"A Snarky Affair"
Not just a sidekick: Rewriting the Script on Marginalized Characters
SNARKY ELEPHANT HEADS TO TRIBECA! JOIN US FOR OUR SPECIAL SCREENING EVENT!
This isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about building a future where bold, intersectional stories don’t just exist—they thrive.
Date
Sunday, June 8
Time
6:45pm - 10pm EDT
Location
Ludlow House, NYC
Tickets
RSVP Required
About The Event
In a time when LGBTQ+ and marginalized voices are being pushed to the margins—or legislated out entirely—we’re turning up the volume. This Pride Month, in partnership with Red Wall Productions and Greenlit,
join us during Tribeca 2025 for a powerful night of radical visibility, creative disruption, and unapologetic queer storytelling.
Not Just A Sidekick: Rewriting the Script on Marginalized Characters brings together a dynamic panel of creators, producers, and changemakers who aren’t just surviving in the industry—they’re redefining it. We’ll dissect the idea of a “sidekick” and why we often see queer, BIPOC, and other members of traditionally marginalized communities in these roles in front of and behind the camera.
Panel Participants
This is the space to introduce the business’s team and what makes it special.
NEAL LUDEVIG (Host)
Chief Creative Officer of Snarky Elephant Productions, Host of Leave Looking Up Podcast
Shruti Parekh
SEP Cohort Member '23, Award Winning Director of "Zari"
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Bonus:
Special Screening of
Award-Winning Film Short Film 'Zari'
From Writer/Producer/Director Shruti Parekh
Join us for two very special screenings of the CAPE Foundation and Snarky Elephant's recent award-winning short, "Zari", produced in partnership with Janet Yang, with director Shruti Parekh in attendance, along with drinks and hor d'oeuvres.
Zari most recently won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for its World Premiere at Newfest, was nominated for best Narrative at Austin Film Festival, and won the Audience Award at the San Luis Obispo Festival. It continues to tour internationally to acclaim.
Agenda
6:45 PM
Doors Open
7:00 PM
Screening #1
7:30 PM
Panel Discussion with Director Shruti Parekh
8:00 PM
Screening #2
Networking Begins (Hors d’oeuvres + Drinks)
8:30 PM
"Not Just A Sidekick Panel" w/Proximity, Antigravity, CAPE Foundation, & Snarky Elephant
9:00 PM
Industry Mixer and Networking Continues
~10:00 PM
Event Close
What We'll Cover
From incubators to indie breakthroughs, we’ll explore:
How to build sustainable, financially viable creative ecosystems
The future of marginalized storytelling and who’s leading it
Tactics for allies and institutions to uplift queer voices all year—not just in June
ZARI: THEATRICAL TRAILER
Frequently Asked Questions
Sign up for updates via Snarky Elephant Productions and Greenlit newsletters.
Snarky Elephant Productions is a Brooklyn-based film and media company dedicated to empowering underrepresented creators and bold storytellers. We support original, impact-driven content across film, television, digital media, and live events, with a focus on culture-shaping narratives that challenge industry norms.
Greenlit is a creative advocacy platform and emerging production incubator that helps filmmakers and content creators get their ideas off the ground. From story development to community engagement, Greenlit champions socially-conscious creators—especially those whose voices are often excluded.
No. While this event is scheduled during the Tribeca Festival period to build on the creative energy in NYC, “Rewriting the Script on Marginalized Characters" is an independently organized event hosted by Greenlit and Snarky Elephant. We are not affiliated with or sponsored by Tribeca Festival.
We support emerging and established storytellers across film, TV, digital, and branded content, particularly those who are queer, BIPOC, disabled, or systemically underrepresented. We also host workshops, incubator programs, and community-centered events.
We’re always looking to connect with new voices. Follow Snarky Elephant on social media, sign up for our newsletter, or reach out via our websites to learn about upcoming labs, panels, and opportunities to pitch projects or volunteer.
Whether you’re a Producer, financier, filmmaker, impact investor, proud ally—this night is for you.
SEP CREATOR | SHRUTI PAREKH
Writer/Producer/Director
Shruti is an Atlanta-bred, Brooklyn-based Indian American filmmaker who tells intimate and incisive stories of life on the margins of society. Her award-winning work spans fiction, documentary, journalism, and animation. Shruti’s short films have played at Oscar-qualifying festivals, and her first narrative short Blood Moon won the Audience Award at the South Asian Film Festival of America.
Shruti has a BA from Brown University and an MFA in Directing from UCLA, where she received the Jack Nicholson Distinguished
Student Director Award and the Edie and Lew Wasserman Film Production Fellowship.
“Zari” will be her fourth short film.
The project takes us on a journey that is not conventionally seen within the South-Asian community and we love it.
- VEYLEX
Insomnia finds a hearty dose of laughs and sexuality to keep things entertaining, and Reddy injects Nikhil with enough charm and vulnerability to keep him relatable, even at his most neurotic.
- David Reddish, QUEERTY
Vishaal Reddy’s ‘Insomnia’ gives a different perspective of Indian-Americans
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You learn more about these characters in the short episodes than you do in many of the TV shows trending on Netflix.
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"Meet Vishaal Reddy, the creative genius behind a new dark comedy series, Insomnia"
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...Refreshing and revolutionary...the best thing Reddy does is to embrace his nuanced identity in a way that previous representations rarely do.
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“Insomnia has quickly become a-don’t-miss web series and an important source of adding shade and color to what can seem like black and white issues"
- Anubhuti Kumar,
BROWN GIRL MAGAZINE