Matribhumi Samachar English
(New Delhi, India) — The powerful and award-winning documentary Amma’s Pride, directed by Shiva Krish, chronicles mother Valli’s unwavering love and advocacy for her trans daughter, Srija, as she navigates love, marriage, and the struggle for legal and societal recognition in Tamil Nadu.
A Global Movement Rooted in Love
It is a rare narrative in Indian cinema — one where a trans woman’s journey is framed not through tragedy, but through affirmation, possibility, and the radical power of being seen and supported by one’s natal family.
The film’s impact journey began long before — and has continued well beyond — its Best Short Documentary win at the prestigious International Documentary & Shorts Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK). With over 60 screenings across every continent, including Antarctica, Amma’s Pride has reached audiences through grassroots partnerships with activists, LGBTQIA+ organisations, community groups, law schools, medical spaces, and more.
Qualification for the 98ᵗʰ Academy Awards® marks an important milestone, placing the film among this year’s notable documentary short contenders, while the team remains grounded in its purpose: bringing stories of family acceptance, trans joy, legal agency, and community support into spaces where they are rarely seen or discussed.
After being showcased through Indian Panorama at the 55th IFFI, the Government of India carried the film into cultural exchange programs in Egypt, Australia, and Germany — allowing it to represent India on a global stage and to spark tender, necessary conversations about family acceptance and trans rights far beyond home.
Over the last two years, the Amma’s Pride impact campaign has expanded across India, Sri Lanka, the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., in collaboration with organisations including Orinam, Nirangal, Sweekar, Desi Rainbow Parents & Allies, Keshav Suri Foundation, Naz Foundation, PFLAG, Sappho for Equality, PeriFerry, Parivar Bay Area, Satrang and many others. These partnerships have enabled the film to move beyond festivals into community centres, corporations, universities, and cultural institutions — creating conversations that ripple far beyond the screen.
In October 2025, the team launched Stand Up For Love, a 48-hour global digital showcase that reached 275,000+ people, with viewers tuning in from 13 countries, 21 U.S. states, and 11 Indian states. The initiative highlighted how urgently audiences are seeking narratives of hope, belonging, and the everyday realities of queer and trans lives.
In November 2025, the team completed a series of Trans Awareness Month screenings in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, New York, Oxford, Beijing, Toronto, and virtually in the UK & India—before culminating with a special screening and powerful panel discussion in New Delhi on November 29, presented with Naz Foundation, Kriti Film Club, and the Keshav Suri Foundation. The conversation brought together lawyers, activists, and advocates to discuss the future of trans rights and marriage equality in India — featuring panelists whose work has been foundational in advancing and shaping LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy in the country.
QUOTES
“Parents should support their trans children. I’ll have the greatest satisfaction when that becomes the norm”, says Valli, film participant, Amma’s Pride
“My only hope is that everyone treats trans people like any other people — the same way you treat your friends, your amma, or your appa. Then everything will change in the world. That’s all I ask.”, says Srija, film participant, Amma’s Pride
Valli’s simple act of love becomes a quiet revolution. “In choosing to stand by her daughter, she challenges centuries of social conditioning — showing how allyship begins at home.”, says director Shiva Krish.
“This film has taught us that impact is not abstract — it’s relational. Every screening has opened a room, a conversation, a shift. We hope this selection widens those openings so that more families, institutions, and communities can rethink what acceptance truly looks like.” – says Lead Producer Chithra Jeyaram
REVIEWS
“Few subjects have spurred political discourse in America over the past year as transgender rights and the war in Palestine. Should an issue doc take home the Oscar, my hunch is it would be one of these.”
– Short of the Week, lists Amma’s Pride as a top contender for the Oscars
“A story about what it means to love and be loved in a fractured world”
– IDSFFK Jury Citation, Amma’s Pride won Best Short Documentary at IDSFFK
“Amma’s Pride is political, tender and riotous. Over fifty screenings worldwide have moved audiences to tears, ignited conversations, and transformed indifference into empathy and advocacy.” – Outlook India
KEY BIOS
SHIVA KRISH – Director
Shiva began his career in mainstream Tamil cinema as an assistant director on the feature ORU NAAL IRAVIL. His volunteer work during the 2015 Chennai floods led to collaborations with nonprofits and the making of short documentaries on demonetization in India and schizophrenia. He later worked on the acclaimed Amazon Prime Video series HARMONY WITH A. R. RAHMAN as the first assistant director. AMMA’S PRIDE marks his debut as an independent documentary filmmaker, already drawing critical recognition for its emotional honesty and cultural resonance.
CHITHRA JEYARAM – Lead Producer
Chithra Jeyaram, a Tamil filmmaker and former physical therapist, creates films that find the extraordinary in everyday family resilience and love. Her feature documentary FOREIGN PUZZLE explores cancer, dance, and motherhood, and LOVE CHAOS KIN reframes multicultural adoption. As the lead producer of AMMA’S PRIDE, she drives an impact campaign promoting unwavering parental support for trans people. Chithra is an adjunct faculty member at NYU, an avid runner, and calls Chennai and New York City home. She is writing her first screenplay, THE LONGEST SUMMER.
D’LO – Producer
D’Lo is a queer/transgender Ilankai Tamil-American writer, performer, comedian, and cultural activist whose work spans community education, poetry, television, and film. His screen appearances include LOOKING (HBO), TRANSPARENT (Amazon), SENSE8 (Netflix), and Mr. ROBOT (USA). His writing and performance work have been published and/or written about in academic journals, literary anthologies, and print/online journalism sources, such as NPR’s Codeswitch, LA Times, The Guardian, NBC, and The Advocate. D’Lo also created the celebrated “Coming Out, Coming Home” writing workshops, offered through LGBTQ+ organizations nationwide, which honor storytelling as a form of liberation.
AHAANAA MALHOTRA – Co-Producer & Impact Producer
Ahaanaa is a documentary filmmaker, impact producer, and a graduate of Columbia’s Journalism School, Class of 2022. She is deeply passionate about leveraging the power of film to drive meaningful change through both urban and grassroots community engagement. Currently, she is spearheading the #PathToPride campaign, scheduled to take place in five major cities across India and the US later in 2025. Additionally, Ahaanaa is planning a large-scale grassroots impact campaign to foster greater understanding and support for the LGBTQIA+ community throughout India. Her dedication to social impact storytelling extends to issues surrounding women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ communities, children, and identity.
KARTHIKEYA MURTHY – Music Composer
Karthikeya Murthy is a composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, and the first Indian composer to be a BAFTA Breakthrough Talent. He took his first steps with K.Balachander’s theatre show ORU KOODAI PAASAM in 2009 and went on to work with acclaimed producer-singer Mr. S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and Mr. S.P. Charan, on the feature film MOONE MOONU VARTHAI (2015) and also started working as a composer for TV shows like TAMIL KADAVUL MURUGAN (2017) and Vijay Sethupathi’s NAMMA OORU HERO (2018). In 2019, he received acclaim for his music in KD (a) KARUPPUDURAI. Karthikeya is also passionate about social issues and composed and produced a song THE END (2017) to create awareness about women & child sex trafficking. He has also composed music for the Amazon Prime Video’s comedy reality series LOL: ENGA SIRI PAAPPOM, and the anthology series PUTHAM PUDHU KAALAI: VIDIYAADHA. He is currently composing for a few Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films and series. He is an alumni of Trinity College of Music, London and Berklee.
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