Project Overview
A small fortune, a trans-queer punk band, a fleeting safe house of friends and lovers, and a freedom they had only ever dreamed of. But the voices of their murdered friends echo across the house. How does the band create music affirming love, life, joy, and anger? Can they put up a show in the memory of their fallen comrades, before time and money force them back into a disapproving world? Zinda hai, a queering of the documentary form, shot on two phone cameras, explores the concept of martyrdom within the queer context. The film, like the music of the band, comes from a place of invention, an urge to express queerness not just in its misery but also in its joy and freedoms.
Expected Impact
In light of increasing global transphobic rhetoric, this film aims to increase awareness about the vibrant and proud trans-queer lives in India; pushing for a deeper understanding of the violences they face, the loving communities they create, and the freedoms they dream of. For the queer community in India, this film and the title song 'zinda hai', provides a template of a tradition which helps grieve and celebrate the loved ones they've lost along the way. We want the viewers to let go of their preconceived notions of trans-queer lives, and to see trans people as complex and whole human beings. We want this film to reach a queer child who will see queer people represented not just in their misery but in their whole humanity.
Applicant Background
Krantikhana is a bootstrapped independent media outlet that blends journalistic reportage, filmmaking, and hip-hop. Through documentaries, video essays, and music, we aim to critique oppressive social hierarchies and explore alternative ways of being. We document people’s movements and centre queer, feminist, and anti-caste voices in our work. We want to archive erased histories and amplify contemporary struggles for a just and equal future. A good piece of media, we believe, invokes a pause, a moment of introspection, which births a criticality rather than the complacent consumption of content.