Deepa Mehta gears up for the premiere of her film, Funny Boy at the I-View World Film Festival on International Human Rights Day. The coming-of-age story of a young Tamilian boy exploring his sexuality when homosexuality was still illegal in Sri Lanka, based on Sri Lankan author Shyam Selvadurai's book of the same name, will be the opening film at the 10-day festival that starts on December 10.

The filmmaker quotes novelist, playwright, poet and activist James Baldwin to explain how the plot of Funny Boy hinges on the fundamental question: Why do people hate? "Baldwin had said, 'I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain'. I believe that Baldwin felt the expulsion of hate. The reveal of pain is the first step towards healing the world, now more than ever. I hope [the film] will give us a global understanding of the nature of the 'Other'," explains Mehta of her film that is also Canada's official entry to the Oscars.