The Aks International Minorities Festival was established in 2014 in Pakistan by activists seeking to improve the representation of minorities, more specifically transgender, sexual minorities and people of colour. The festival has taken place annually in Pakistan across its biggest cities, with a specific focus on the indigenous Khwaja Sira (trans) community, attracting a positive media reception and devoted audience. Since 2015, Aks has also held an annual festival in Copenhagen, bringing into focus the lives of Danish minorities through a unique combination of film, workshops, art exhibitions and performance.

Aks means ‘reflection’ or ‘mirror’ in Urdu, and the festival aims to hold up a metaphorical mirror to minorities with the purpose of improving their visibility. Aks provides artists and activists the opportunity to be the voice of unheard communities around the globe through films, art and dialogues.

In 2025, The Pakistani chapter of Aks festival took a bold step forward by transforming into Simurgh Festival — a rebirth symbolizing resilience, renewal and collective imagination. Carrying forward the legacy of Aks, Simurgh aspires to be more than a festival: it is a movement that continues to celebrate marginalized voices while envisioning new horizons of solidarity and change.