In her 22-minute documentary, For Straights Only, Atlanta
based filmmaker Vismita Gupta-Smith tells the story of an almost invisible
minority, South Asian gays and lesbians. Told from the perspective of a straight
sister about her gay brother, this film explores the prejudices faced by the gay
South Asian community (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal). Interviews with other
gay and lesbian South Asians expose the deep-seated denial of homosexuality
within this community and the dismissal of the gay sexual orientation as a
"western vice". Through the film, Vismita points out the irony of such
dismissal, as she explains that one of this culture's most treasured ancient
texts, the Kamasutra, actually celebrates homosexuality.
About the
filmmaker:
Vismita is an alumnus of New Delhi's Film school - Mass
Communications Research Center - University of Jamia Millia Islamia. She worked
in New Delhi as an independent producer before moving to Atlanta. Currently she
is producing for Atlanta's Public access station, People TV. Vismita lives in
Atlanta with her husband Jeff Smith and their cat Alfonso.
The making
of the documentary
With For Straights Only, Vismita had originally
planned on making a sample film to help her raise money for a film based in
India. With no funding available, she got her friends, colleagues and her
husband, Jeff Smith, excited about the project. With donation of time and
expertise from them and equipment from People TV, the film was finally
completed.
For Straights Only was selected for Atlanta's Out on
Film Festival in November 2001. The film has been screened by several
Non-profits in Atlanta to initiate discussions on not only GLBT issues but also
to address the racial and cultural divide in the US. Some of the organizations
in Atlanta that screened the film are- Black and White men together, RAKSHA,
MANAVI, Atlanta executive network and Trikone-Atlanta. The film was also
screened at the Martin Luther King Center for Non-violence in
Atlanta.
The most gratifying outcome of this film, Vismita insists; is
the e-mails she receive from South Asian gays and lesbians living as far as
Philippines, Indonesia, The Netherlands, UK, and Australia asking for the film.
Many Indians in the USA wanted to use the film to sensitize their families
to the issue before they come out to them.
New!
Kolkata Pride March 2003 -stories from participants (aired on Voice of America)
Watch For Straights Only on www.planetout.com (Go to "Documentaries" and click on "For Straights Only")
...For Straights Only is a must see documentary for gay/ lesbian desis
contemplating coming out, for their (presumably straight) family and friends,
and for professionals involved in culture-sensitive and gay-affirmative
counseling.
..The filmmaker does a good job of highlighting the sexism faced
by lesbians in patriarchal societies, and the male supremacist attitudes of some
gay men who choose to get married to straight women without disclosing their
sexual orientation."
- L. Ramki Ramakrishnan, Trikone magazine
...The film drew open and closeted gay people, straight people, families of gay people and so on. We had a very lively discussion but the most amazing part was when a senior and very traditional looking Indian lady very comfortably and openly said that her son is gay and that she has adopted his gay friends as her sons and that they all love her and call her mom. She said this when the young gay men were saying that they would never be able to tell their parents about it.
-Mamata Misra, Saheli, Austin, Texas
...Through the interweaving of coming out narratives of several lesbian and gay men from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal with themes of religious and social context in order to situate their stories, Gupta-Smith offers an understanding of sexuality within the South Asian context...The film provides a refreshing and much needed discussion of South Asian Sexuality.
-Manavi newsletter, New Jersey
...Great way to start a dialogue about LGBT issues in South Asian community.
Provided a training tool for us to use with staff, volunteers, and community
members...People walked away with a better understanding and empathy for South
Asians that may be struggling with coming out.
- Aparna Bhattacharya,
Executive Director, Raksha.
...It's an amazingly effective movie as one should have seen the willingness of viewers to come up on stage and talk about LGBT issues after the film was shown!
- Pawan Dhall, Network East , Calcutta<<
To get a copy of For Straights Only, email:
