LONDON, UK – Director Jess Kohl, PRETTYBIRD UK and Nowness have collaborated with Mullen Lowe India and Chrome Pictures on ‘They are counting On Us. Let’s Count Them In’, a charity film raising funds for the Phool Versha Foundation/Nammyoho Daan who are supporting the Indian Trans community during the Coronavirus lockdown.
The PSA features footage from ‘Nirvana’, a 2018 Nowness documentary film directed by Jess Kohl and Produced by PRETTYBIRD UK about the transgender community and Koovagam festival in India.
The Phool Versha Foundation is a non-governmental organization in Mumbai, Maharashtra, which is working with Nammyoho Daan to raise awareness about LGBT communities across India, and collecting funds to provide food packages for the trans community during the Coronavirus lockdown. Members of the trans community have starved during lockdown in India, with as many as 30 deaths already within the community. In a country of 1.3 billion, the transgender community constitutes approximately 2 million, who are badly hit by the Coronavirus lockdown because they make their living by handouts at weddings, engagements, funerals and births plus begging on the streets, all their support comes through social interaction, which has been eradicated.
Director Jess Kohl said: “The trans community in India are shunned by society and marginalised at the best of times, and during the pandemic this is even more exaggerated. It was an honour to collaborate with Phool Versha Foundation/ Nammyoho Daan to rework ‘Nirvana’ into a call for action to rally support for this community. ”
The Foundation is instrumental in providing extra nutrition for those in the community suffering with HIV, who are unable to get their medication whilst the pandemic has a stronghold. So far the charity have helped 4370 LGBT families and there are many more that need support. For international donations they have tied-up with the organisation IAHV (Art of Living).
To donate and for more information about The Phool Versha Foundation and Nammyoho Daan go to: https://phoolvershafoundation-nammyohodaan.org
The charity has associated with Kineer Services to help the LGBT community: http://www.kineerservices.com
CREDITS
Director: @jess.kohl
ArtDirector: @derekhardiemartin
Editor: Aurelien Boisson
EP: Juliette Larthe
Associate Prod: @tom_manaton
Colourist: Ludovic Roussaux @okaystudio & @m.y.l.e.s
@timebasedarts
Score: @tzusing_
@nowness
Nowness -@gavinhumphries @bunnykinney @shelleybones
@jeffersonhack
A @prettybirdpic
& @jess.kohl production
Credits for India:
@phoolversha @nammyohodaan
@iamitrsharma @nesswadia @go_garry @kanika.d @mllintasgroup_
@ravindernathsharma
@pictureschrome @kineer_blessed @laxminarayan_tripathi
