Imtiaz Popat

This project brings together five South Asian men from across Canada. Each of the men express in a short video-vignette a particular experience of their carnal body in relation to queer 'male' sexuality. This video-chain-letter originated in Calgary where Kevin d'Souza recorded a short message and then passed it on to the next participant who in turn recorded his own message and then circulated it to the next participant. The result is a series of short postcards: How to Feel Free by Atif Siddiqui, Biryani is My Business by Arif Noorani, Ghar Ke Khani by Imtiaz Popat, Devotion Desire by Himmat Shinhat, and Cancer by Kevin d'Souza. This project, through the process of self/body documentation, was transformative; leading out of the pessimism of colonial discourse by making new narratives and by exhibiting imperfect bodies in the realm of the fetishized/advertised/racialized body.

This project brings together five South Asian men from across Canada. Each of the men express in a short video-vignette a particular experience of their carnal body in relation to queer 'male' sexuality. This video-chain-letter originated in Calgary where Kevin d'Souza recorded a short message and then passed it on to the next participant who in turn recorded his own message and then circulated it to the next participant. The result is a series of short postcards: How to Feel Free by Atif Siddiqui, Biryani is My Business by Arif Noorani, Ghar Ke Khani by Imtiaz Popat, Devotion Desire by Himmat Shinhat, and Cancer by Kevin d'Souza. This project, through the process of self/body documentation, was transformative; leading out of the pessimism of colonial discourse by making new narratives and by exhibiting imperfect bodies in the realm of the fetishized/advertised/racialized body.

This investigative, fast-paced documentary examines censorship in Vancouver from a Generation X point of view. Discussions about the banning of queer newspaper from a Vancouver suburb, the negotiating of queer theory in academia, and the interplay of race and self-censorship in lesbian/gay communities make this video a welcome update on aspects of the anti-censorship debate.