Bangladeshi Hijras: cultural outcasts in their own society
Two Concordia grads explore the Hijra phenomenon in Call Me Salma

By Valerie Cardinal
Published: Tuesday, November 23, 2010

http://www.theconcordian.com/arts/bangladeshi-hijras-cultural-outcasts-in-their-own-society-1.1795510

Aude Leroux-Lévesque and Sébastien Rist didn't expect to fall in love with Bangladesh. Leroux-Lévesque had been sent there as a result of an internship with the social organization Alternatives in 2008. When Rist came to visit, they decided that their first documentary should be set in the South Asian country.

"I spent four months in Bangladesh and I really enjoyed being there. The country is fascinating," said Leroux-Lévesque. "There are tons of stories you could tell."

When they returned to Canada, the two graduates of Concordia's communications program threw themselves into research about a mysterious population in Bangladesh: the Hijras.