A Vancouver-based film festival is joining hands with a pioneering social organisation to introduce an annual award for a movie that focuses on South Asian and LGBTQ+ themes.
The award is being instituted by the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival or VISAFF, along with Sher Vancouver, which was founded in 2008 to support queer South Asians in the Metro Vancouver area.
A release from Sher Vancouver said the award will recognize “outstanding queer South Asian films that create awareness and empower the South Asian LGBTQ+ community.” Called the Sher Vancouver Award for Best LGBTQ+ Film, it will be launched at the next edition of the festival. The award winner will receive a laurel, a trophy and a cash prize.
Sher Vancouver founder Alex Sangha said, “We want to bring the best films from across world. They can be from the diaspora, from India, South Asian. The film has to have a positive message for the community”.
Sangha said he was not aware of a similar award in Canada.
Competition in the category will be open to all film genres, including documentaries, animations, feature films, and shorts. “”This is an important part of our education and outreach to the community. We want to offer the filmmakers an enhanced platform to continue their filmmaking journey,” Sangha said.
The award “aims to elevate the voices of a marginalized and vulnerable segment of the community, breaking down taboos, stigma, and discrimination to create a safer and more inclusive environment for South Asian LGBTQ+ people to live their lives freely and without oppression,” a release from Sher Vancouver noted.
{{/usCountry}}The award “aims to elevate the voices of a marginalized and vulnerable segment of the community, breaking down taboos, stigma, and discrimination to create a safer and more inclusive environment for South Asian LGBTQ+ people to live their lives freely and without oppression,” a release from Sher Vancouver noted.
{{/usCountry}}Submissions for the festival began this month and it is scheduled to be held in November.
According to the VISAFF website, it is a “forward thinking storytelling festival” and has been “supporting work that goes beyond the Bollywood screen for many years.” And “pursues new ways to support artists and introduce more people to original, authentic South Asian storytelling”.