Director Onir’s next, Pine Cone, will be the opening film at this year’s KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival which is touted as South India’s largest queer film festival.

The openly gay filmmaker is known for making queer-centric films like Juhi Chawla and Sanjay Suri starrer My Brother… Nikhil (2005) and the anthology I Am (2010).

Pine Cone showcases three stories told from the lens of the life of the lead character Sid Mehra, as he navigates relationships in his quest for love. What is unique about the film is that the stories will unfold in reverse chronological order, spanning the years 2019, 2009, and 1999.

Speaking of it, Onir said, "Pine Cone is a very special film to me as the process started when the Ministry of Defence did not approve one of my scripts that was inspired by a real story. So, we started working on this story in 2021 so that we continue telling our stories and overcome resistance to our identity. Pine Cone comes from memories of love, loss , deceit and forgiveness.”

The film will be screened at the Kashish Film Festival on its opening day on June 7.