DESCRIPTION/
Bombay Eunuch is an intimate, moving portrait of one eunuch family¹s struggle to survive in today¹s changing India. Long revered as divinity, the eunuchs- or hijras, as they are known ­ are now little more than relics in a rapidly modernizing world. Relegated to the fringes of society, their lives often plagued by poverty and hardship, the hijras are at once a powerful evocation of tradition and an inspiring parable about the human will to adapt. Through the voice of Meena, a 37 year old hijra and surrogate mother to a eunuch family of her own, Bombay Eunuch explores the challenges facing many in the eunuch community today, and offers a rare and insightful glimpse of the rewards that come with choosing to be true to oneself.

BIOGRAPHY/
Alexandra Shiva, Director/Producer, has spent extensive time in India over the past five years. Her undergraduate work at Vassar College, where she received her BA in 1995, focused on issues of gender and sexuality in art history, film, and psychology. In 1994 she completed a documentary photography-audio piece, "Constructions of Reality", that explored gender identity issues. She is currently the Director of Development for Urban Empire, a non-profit New York City theatre company.
Sean MacDonald, Director/Co-Producer, has an MA in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago. His work focused on gender and identity, goddess worship, mysticism, and literary theory, and he has conducted extensive research in these areas in India over the past five years.
Michelle Gucovsky, Director, received her BA in Religion from Barnard College, where she wrote her senior thesis on eunuchs in India as a reflection if gender issues in Hinduism. She has pursued in-depth independent research on the changing character of gender roles in India in the face of globalization and modernization.


CONTACT/
Alexandra Shiva
Gidalya Pictures
49 Bleecker Street
4th Floor
New York, NY 10012
E-mail: gidalya@aol.com