Language is a Queer Thing
Language is a Queer Thing, an international poetry exchange programme that brings together 6
diverse and multicultural LGBTQIA+ poets from India and the UK through residencies in both countries and fosters new work and collaborations at mainstream festivals.
This year, 6 queer poets from India and the UK will have the be trained by industry experts and the program will culminate in an on-site residency in Leeds, UK and a main showcase at BBC Contains Strong Language in September 2023.
Watch the full performance by our first cohort at BBC Contains Strong Language Festival
The Queer Writers’ Room
The Queer Writers’ Room (TQWR) is a creative writing program by The Queer Muslim Project for young LGBTQIA+ writers from underrepresented communities in South Asia. Supported by the U.S.
Consulate General Mumbai, the program invests in young writers from marginalised groups using arts and culture strategies that can activate them as catalysts for change.
The program provides emerging writers from South Asia with knowledge, skills, and opportunities to meet and connect in a nurturing environment through a mix of craft workshops, author conversations, generative exercises, and mentoring opportunities. New work produced by the
participants is published in the form of an anthology.
In the next 5 years, we envision TQWR as contributing to a vibrant pipeline of underrepresented LGBTQIA+ writers from South Asia. Through new cohorts each year, the program will build a solid body of new writing from the region and nurture voices that can bring about positive cultural and narrative shifts about LGBTQIA+ and Muslim communities.
Read the first issue of the Zine - Tributaries
Queer Frames Screenwriting Lab
The QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab is an initiative by The Queer Muslim Project and Netflix to support LGBTQIA+ storytellers in India with the tools, resources and networks needed to boost their careers, and tell stories that can drive meaningful change and contribute to new queer narratives from the country.
The Lab is a practical workshop that will introduce the craft of screenwriting through lectures, readings, film analysis, the development of queer short narrative screenplays, and feedback sessions.
It aims to help you develop an understanding of screenwriting principles so you can transition from
an idea to a story, discover your creative voice, and gain experience giving and receiving constructive
feedback.
This year, participants will receive mentorship and creative guidance from leading industry experts to help advance their careers in film and entertainment. The Lab will feature masterclasses and talks by celebrated filmmakers, including Neeraj Ghaywan, Gazal Dhaliwal, Onir, Saim Sadiq, among others.
Applications are invited for the QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab, a creative incubator for emerging and early career queer storytellers in India!
DEADLINE: 10 July 2023 (11:55 PM IST)
Digital Cultures
Our digital culture initiatives incubate and support a new generation of queer and Muslim content creators. We use our platform to excavate and populate social media with queer and Muslim history,
culture, and stories pertinent to the community.
We have partnered with Meta, Instagram, MUBI, Google and the Netherlands Embassy to create unique digital campaigns to increase visibility of LGBTQIA+ voices as well as generate awareness about queer arts and culture.
