Fashion designer and humanitarian Anjali Phougat’s latest short film is all about the kindness and inclusivity of every kind of person. Titled Inclusion Through Unity, the film is conceptualized by Anjali and Vincent-Natasha Gay.
“As a founder of fashion house Designerdreamcollection, I enjoy being creative and my brand supports inclusion. I also wanted to make short films on causes and support all the communities. I believe we can change the world through unity. I wanted to give the message to the world that we all should be kind and inclusive. The idea is to spread love and positivity without saying anything harsh or negative. I collaborated with Natasha Gay, she is an influencer and super creative. She is also a published gender-fluid model and we build the full team together. This project wouldn’t be possible without our creative team’s support. A huge shout out to the full crew for creative ideas and being part of this meaningful project,” says Anjali.
Alex Rogers has done the direction and cinematography, while the photographer and choreography departments were managed by Caroline O’Brien. Anjali and Natasha wrote the script and also backed the project that stars Reshá Sukoshi, Clare Winkler, Vincent-Natasha Gay, Mounika Siriguppi, and Anjali herself. Makeup and hair are being done by Arunita Ghosh, Imani and Lina lelli.
“Inclusion Through Unity gives a message to the community to celebrate every culture with love and support. It also promotes gender equality, inclusion and diversity. It’s time we stop labelling and judging people. As Stuart Milk had said, ‘We are less when we don’t include everyone. If we want a strong society, it has to be inclusive. We cannot eradicate violence if we do not build a strong, inclusive community,” she explains.
Anjali was not nervous facing the camera, in fact, she is quite comfortable. “Being a fashion designer and chat show host I have the great experience of performing in front of the camera. The first time I faced the camera was at the age of 16 for various fashion shows and did a few fashion shoots as well for multiple big brands,” she adds with a smile. She also designed jewellery for the cast of the film and designed a gown for Miss South Asia World 2020, Mounika. She specially flew from Austin to shoot for this project.
Excited to have done such work, Anjali shares the experience of shooting the film amid the ongoing pandemic. “Things are getting better here and we all got vaccinated. But we took all the necessary safety precautions. It was a good experience to learn from our creative team and come together for such a meaningful project. I always enjoy supporting good causes and it’s wonderful to build a strong society with cultural diversity. Creator’s Studio is conveniently placed to serve creators in Franklin County and its surrounding areas. We had a wonderful time shooting here. It’s huge and has complete studio lighting, backdrops, and a growing array of photography sets. Creator’s Studio was built by creatives, for creatives,” she wraps up.
