Taiwan-based GagaOOLala, Asia’s first streaming platform for LGBT films, launched in India on Friday. The OTT platform will have 377 titles at the time of its launch to celebrate the reading down of Section 377 in September 2018. They aim to have over 400 titles by the end of the month.
According to GagaOOLala, it will have queer content that hasn’t been distributed in India before.This would include Taiwanese gay/lesbian family drama Bao Bao, 2018 Thai entry for the Academy Awards Malila: The Farewell Flower and the Filipino transgender drama Those Long Haired Nights. The catalogue will also include exclusive short films from filmmakers from around the world.
According to a statement, GagaOOLala plans to produce its first original in India as part a season of docu-series Queer Asia. “After having shooting episodes in 5 other different countries in the region, the docu-series Queer Asia will explore the uniqueness of the LGBT culture in India and the stories inside the community. In order to do so, GagaOOLala is looking for local producers, filmmakers and creators to collaborate and bring these stories to life,” GagaOOLala said.
The streaming service is available in 21 countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. To watch, the platform offers two types of subscriptions — one which is limited and free, and a paid version at Rs 390.
The streaming platform has also signed a three-year collaboration agreement with the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival.