World AIDS Fortnight screenings of film 68 pages

As part of the World AIDS Fortnight events begining December 1,

film 68 Pages will be screened at several venues across India and US.

All events are FREE and we welcome participation of people from all walks of life.

It is time we change discriminatory attitudes towards gays, transsexuals and HIV positive people.

Come, be part of the change.

 

 

NEW YORK

 

December 1, Monday

3:00 – 5:00 PM & 7:00 – 9:00 PM  : Two screenings

@ La Guardia Community College: Little Theater, LPAC

31-10 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City

Organized by QMAD ( www.qmad.org )

 

NEW DELHI

 

December 1, Monday

6.30 – 9.00 PM

@ Stein Auditorium, Habitat Center,

India Habitat Center, New Delhi

Organized by UNDP & Habitat Center

 

December 5, Friday

4.30 – 7.00 PM

@ Sarai-CSDS, 29 Rajpur Road

Civil Lines, Delhi – 110054

Organized by Sarai ( www.sarai.net )

 

BOMBAY

 

December 8, Monday

6.00 – 9.00 PM

@ Juhu Jagruti Hall, NMIMS,

Vile Parle West, Mumbai

Organized by The Humsafar Trust

** Gulabi Aaina (The Pink Mirror) will also be screened

 

December 12, Friday

6.00 – 8.30 PM

@ Godrej Hall, NCPA

Nariman Point

Organized by Ashok Kumar Foundation & NCPA

 

68 Pages

(2007 / 92 mins / Hindi with Eng subtitles)

 

Film outline

From the director of Gulabi Aaina and Yours Emotionally comes another hard hitting drama about marginalized people. Subverting the Bollywood film genre of song-dance and high drama, this film places characters ignored by Bollywood centerstage – a transsexual bar dancer, a prostitute, a gay couple – to tell their stories of pain and trauma, of happiness and hope, about being HIV+ and marginalized. A searingly honest film about five lives marked by pain and bound by hope – in 68 Pages of a counselor’s diary.

 

Winner of the Silver Remi at WorldFest 2008, Houston, USA

 

Directed by Sridhar Rangayan

Produced by The Humsafar Trust in association with Solaris Pictures

Cast: Moulli Ganguly, Joy Sengupta, Jayati Bhatia, Zafar Karachiwala, Uday Sonawane

 

Links: www.humsafar.org/68pages.htm ; www.imdb.com/title/tt1151299/

 

 

 

68 Pages DVD now available ONLINE in INDIA

!!!EXCITING NEWS !!!

Order ONLINE in INDIA

Our DVDs are now just a click away

through Syncline

Please click link below:

http://synclinefilmstore.com/independent-/68-pages/prod_339.html

 

Please visit the film site to read more:

68 Pages – www.humsafar.org/68pages.htm

——————————————————————

You can also order Gulabi Aaina at this link –

http://synclinefilmstore.com/independent-/gulabi-aaina/prod_340.html

 

You can now buy 68 Pages DVDs online in India through eBay

You can now buy 68 Pages online in India through eBay

Please click on any one of the below links:

 

eBay link for buying 68 Pages DVD

eBay Link for 68 Pages

Link for buying 68 Pages DVD online through eBay

Bombay Dost Sunday High film screenings at Humsafar: 11 Jan ‘09

From the Bombay Dost PBwiki

This time there will be films on the late Harvey Milk, the first gay man elected to a major political office in the US.

*The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)*
90min, English
Directed by Rob Epstein

This Oscar award-winning American film documents the political career of Harvey Milk, who was San Francisco’s first openly gay supervisor. The film, at times humorous, at times tragic, documents the rise of Milk from a neighborhood activist to becoming a symbol of gay political achievement, through to his assassination at San Francisco’s city hall, and the Dan White trial and aftermath. The film was produced after Milk’s death using original interviews, exclusive documentary footage, news reports, and archival footage. Other politicians including San Francisco mayor George Moscone (who was assassinated with Milk) appear in archival footage. The film also won the Special Jury Prize at the first Sundance Film Festival, among other awards. (Wikipedia)

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Light snacks and refreshments will be served at the end of the first feature.

Screening times:
First Feature begins at 4.30 p.m.
Second Feature begins at 6:30 p.m.

Venue:  The Humsafar Trust’s Drop-in Centre, 4th floor, Municipal Transit Building/Vakola Municipal Market Building,
Near Raheja Point and Vakola Masjid, Santacruz (East), Mumbai.

Getting there: It’s approximately minimum fare by autorickshaw from Santacruz station (East). You could also take routes 311 or 313. The same routes also operate from Kurla (West) station.

Space courtesy: The Humsafar Trust.
Note: Programme subject to change without notice.  Please track:

The Bombay Dost Wiki (http://bombay-dost.pbwiki.com/)

OR The Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Bombay-Dost/52817999936)

OR Follow Bombaydost on Twitter (http://twitter.com/bombaydost)

OR Subscribe to our Google SMS Channel (http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/BombayDost)

“WE CAN CHANGE” – Discount on DVD

 “WE CAN CHANGE”
 LIVES OF HIV+ PEOPLE

World AIDS Month DISCOUNT
of $ 10
on DVDS of film ‘68 PAGES’

$28  – $18

All proceeds go to
Humsafar Trust HIV+ Group, Bombay, India

 

Login at https://www.createspace.com/251839 and enter discount code
Z5JBZL7R

 

Offer valid only for the month of December. Hurry.

 

68 Pages

92min | Hindi with English subtitles | Drama | 2007

From the director of Gulabi Aaina and Yours Emotionally comes another hard hitting drama about marginalized people.

Subverting the Bollywood film genre of song-dance and high drama, this film places characters ignored by Bollywood centerstage – a transsexual bar dancer, a prostitute, a gay couple – to tell their stories of pain and trauma, of happiness and hope, about being HIV+ and marginalized. A searingly honest film about five lives marked by pain and bound by hope – in 68 Pages of a counselor’s diary.

Produced by: The Humsafar Trust

Directed by: Sridhar Rangayan

 

 

DVD Store link – https://www.createspace.com/251839

Film Links: | Website | Blog | imdb | Wikipedia | Amazon |

The Humsafar Trust  | Solaris Pictures

 

Other Indian Gay Film DVDs on Amazon

 

Protest March to condemn violence against Hijras

Humsafar at protest march

 

Watch Slideshow

 

Queer Azadi Mumbai organized a press conference and public protest on November 13, 2008 to condemn violence against Hijras. It was organized by the Humsafar Trust in association with Stree Sangama, Labia, Gay Bombay, Sakhi Char Chowgi, etc. and supported by Lawyers Collective. The press meet at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh was attended by a packed audience of press, media, lawyers, human rights activist, women support groups, LGBT community and many youngsters.

 

Sumathi from Sangama, Bangalore spoke about the horrific arrests, abuse and torture by the police of  Hijras and activists of Sangama in Bangalore last week. Many Hijras have been sexually molested and some even forced to leave the city. It si a reign of terror there, she said. Gauri of Sakhi Char Chowgi said that Hijras deal with violence everyday throughout their lives. She detailed how they do not have any rights and also have no one to turn to. She tearfully pleadede everyone there to help her clan live with dignity and basic human rights. Anand Grover of Lawyers Collective assured Gauri that things are moving in the right direction. With reading down of Sec 377 seemingly being considered favourably by the judiciary, there will soon be a time when Gauri and other hijras will have their rights. Sunil Pant of the Blue Diamond Society, a queer rights organization in Nepal and the country’s first openly gay elected MP spoke of the new Nepali Constitution that is even now being written which includes committees working on same sex marriage rights and protection of LGBTI people. This he said was a fantastic way forward.

Post the meeting, a large contingent of LGBTQ community members and other human rights group members marched holding placards to Azad Maidan. They held hands and formed a long human chain with banners that demanded an end to violence against hijras and demanded equal rights. Humsafar Trust’s Kalyan unit came with almost 60-70 gay and transgender people and raised slogans vociferously. They also said they were proud to be gay and will fight injustice. Sakhi Char Chowgi’s workers and Lawyers Collective’s group shouted slogans against police violence.

Protestors at the march

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Human Chain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Pics at PICASSA :

 

 

68 Pages DVDs released on Amazon

Buy DVDs of film 68 Pages on Amazon

68 Pages DVDs released on Amazon:
You can buy DVDs of 68 pages alongwith Bonus Features that includes 4 other queer short films on Amazon. Safe & secure transaction. Free shipping. Click here : http://astore.amazon.com/solarisp-20

In India, DVDs can be purchased in over 10 cities – Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Mandya, Rajkot, Surat, Pune and Nagpur. Please check www.humsafar.org/68pages/dvd.htm for more details.

68 Pages storms small town in Karnataka

Film 68 Pages screened at 5 venues in Bangalore & Mandya (Karnataka) last fortnight, organized in association with Sangama, Good As You, Alternative Law Forum, Pedestrian Pictures, Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society, PES College and Rotary Club Mandya, attracting more than 1500 people that included government officials, health agencies, lawyers, film buffs, LGBT people, students and even housewives. It also aroused a lot of interest in the local press even in a small city like Mandya where for the first time the conservative local newspapers headlined issues like HIV, AIDS and homosexuality.
 

Reaching even to small cities like Mandya, where it screened last week to a packed hall of over 600 people, it not only drew appreciation but also a long discussion about the issues in the film. Speaking at the screening Shri Manjunath Prasad, Project Director, Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS), urged people to be aware and advocate on these issues. He said it is very important that people in even small towns understand that HIV is not an epidemic restricted to cities and they too should take care.

“I was overwhelmed by the screening in my home town”, says Sridhar Rangayan, the director of the film who was born in Mandya. “In such a conservative town, it was encouraging to see so many people in the audience willing to listen and discuss. Especially when the film screened at the local PES college, the girl students were even bold enough to ask about homosexuality and gender issues. I think it is necessary to awaken and question dogmatic beliefs and value systems”, says Rangayan.

The screening in Bangalore was hosted by Pedestrian Pictures, Good as You and Alternative Law Forum alongwith the film ‘Love in the times of AIDS’ by Deepa Dhanraj in a double bill of queer films that intended to create awareness about homosexuals and the AIDS epidemic.

Rangayan said he hoped that the film raises social conscience about people living with HIV and removing stigma and discrimination. “I hope that this will become a movement to mainstream and integrate sexual minorities”, says Rangayan.

Slideshow: 68 Pages storms Karnataka

DVDs of film 68 Pages

68 Pages DVD

 

68 Pages

DVDs of the film can now be bought or ordered from the following organizations:

MUMBAI

The Humsafar Trust
3rd Floor, BMC Transit Building,
Nehru Road, Vakola,
Santacruz East,
Mumbai 400050, INDIA
phone: +91.22. 26673800
email: 68pages@gmail.com

DELHI

Magic Lantern Foundation
J-1881, Chittaranjan Park, Basement,
New Delhi – 110019, INDIA
Ph: 011-26273244
magiclantern.foundation@gmail.com
 

Kriti Film Club
S-35, Tara Apartments,
Alaknanda, New Delhi 110019, INDIA
Ph: 011-26477845/ 26213088
space@krititeam.org 

KOLKATA

SAATHII
Solidarity and Action Against The HIV Infection in India
229 Kalitala Main Road, Purbachal (North)
Calcutta 700 078, West Bengal, INDIA
91 33 2334 7329
saathii@yahoo.com

For more information and ordering online please check out www.humsafar.org/68pages/dvd.htm 

We welcome partner agencies in other cities who can stock DVDs of the film and help in local sales.

Indian Express Delhi

 Capital witnesses Pride walk, but 68 Pages of anguish gets no hearing

- by Paromita Chakrobarty

Posted online: Friday , July 04, 2008 at 11:54:39
Updated: Friday , July 04, 2008 at 11:54:39

New Delhi, July 3 Director Sridhar Rangayan’s award-winning movie on HIV-affected gays finds no hall for screening

On June 29, as Delhi’s saw its first Rainbow Pride March, Sridhar Rangayan was busy trying to organise shows for his latest film, 68 Pages.

Like his previous two films, 68 Pages deals with issues close to Rangayan’s heart — lives of MSMs (men who have sex with men) who have been infected with HIV.

“But for all the hullabaloo about increased awareness about gays, educated urban heterosexuals are still scared to show empathy. There is no aggressive homophobia, but no support either,” shrugs the 45-year-old human rights activist.

Rangayan has reasons to believe so.

His film, which won the Silver Remi at the Houston World Fest earlier this year, is yet to be released in India as no mainstream distributor has come forward to screen it.

“When I made the film, I tried my best to stick to the narrative mode, so the audience could connect with it even if the subject was unfamiliar. But when I met the distributors, I realised it did not matter. They all refused to screen it on ground that a film on homosexuality which talks about AIDS, is not going to bring them any audience,” he says.

In Delhi alone, Rangayan had got in touch with all major multiplex owners, but the experience, he says, has left him rather sceptical.

“The PVR authorities did not respond for the longest time. Finally, when I sent them a rather curt mail, they replied that it did not quite fit even their corporate social responsibility profile.”

68 Pages deals with the lives of five HIV positive individuals — a trans-sexual bar dancer, a gay couple, a sex worker and a drug user — each grappling to come to terms with their own lives.

The story is a narrative from the personal diary of a counsellor who worked with them.

But instead of a bleak, oblique narrative, Rangayan has focussed on the idea of hope and redemption.

He drew his inspiration from the first woman counsellor who worked at his NGO, Humsafar Trust, in Mumbai, one of India’s first organisations to work with sexual minorities. Humsafar Trust is also the co-producer of the film.

The IIT Mumbai alumnus, who has worked with directors like Kalpana Lajmi, Sai Paranjape among others, is now distributing the film via the NGO route.

Humsafar Trust and their associates have come forward to hold a 12-city promotion tour, which includes Mumbai, Baroda, Nagpur, Indore, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore.

“We are going to show at auditoriums and hold discussion sessions afterwards, so there is a dialogue. That’s the only way to clear misconceptions,” he says.

In Delhi, Rangayan has found support in Gargi Sen’s Magic Lantern Foundation, an NGO which distributes non-commercial films.

A screening will be held on July 10 at the India International Centre. Naz Foundation, an NGO as well as Kriti, a city-based film club, too are organising screening. Rangayan is also planning to bring out DVDs of the movie.

All these, the director, says, are a small step towards their ultimate goal.

“It’s not just Article 377 which needs amendment. There’s still a long way to go before people’s mindset about alternative sexuality changes,” he says.