TORONTO, May 28, 2014 – York University professor and veteran filmmaker Nancy Nicol’s latest documentary, No Easy Walk to Freedom, will premiere June 1, 2014, as part of this year’s Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival. The film tells the story of the struggle to strike down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalizing homosexuality in contemporary India.

Shot in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Lucknow and rural India, the film is told through the voices of lawyers, activists and community leaders, and exposes human rights violations perpetrated under Section 377, while documenting the growth of queer organizing in India to overturn a colonial-era law.

The premiere will be followed by a panel including:

Helen Kennedy, ED Egale Canada;

Junic Wambya, ED of Freedom and Roam Uganda;

Ponni Arasu, a lawyer with Voices Against 377;

Nancy Nicol, director of No Easy Walk to Freedom.

 

No Easy Walk to Freedom is one outcome from Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights, a large international research and documentary project led by Professor Nicol. Envisioning is comprised of 31 partners based in Africa, the Caribbean, India and Canada, working together to share resources, knowledge and research to advance LGBT human rights.

What: No Easy Walk to Freedom film screening

Where: TIFF Bell Lightbox, 363 King Street W. Toronto

When: Sunday, June 1, 2014, at 12pm

York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre, York is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York’s 11 faculties and 28 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 288 leading universities worldwide. York's community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 250,000 alumni.

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Media Contact: Robin Heron, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22097/ rheron@yorku.ca