Presented at this year’s BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, the documentary Body of Our Own follows three members of the Hijra community: Momo, Neshi, and Jannat. Directed by Rahemur Rahman and Lily Vetch, the film gives us a beautifully observant portrait of identity and friendship.

Filmed over seven years, Rahman and Vetch take a slow and thoughtful approach. Body of Our Own gradually reveals the lives of the three women and the world around them, showing how they build their identities and futures while balancing personal freedom with social pressures.

The Hijra community is a longstanding and rooted part of South Asian culture, made up of transgender, non-binary, and intersex people who have existed for centuries across countries like India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Traditionally, Hijras have held unique social and spiritual roles, often invited to bless weddings and births, giving them a cultural and symbolic presence. In the face of stigma, exclusion, and misunderstanding, they have created their own support systems built on care and mentorship. There is a powerful sense of identity and pride within the community, expressed through performance, humour, style, and everyday acts of self-expression. And this is what we see through those three women.

Momo is a wonderful and confident person, a performer whose delightful humour and energy create space in environments that rarely offer it freely. Her position within the Hijra culture, particularly her evolving role as a mentor, reflects an attempt to change structures that have historically been hierarchical and restrictive. Neshi’s journey is somewhat more thoughtful. Much of her search for connection takes place online, where streaming platforms and digital communities give a sense of belonging that is, at times, difficult to achieve offline. Her yearning for romance, companionship, and even motherhood reveals the many challenges of building intimacy while living on society’s margins. Jannat, meanwhile, follows a different path: a desire for independence. Questioning the expectations imposed by traditional Hijra structures, she hopes to achieve financial independence and build a life on her own terms. And despite the challenges they face, they continue to cherish their friendships and sense of community.

I absolutely appreciate how performance and self-presentation become tools through which Momo, Neshi, and Jannat actively construct their own narratives. The filmmakers’ approach reflects the unusual production history behind the project. Developed independently over several years and without formal institutional backing for much of its duration, the film grew out of long-term relationships built not only on trust but above all, collaboration and respect for the community.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. As we continue to grow, we aim to deepen our coverage of Asian music while remaining committed to exploring and celebrating creativity across the global arts landscape.}