Sridhar Rangayan's 'Purple Skies' looks at the lives of lesbian women in India

Sridhar Rangayan's documentary Purple Skies-Voices of Indian lesbians, bisexuals and transmen is making the rounds of film festivals worldwide, Gaylaxy magazine has reported. 

The documentary, produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) and Solaris Films, is set to be screened at the Open Frame Film Festival and Forum organised by the PSBT. 

Rangayan's film focuses on the lives of lesbians, bisexuals and transmen in India. "Purple Skies weaves together stories of pain, trauma, hope and happiness of lesbian, bisexual and trans (LBT) persons to offer an evocative, endearing tapestry of contemporary Indian LBT lives - sometime sad, sometime anguished, sometime dreamy and sometime hopeful," the film description reads.

An LGBT activist himself, Rangayan talks to other activists as well as lesbians, bisexuals and transmen on what it is like to live in India while being open about their sexuality. The film also looks at the direct impact of the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code on their lives.

One of the activists terms living as a lesbian as a 'double disempowerment', calling the discussion of sexuality an added burden on the second class status of women in India. 

The film premiered earlier this year at the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. It has also been screened at the GAZE International LGBT Film Festival Dublin, Ireland, Frameline and the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.

The film will also be shown on Doordarshan soon.

Watch the trailer of the documentary: