Debasmita Dasgupta is a London-based award-winning graphic novelist, film producer and screenwriter. As an advocate for BIPOC (person of colour) rights in media and arts, Debasmita's visual stories have been published by Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Barfefoot Books, to name a few. Her illustrated animation work has been showcased by the StoryCentre NYC and the Raindance Film Festival in the United Kingdom and Canada. In a career spanning over 15 years, she has also written and produced international films to narrate stories of under-represented communities. Her debut feature ‘Before Life After Death' is streaming on Netflix Asia Pacific. Her art has been exhibited around the world and more than forty international media outlets have featured it. Debasmita mentors aspiring and emerging visual storytellers from diverse backgrounds. Rajat Mittal is a writer and independent children's book maker. He has co-authored/edited two children's books on gender equity in India, and his work has been featured in leading publications like The Times, BBC World, The Hindu and many more. He lives in San Francisco and is the Founder of project ‘BOYISH', which is rooted in the belief that gender norms impact not just girls but boys as well, and masculinity in India needs to be examined and reinterpreted for a safer and more gender-equitable society.
<p style="margin: 6px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; line-height: 24px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;">Ten-year-old Zi loves embroidery. He is growing up in a world filled with expectations. Everyone around him – family, friends, neighbours – seems to have a say in who Zi should be.</p><p style="margin: 6px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; line-height: 24px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;">Surrounded by all the noise, Zi’s own voice yearns to break free. Will Zi find the strength to be who he wants to be?</p><p style="margin: 6px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; line-height: 24px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">ZardoZi is a heartwarming story that touches on history, identity and the power of breaking free. Finding oneself is a remarkable adventure, filled with surprises, challenges and the joy of embracing our authentic selves. ZardoZi is all about that.</em></p>
