2016 Delhi International Theatre & Film Festival Kicks Off This Weekend

Presented by SCRUFF, Harmless Hugs & Love Matters India and featuring theatre performances and movies from around the globe, the Delhi International Theatre & Film Festival's goal is to communicate, educate and transpire the existence of the LGBTQ community in India and is attracting the support of famous Bollywood actors such as Kunal Kapoor and Kalki Koechlin.

The Delhi International Queer Theatre & Film Festival (DIQTFF) will present its second year of offerings on Saturday, December 11th, and Sunday, December 12th, at the NCUI Auditorium, Delhi. The film festival was created by Vinay Kumar, Founder of Harmless Hugs, an organization that empowers feminists and the LGBTQ communities in India. The Queer Theatre & Film Festival is being sponsored by Love Matters India is the title sponsor and organizing partner for DIQTFF.

Inauguration of the festival will be by Piyush Mishra, renowned Theatre Actor & Film Actor for movies like PINK, Gangs of Wassepur and Gulaal.

The film festival will comprise of power packed theatre performances and movies from all across the globe. The concept is to communicate, educate and transpire the existence of the LGBTQ Community in India. Famous Bollywood icons like Actor Kunal Kapoor and Kalki Koechlin had come forward and shown support for team DIQTFF 2016.

Vinay Kumar, Founder-Harmless Hugs, said: "Movies and Theatre are the reflection of our lives which creates change and influence society at large. We want to bring change with these initiatives because DIQTFF is not just a Queer Film Festival. It is our activism through art and culture to change and question the Society. Harmless Hugs aims to outreach more and more people through this festival to aware and sensitize the many facets of the Indian LGBTQI population."

Vithika Yadav, Country Head-Love Matters India, commented: "We at Love Matters India aim to increase public support for LGBT rights by helping organize and support various 'rights' events and forums like DIQTFF 2016. We hope to increase the amount of positive vibes going through communities when supporting the right for equality and justice for all, and therefore help build positive attitude towards the LGBT community."

For more on DIQTFF, visit www.facebook.com/events/1036591249793296.

See what Bollywood actors Kalki Koechlin and Kunal Kapoor had to say about the festival below!

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Other partners of the event include Aids Healthcare Foundation, Impulse New Delhi, High Commission of Canada, Samarth, India HIV/AIDS Alliance, Ketto, SCRUFF, DU Beat Humsafar Trust, The Education Tree, Respect Women, Youth Lead India, UNDERGROUND Eagles.

Harmless Hugs is a dynamic platform bringing together liberal souls all around the world. Founded on 10-September-2012, it is an expansive space driven by core values of unity in diversity and coexistence. Rising over tags, our vision is to create a collaborative culture that focuses on free and fair human expression. Harmless Hugs is driven by both on line as well as ground based initiatives that empowers feminist groups and members of the LGBT community. Follow us if you believe in Humanity above all. Follow Harmless Hugs on Facebook at www.facebook.com/harmlesshugs.

Love Matters is the first-ever multimedia platform in India (launched in year 2011) that provides gender friendly SRH (Sexual Reproductive Health) information to adolescents and young people and engages them to talk about love, sex and relationships in an open, honest and non-judgemental way. The vision of Project Love Matters (lovematters.in/en) is to be the leading source of information in a world where love, sex and relationships are a right, a choice and a pleasure. Love Matters is a global project with operations In India, China, Latin America, Kenya and Egypt. It is also the first project in India leveraging various technology platforms for providing rights based SRHR information to young people in India. Love Matters won the Award for Excellence & Innovation in Sexuality Education for being the most innovative sexual health project in the world in year 2013, from the World Association for Sexual Health. In year 2016, Love Matters has received the honor of being among the Top 5 Digital Activism projects in the world under Freedom of Expression Awards. Find the platform on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lovematters.india/?fref=ts.