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Blue Sunshine + Director Q&A
Blue Sunshine + Director Q&A
The screening is in partnership with the UK Asian Film Festival and all proceeds will be donated to LGBTQ+ charities in India
The screening will be followed by an online Q&A with the film’s writer/director/actress Samyuktha Vijayan, hosted by Shiva Raichandani.
Blue Sunshine is the remarkable debut feature by trans writer and director Samyuktha Vijayan, who also plays the lead role in the film. The film recently won a top prize at Tongues on Fire- The UK Asian Film Festival.
Aravind, a high school teacher, wants to transition from male to female while working for a school in a small town in South India. Aravind has been taking hormone medication for six months while hiding her identity from her colleagues and conservative family. But when Aravind’s father proposes an arranged marriage, Aravind is driven to embrace their new identity and begins to live as a woman named Bhanu. Although she has support from some close friends, the teacher faces adversity at every turn.
‘A superb piece of cinema, and one of the highlights of the 2024 Glasgow Film Festival. This is all the more remarkable because writer/director/star Samyuktha Vijayan has no prior experience...Talent like this doesn’t come along very often.’- Eye For Film
Tamil with English subtitles
Shiva Raichandani:
Shiva is a BAFTA-nominated non-binary screenwriter, director, producer, and inclusion consultant for film and television. Shiva was recently selected by the TV Collective as a Breakthrough Leader, shaping the future of the television industry. They were a recipient of the prestigious BFI and BAFTA LGBTQIA+ Mentoring Scheme, and were identified by Attitude Magazine as a Top 10 trailblazer for Film, TV, and Music in the United Kingdom. Shiva’s latest BAFTA-nominated documentary, Always, Asifa, premiered at the BFI’s London Film Festival.