Kathmandu (Pahichan) November 5 – The British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, on Friday screened five short films built focusing on LGBTI issues.

Various short films shown are  ‘We Love Moses’, ‘I am a Woman’, ‘Crush’, ‘Strings’, ‘Take Your Partners’, ‘Balcony’, ‘Jamie’, ‘Where We Are Now’ and ‘Chance’.  ‘Swikar’ is about the acceptance of a gay person in Nepali family Anuj Pitar. The short films are mostly about finding out and exploring one’s identity.

The films were from British Film Institute’s Flare, London’s LGBT Film Festival. There was overwhelming presence of audiences to watch the film which was followed by brief introduction.

 It is a joint effort of Photo Kathmandu, British Council, and Blue Diamond Society (BDS) are jointly presenting a series of screenings of those short films. And the event is collateral of the ongoing third edition of Photo Kathmandu.

Speaking at the program, Executive Director of Blue Diamond Society Manisha Dhakal said screening of such film would help to change the traditional mindset that persists in society towards sexual and gender minority. The movies had different thematic focuses such as gender, patriarchy, power, sexuality and identity.

The screening program included drama and documentary, poetry, and dance, which explore and celebrate a range of LGBT experiences. They are, essentially, about finding out and standing up for who you are, the organizers said.

Organizers have said that they plan to screen those films in the academic institutions of Kathmandu valley in order to create awareness about LGBTI among students. Some colleges are already selected for the same purpose.