Founded in 2019 by Asawari Jagushte and Varsha Panikar, Star Hopper is a home for South Asian LGBTQIA++ and underrepresented voices to tell their stories on their own terms.
We’re an India-based entertainment and media company creating across film, TV, commercials, and hybrid works. At the intersection of film and culture, we blend deeply rooted South Asian narratives with cutting-edge innovation—immersive VR theater, AR experiences, NFT projects, and games.
Our verticals include the Underground Film Observatory (UFO), a platform spotlighting films and moving image works by GSM, queer, trans, GNC, and women filmmakers, and Riot Ink Press (RIP), our publishing arm amplifying bold, diverse voices through zines, books, and more.
With our finger on the pulse of changing global politics and technology, we collaborate with culture-forward labels, brands, agencies, clients, and various arts, culture, and social organisations both in and outside of India. We aim to work with partners who share our commitment to equitable authorship, authenticity, and meaningful cultural engagement.
We consider ourselves explorers, hopping through the cosmos of storytelling, dreaming up tomorrows, and seeking meaning in the unknown. In that unknowing lies power: the power to rewrite, to re-imagine, and to build expansive and bolder futures.
Will we ever inhibit such a space?
We don’t know. But we hope, we dream, and we try—one story at a time.
Notable Awards and Recognitions:
Grand Prix at The Drum Awards 2024 (Word Of Pride) Gold at The Drum Awards 2024 for Social Purpose (Word Of Pride) Gold at The Drum Awards 2024 for Charity or Not for Profit (Word Of Pride) Gold at The Drum Awards 2024 for Disruption (Word Of Pride) Bronze Award at The Drum Awards 2024 in the Data/Insight category (Word Of Pride) Silver and Bronze at Spikes Asia Awards 2024 (Word Of Pride) Spike Glass Nomination at Spikes Asia Awards 2024 (Word Of Pride) Merit Award at The One Show 2024 in the Public Relations category (Word Of Pride) Gold for Cultural Driving Force at ONE Asia Creative Awards 2024 (Word Of Pride) Merit for Creative Effectiveness at ONE Asia Creative Awards 2024 (Word Of Pride) Bronze for Brand-Side/In-House at ONE Asia Creative Awards 2024 (Word Of Pride) Purple Elephant at Kyoorius Creative Awards 2024 (Word Of Pride) Best International Short (Special Jury Award) at RIO Festival De Cinema LGBTQIA+ 2021 (Bodies of Desire) Five Films for Freedom 2021 at BFI Flare and British Council (Bodies of Desire) Best Poetry Short at Make Art Not Fear 2022 (Bodies of Desire) Best Poetry Short at Make Art Not Fear 2023 (After So Long) Official Selection at BFI Flare (Bodies of Desire) Official Selection at Outfest LA (Bodies of Desire) Official Selection at Berlin Commercial (Bodies of Desire) Official Selection at Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest (Bodies of Desire) Official Selection at Toronto Queer Film Festival (Bodies of Desire) Official Selection at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (Bodies of Desire) Best Music Video at Global Indian Film Festival 2021 (Bodies of Desire) Honourable Mention at 24fps International Short Film Festival 2022 (Bodies of Desire) Quarter-Finalist (Best International Feminist Short) at Femifilms (Bodies of Desire) Winner of Chained Unchained Mintathon Grant 2023 (ARA Chronicles) Exhibited at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2024 (ARA Chronicles) Official Selection at IAWRT's Asian Women's Film Festival (The Housemaids) Official Selection at Bangalore Queer Film Festival (The Housemaids)