We are delighted to welcome SamaBhav Uk 2025 to Left Bank on Sunday evening 21st July for a brilliant alternative end to Pride Weekend right here at Left Bank! Tickets are PAYF with a suggested donation of £5.

SamaBhav is a travelling film festival that brings together cinema, conversation and community reflection. It grows from the decades-long work of Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA) in Mumbai, and is hosted in collaboration with the South Asian Heritage Trust as part of South Asian Heritage Month 2025 with the theme of “Roots to Routes.” Each event in this series offers films, keynotes, and collective dialogue across cities and civic spaces in the UK.

SamaBhav creates a space to reflect on how masculinities are shaped by migration, caste, kinship, memory, and the challenges of accountability. It invites audiences to engage with the complexities of gender, queerness, care, and justice without expecting simple solutions.

SamaBhav encourages participants to ask: What do we inherit? What do we resist? What are we becoming together?

SamaBhav invites you to be part of a shared journey. This is an opportunity to build connections, reflect on difficult questions, and participate in conversations that can ripple into civic life, education, and community practice.

QUICK LINK TO TICKETS HERE‍

‍The films to be screened and discussed at this very special event are:

1. Call Me Dancer (2023, India/UK/USA)
English, Hindi / 84 mins
Directors: Leslie Shampaine & Pip Gilmour
Leslie has been telling stories throughout her professional life. From the ballet stage where she performed throughout the world during a 13-year career, to the television screen where she has produced award-winning programs for PBS, Discovery Channel, A&E, CBS, and Al Jazeera.
Pip  is a seasoned director/producer/writer. Her work has garnered her awards and top ratings from festivals and networks including New York Film Festival, Worldfest Houston Film Festival, the Television, Internet & Video Association award, Southern Shorts Film Festival, Codie Award, Peer Award, Invision Awards and others.
Synopsis:
Manish is an athletic street dancer from India, whose working-class parents are depending on their only son for support. When he accidentally walks into a dance school and encounters Yehuda, a curmudgeonly 75-year-old Israeli-American ballet master, a passion ignites within him. Despite all odds, he is determined to make it professionally. Together, this unlikely duo embarks on a journey that transforms both of their lives.
From the streets of Mumbai to the stages of New York, Call Me Dancer is a story of perseverance, rebellion, ageism, family, culture, and an unlikely friendship – filmed over five-years in India, USA, U.K., and Israel.  Call Me Dancer will make you want to jump up from your seat and, yes, dance!

2. Short films from Plural Plus (International)
Three Short films that have been screened at the Plural Plus Youth Video Festival on Migration, Diversity and Social Inclusion. The Festival held annually encourages and empowers global youth to share their creative vision with the world.
Launched in 2009, PLURAL+ is a joint initiative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with a network of more than 50 partner organizations around the globe.
Every year, PLURAL+ gives young people around the world the opportunity to express their vision and their creativity through multimedia production. PLURAL+ invites young people of up to 25 years old to submit original and creative short films focusing on the themes of migration, diversity, social inclusion, and the prevention of xenophobia.  Three notable films from the Plural Plus festival from Spain, Jordan and India will be showcased at SamaBhav UK 2025.

3. Project Priyo
Documentary / 2024 / 30 mns. / English, Bangla, Assamese, Malayalam and Hindi
Director: Shoi
Shoi (they/them) is a Dalit queer non-binary social work professional, artivist and filmmaker, committed to amplifying voices at the intersections of caste, queerness, and other marginalizations. With a deep belief in the power of storytelling, Shoi documents lived experiences through diverse mediums, blending art and advocacy to challenge oppressive systems and reclaim narratives. Their work highlights underrepresented voices and strives to create visibility and accessibility while centring community resilience and solidarity.
Synopsis:

Project Priyo is a multilingual documentary featuring Bengali, Assamese, Malayalam, English, and Hindi, with English subtitles. It follows the stories of five individuals from five different states in India, exploring the lived experiences of queer and trans people at the intersections of caste, class, and geography. Through personal narratives, it highlights the invisibilised realities of marginalised queer communities, building representation and visibility for those often excluded from mainstream conversations.

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