Gali delves into a world that grew under the shadow of globalization, of a youth that role-plays participation, as well as, dissent, against a mainstream that continues to exclude them. The documentary catches them in their search for space, as their choice of expression unites them with those fighting invisibility, throughout the world. This film is made possible by a grant from India Foundation for the Arts with support from Titan Company Limited.
Samreen Farooqui and Shabani Hassanwalia founded Hit and Run Films in 2005, an independent video production unit, which engages with changing socio-political-personal realities through documentaries, video art and intervention films. They work as directors, editors, camera persons and writers.
Their first feature documentary, Out of Thin Air, on Ladakhi local cinema and funded by India Foundation for the Arts, was an official selection at International Film festival of Rotterdam and was the opening film at Film South Asia, 2009, besides playing at numerous other festivals. Their feature documentary, Online and Available, released in 2012, told a story of an India-in- transition through its online identity formation. It was produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust and was an official selection at Mumbai International Film Festival, 2012. They worked as associate directors and editors of Star by Dibakar Banerjee, as part of the Bombay Talkies omnibus in 2013, to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema. Their film Being Bhaijaan is a story about masculinity in India, through Salman Khan’s fans. It played at New York Indian Festival, 2015 and was broadcast on Channel 4, UK.
Their most recent film is Gali, about the contemporary street culture in the city of New Delhi and is made possible by a grant from India Foundation for the Arts with support from Titan Company Limited.