullah Al Kandari.
Jasmine That Blooms in Autumn revolves around the clandestine love story of two elderly women, Meera (played by Sudipa Basu) and Indira (Uma Jhunjhunwala), who reside in a senior care home. As their relationship blossoms in secrecy, the film delves into broader themes of domestic abuse, toxic masculinity, consent, and societal repression of queer identities.
Manas Bhattacharyya handles the cinematography while Aritra Dutta Banik is in charge of editing. Sougata Banerjee heads the sound design while Shehrose Mian has composed the score for the film.
BFI Flare’s ‘Day Dreamers’ segment, under which the film is being showcased, is dedicated to stories of longing, escape, and unrealised dreams.
“It’s overwhelming. Making our little film with very little resources as a first-time producer, and then showcasing it at one of the most revered queer film festivals in the world feels like a dream,” Rahul Roye told The Telegraph Online.
“I wrote the script back in 2021 for an anthology project in Kolkata, but it didn’t materialise. A couple of years later, my talented friend Chandradeep Das was looking for a story for a short film. When I narrated it to him, he readily agreed to direct it. After a year of developing the script together, we’ve made this tender love story bloom in the confines of a retirement home,” he added.
