MUMBAI: Onir’s film, I Am, has bagged an award for ‘outstanding contribution on issues related to gender and human rights‘ at its world premiere at Engendered Film Festival at New York.

The co-production of Onir and Sanjay Suri has instilled further confidence in them. Says Onir, "Awards are always good.They make you sit back for a while and reflect on the hard work that went into turning a core concept into reality.

Shot in four different cities across India, I Am is a fusion of stories where the protagonists share a common dream – a desire to regain their lives. While I Am Afia is the story of a single woman who wants to experience motherhood, I Am Omar is a horrific tale of sexual discrimination, blackmail and prejudice.

I Am Abhimanyu is the story of a child sexual abuse survivor. And I Am Megha is a story of two friends - a Kashmiri Pandit woman and a Muslim woman - separated by conflict.

“Making a film like this is a tough job and all are aware of how we raised funds online for making I Am. Now when I walk along with my team on the red carpet, it brings back the memories of the couple of years that have gone by since the time the basic idea of I Am was born," says Onir.

Consisting of short stories, I Am stars Manisha Koirala, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Suri, Radhika Apte, Shernaz Patel, Anurag Kashyap, Rahul Bose, Arjun Mathur and Abhimanyu Shekhar Singh.

Onir isn’t in a hurry for a commercial release of the film. "What‘s the point in rushing for a release during the last three months of this year when there are multiple releases a week. I would rather have a good and gradual build up created for the film rather than going ahead with a concentrated promotion in a short period of time. It is best to wait and let my film speak for itself and make the audience curious about what it has to offer," he says.