KASHISH 2020: 52 films compete for a total cash award of Rs 1,80,000

The 11th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, South Asia’s biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival, has decided to go online this year as KASHISH 2020 Virtual from July 22 to July 30. The festival will screen 157 films from 42 countries out of which 52 films compete in the 9 competition categories that includes Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, Best...

Reebok celebrates LGBTQ+ community pride with ‘All Types of Love’ collection and ‘Proud Notes’ campaign

In honour of the LGBTQ+ community and Pride Month this June, Reebok has announced its all-new “All Types of Love” collection and “Proud Notes” campaign, highlighting activists and influencers in the LGTBQ+ community who are fighting for equality every day. The campaign provides a platform for authentic, passionate individuals to share their unique stories and journeys as they are...

KASHISH 2020 announces Rs 2,00,000 grant for outstanding LGBTQ+ theme films

Call for submissions open to KASHISH QDrishti Film Grant 2020 KASHISH, Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, South Asia’s biggest and India’s most mainstream LGBTQ film festival has launched a submission call for the KASHISH QDrishti Film Grant 2020 that offers Rs.2,00,000 to emerging Indian filmmaker to make a LGBTQIA+ short film between 10-15 mins. The grant is supported by Lotus...

Lockdown Diaries: Director-Producer Faraz Ansari raises funds to support transgenders and daily wage earners in the film industry

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the worst epidemics that the world has witnessed within living memory. The lockdown imposed by governments across the world has been a huge setback for industries across the world, and for many in the busy Bollywood industry, this shutdown has spelt doom for the thousands making their living out of it. Faraz Arif...

Lockdown Diaries: Ankit Bhuptani’s views on self-isolation and how our actions will define a generation

50 or 100 years from today we will not be able to talk about the year 2020 without talking about this COVID-19 pandemic. I wonder, will a teen of that time be able to believe that all the commercial planes of the world were grounded? Businesspersons, film-stars, industry leaders and other powerful people who hardly had time to eat a meal peacefully,...

Lockdown Diaries: Apsara Reddy fights against heightened abuse and vulnerability during curfew in India

Apsara Reddy is the first trans-gender Indian politician, who has led the way and been an inspiration to thousands in the community in India and across the world. The inspirational leader was appointed the National General Secretary of All India Mahila (Women's) Congress, in January 2019 by the Congress President Rahul Gandhi. The lockdown period imposed by the government of...

Proud of the Rainbow Pride

The Mumbai Pride March 2020 (#mumbaipride2020) organised by the collective called the Queer Azaadi Mumbai (QAM) and Humsafar Trust was held on February 1, 2020. Traditionally, since the last ten odd years, this march by the LGBTQIA+ has been held from the August Kranti Maidan, the same iconic park from where Mahatma Gandhi started the QUIT INDIA movement in...

What is Global Indian Stories?

Global Indian Stories is all about Indians being able to share their stories with their communities and around the world. Since we launched, we've had the pleasure of a wide variety of stories from countries across the globe. We're proud to present a selection from our archive, to give you a flavour of what globalindianstories.org is all about. Literacy and...

Equal rights for LGBT+ communities in India and Hong Kong still remains a far-cry

Leading publications in India and Hong Kong have recently reported on the legal challenges against discrimination of LGBT+ people in these countries. The battle for civil rights is far from over in India, where the Supreme Court de-criminalised same-sex relationships and discrimination against the entire Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, through Article 377 in September last year...

Swarnavel Eswaran’s first feature film Kattumaram (Catamaran) gets a standing ovation at BFI during LIFF 2019

Kattumaram (Catamaran), the coming-of-age tale of Tsunami-survivors in a small village where a conservative maternal uncle supports his orphaned niece and nephew while they struggle with their simple but complicated lives, has been very well received by London film-lovers. As a part of the London Indian Film Festival, LIFF 2019, Kattumaram had its European Premiere at the iconic BFI...