On SAT 8 JUL, the largest group of GAYSIANS (gay + Asian (though welcome to all LGBTQ+ family and allies), will march together at London Pride in solidarity to create a visible, audible, passionate value-driven presence.
It is led by the mighty spirited LAKS MANN & REETA. Together they have mobilised gaysian communities from across the UK to participate together on this day.
To reserve your place contact lion-i@virginmedia.com
The Gaysians are here. Here’s to the better future. x
Bobby Tiwana
LET’S TALK is an inclusive, discursive participatory workshop for Sheffield’s LGBT+ HUB and BELIEF and/or RELIGION HUB members to learn more about one another and talk.
The workshop will be led by RAZIA AZIZ, Co-Founder of The Equality Academy. Razia is a Diversity and Equality trainer, coach and consultant; and an Interfaith Minister offering a service to people of all faiths or none.
The workshop will inform, stimulate, facilitate discussion; and deepen the understanding and confidence of participants of one another and some of the key issues and concerns for communities. Essentially it’s about creating a safe space where we can talk about religion/belief and LGBT matters.
Date: WEDNESDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2017
Time: 1pm – 4.20pm (with 20 min break)
Venue: CRUCIBLE (arrive at main entrance Tudor Square), Sheffield, S1 1DA.
Cost: FREE
The event is being organised by TIGER STRUT. Tiger Strut is a new organisation led by BOBBY TIWANA. It is informed by his experience working in live performance/short film. Over the past 4 years his work has focused on increasing visibility of South Asian LGBT people through creation, presentation, workshops/discussions to stimulate/promote understanding. His two film shorts which are about the universality of love depicted through ‘parental love’ and ‘first love’, through the eyes of two gay characters have screened over 80 times in 15 months in the UK and in 15 international cities in Brazil, Europe, India and the USA.
This event is supported by Sheffield City Council.
Bobby Tiwana
Little Elephant makes an autumn appearance at The 11th Shropshire Rainbow Film Festival on Saturday 15 October. It is part of the UK Short Films programme. The event runs from 10:15 – 12:00. It looks like a compelling programme.
Venue: Old Market Hall Cinema, Shrewsbury, SY1 1LH
The festival runs from 14 – 16 October 2016.
Both Love Works shorts Little Elephant and Chariot Riders will be screening on a loop at Wakefield Literature Festival on Saturday 1 October 2016 from 12-5pm. ‘This is my story, now tell me yours’ has been curated by Shazia Ashraf for Beam.
From 6-7pm there will be a panel discussion. I’ll be participating with Ahmer Bashir of Project Light facilitated by Thaj of Tribe Arts. See you there.
I’m liking Sqiff’s trailer
Both Love Works shorts play at this festival in Glasgow on Thursday 29 September 2016. Chariot Riders during the day and Little Elephant during the evening.
Little Elephant is part of the Feminist Shorts programme and is nominated for an audience award sponsored by Centre for Gender and Feminist Studies at Stirling University.
Little Elephant just can’t get enough of London. It has two screenings coming up at the prestigious Raindance Film Festival on 25 September and 2 October 2016. It’s showing as part of the Animation Shorts Programme.
Award modeled by filmmaker Kate Jessop in a jungle somewhere.
Little Elephant wins the ‘Young Jury’s Choice for Best Animation Award’ at the 9th edition of A Corto di Donne, women’s short film festival in Pozzuoli (Naples), Italy. Sixty high school students selected LE as their winner in the animation category.
This is a beautiful endorsement from the next generation. What is particularly special is that LE transcended transnational and perceived transcultural borders and that makes me very happy. 🙂
Bobby Tiwana
Little Elephant to screen in WITHOUT BORDERS: a selection of films exploring identity across cultural differences on SUNDAY 19 JUNE 2016, 12.30pm, The Yard, Hackney Wick, London. Without Borders is one of six new cutting-edge programmes by Short Sighted Cinema. Short Sighted Cinema is a celebration of short form film.
The other films showing alongside LE are: 
Shoshannah’s Skateboard: a determined teen girl sneaks out of her orthodox Jewish community with one goal to become a YouTube skateboard star. Dir. Kate Ascott-Evans.
Maya: Narrowly escaping the clutches of the slave traders, Maya, Bikram and Kancha suddenly find themselves trapped in the heart of Kathmandu. Vulnerable, penniless and alone, they are forced to live their life on the streets with only hopes and dreams of happiness. Dir. Veemsen Lama.
Najima: as labour nears, a pregnant 12-year old Yemeni child bride must endure the challenges of her everyday life. Dir. Cristhian Andrews.
Marianne: a young Nigerian man travels to a remote Pentecostal church with his ailing wife. Dir. Tomisin Adepeju. 
Incognito: two mysterious men meet for one last coffee in Buenos Aires in 1960. Their secrets and identities are slowly revealed. Dir. Jeremiah Quinn.
Kate Jessop, director of Little Elephant will be attending. Say ‘hello’.
M.I.A’s BORDERS apt for the theme of this post. If you don’t know this, KNOW THIS! One of the most relevant artists right now.
Little Elephant travels to San Diego in sunny Cali on Sunday 5 June in LIGHTS, CAMERA, SUNSCREEN – 18th annual San Diego LGBT Film Festival organised by Film Out San Diego at The Observatory – North Park, 2891 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104.
Still from Easy: A 3-Minute Love Story. Dir. Robert Guthrie
Film Out San Diego exists to enlighten, educate, and entertain the communities of San Diego County and beyond through the exhibition of LGBT-themed films. Film Out San Diego seeks to recognize, promote, celebrate and support the important diverse artistic contributions made by LGBT filmmakers for the LGBT community.
LE is part of the International Spotlight sponsored by Gay San Diego and San Diego Uptown News. It is screening alongside Easy: A 3-Minute Love Story, Dir. Robert Guthrie. Two high school guys are in love. One is Christian, the other Jewish. One father disapproves, the other’s parents are thrilled. Who cares that it’s not perfect. They got this.
And alongside Australian feature Downriver, Dir. Grant Scicluna. A young ex-con encounters secrets from the past and danger in the present when he returns to the rural Australian community to discover the truth behind a crime he supposedly committed when he was a child.
Bobby Tiwana
‘Skyline in Mumbai’ by Ananta Mandal. 2008
Love Works is part of the official selection at Kashish, Mumbai International Queer Film Festival in India. Both Little Elephant and Chariot Riders will be shown at this year’s festival. The festival runs from 25-29 May 2016 and is showing 182 films from 53 countries.
Now in it’s 7th year, the theme is 7 Shades of Love. The theme underlines at the core of each human relationship is the capacity to love each other and offer respect so that we can all live with equality, dignity and respect.
The theme celebrates love in all its forms: romantic love, friendship, of parent and child, young love, that which endures, love for humanity and self-love.
The festival will take place across three venues: Mumbai’s largest art deco theatre, Liberty Cinema; Alliance Française de Bombay; and Max Mueller Bhavan.
Mumbai is built on an archipelago of 7 reclaimed islands; quite unimaginable to the contemporary eye. It is India’s most populous city with 18.4 million residents. It’s home to Bollywood. It has the greatest concentration of billionaires in India and has one of the largest slums Dharavi, in Asia, aka home to 1 million people.
Kashish believes that art has the power for social change. The festival uses its platform, reach and influence to rally public opinion towards equality and dignity for LGBT people. The festival uses local, national and international platforms to advocate and sensitize the larger public about LGBT issues.
In a country where homosexuality was re-criminalised in the final hour of 2013, such cultural resistance is vital to shine a light on stories of hope, resilience, beauty and love; stories of fellow Indians, South Asian brothers and sisters and our family of world citizens.
Little Elephant’s depiction of love between parent and child; and the discovery of first love in Chariot Riders are at home with 7 Shades of Love.
Thank you Ananta Mandal for the use of your beautiful watercolour of Mumbai.
Safar... 
