Press 2023
18th TASVEER FILM FESITVAL 2023
Tasveer, a South Asian arts non-profit organization, with support from the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Tasveer Film Fund. Now in its fourth year, the Tasveer Film Fund supports South Asian filmmakers in North America who are creating short films across three different categories: documentary, narrative, and LGBTQIA+ narrative.
Seattle, WA (October 16, 2023) – The 18th annual Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF)
wrapped up its in-person event in Seattle yesterday after a successful four-day run featuring 83
film screenings, industry panels, and networking events centered around South Asian cinema.
The festival now transitions to an all-virtual format, running from October 16th to 22nd, to share
the finest contemporary South Asian films with a global audience
‘Breaking Cinematic Barriers’ is the theme for Seattle’s 18th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF), which opens on October 12th across multiple venues in the city.
The festival consists of 83 curated films, reflecting the vast diversity, range, and cinematic excellence of South Asia. The lineup includes 23 features, 60 shorts, 20 documentaries, and 63 narratives, as well as work from 55 filmmakers, 33 of whom are female-identified, and spans 11 countries and 26 languages.
The Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF) will hold its 18th edition from October 12 to 22 across multiple venues in Seattle along with online screenings. This year, TSAFF makes history by becoming the first and only Southasian* film festival whose winning films are eligible for submission to the prestigious Oscars.
Over the last 21 years, Tasveer, which means ‘picture’ in Urdu/Hindi, has exhibited many trailblazing filmmakers long before they achieved international recognition.
This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestowed an Oscar-qualifying status on Tasveer, the largest and oldest Southasian* film festival in North America. This recognition places Tasveer on par with international festivals like Tribeca, Sundance, and Cannes. It is also the only Southasian film festival to have this honour.
The Tasveer Film Festival (Oct. 12 – 22) is in its 18th year of showcasing films from across the South Asian diaspora. Consider: the story of Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to summit Mt. Everest; or the story of Nalini Nadkarni, an Indian-Jewish ecologist who fell 50 feet from a tree in the Olympic Peninsula rainforest and dug deep into her family history as part of her recovery. And that’s only two of the 83 films on view!
TSAFF 2023 is the only South Asian film festival eligible for Oscars. The line-up includes a collection of 83 films including documentaries, features and shorts, reports the #Newsdesk
The Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF) will hold its 18th edition from October 12 to 22 across multiple venues in Seattle. This year, TSAFF makes history by becoming the first and only South Asian film festival whose winning films are eligible for submission to the prestigious Oscars.
The Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF) will hold its 18th edition from October 12 to 22 across multiple venues in Seattle. This year, TSAFF makes history by becoming the first and only South Asian film festival whose winning films are eligible for submission to the prestigious Oscars.
SEATTLE, WA – In a historic moment for South Asian cinema, the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival has secured its place on the prestigious list of Oscar-qualifying festivals. The announcement was made by Rita Meher, the festival’s co-founder and executive director, who received official confirmation from the Motion Picture Academy.
The film “Catfish” is set to be showcased at the Tasveer Film Festival this year. Notably, the Tasveer Film Festival has made history as the first-ever Oscar-qualifying film festival in the South Asian realm. This recognition from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences marks a significant milestone, opening doors for South Asian films to compete on the global stage without intermediary constraints.
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF) is gearing up for its 18th edition from October 12 to 22, 2023, across multiple venues in Seattle, WA. This year, TSAFF achieves a momentous milestone as the first and only South Asian film festival whose winning films will qualify for submission to the esteemed Oscars. The significance of a South Asian film festival qualifying for the Oscars illustrates the importance of representation and inclusivity in media as it challenges historically limited narratives and promotes cross-cultural understanding.
The South Asian film and arts nonprofit Tasveer has moved its administrative staff into the Opera Center, where they will share facilities and event space with Seattle Opera staff. In addition to access to workspace, storage, and technical support, Tasveer will host its annual film festival in Tagney Jones Hall, Seattle Opera’s 200-seat theater.
Leaders of the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival are celebrating their newly announced status as an Oscar-qualifying festival.
Rita Meher, co-founder of the Seattle-area event, received official word from the Motion Picture Academy on Wednesday that Tasveer “has been approved as an Academy-qualifying festival on the Short Films Qualifying Festival List.”
Celebrating 18 years in 2023, the Bellevue-based Tasveer South Asian Film Festival continues to amplify the experiences of the South Asian community, looking to shorten the bridges separating independent filmmakers and production companies through a new addition to October’s festival program, a South Asian Film Summit.
Get ready for an unmissable cultural phenomenon as the first-ever Tasveer Film Summit takes center stage from October 11th to 12th, 2023, in Greater Seattle Area, Washington. This momentous gathering will build a focused environment for emerging filmmakers and film executives to forge unique networking opportunities and creative relationships.
Founded in 2001, the Tasveer Film Festival is currently hosting the 17th annual South Asian film festival. Aiming to create a safe space for underrepresented communities, Tasveer showcases films highlighting diversity and relatability. Each screening includes a post-film Q&A with the filmmakers, and many of the films are available to stream . Since 2019, Tasveer has worked with Netflix to grant $50,000 of funding to South Asian filmmakers annually.
Rita Meher is the Co-Founder and Festival Director of the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival. Since establishing the festival in 2002, her goal has been to continue growing awarness for South Asian stories and showcasing excellence in South Asian filmmaking.
Lucy Mukerjee is the Programming Director for the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival. In her career in the film industry, she has been a film producer and has held prominent programming roles at festivals like OutFest and Tribeca Festival. With a passion for activism and the arts, she works to elevate marginalized storytellers and create access and visibility for underrepresented identites.
Up next is the TASVEER SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL showcasing films from…SOUTH ASIA! Well, from South Asia and from the South Asian diapora….there are South Asian filmmakers all over the world. The 17th festival from Tasveer kicks off on Thursday, November 3rd through the 13th for a live run but lasts until November 20th as an online film festival.
The 17th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival begins this week. The Seattle-based festival runs from November 3rd to November 20th and will be a hybrid festival featuring some of the year’s best South Asian stories in film.
TSAFF programs films, shorts, and events that spotlight South Asian stories and culture with an emphasis on showcasing work that explores social justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, and gender equality.
This Thursday, the Seattle-based Tasveer South Asian Film Festival is coming to town. It’s a festival dedicated to films by and about South Asians.
For many Americans, thinking of South Asian film brings to mind Bollywood, or maybe this year’s hit film “RRR.” But South Asian Film goes far beyond those borders.
KUOW Community Outreach Coordinator Kamna Shastri has been diving into the festival.
For her, the festival represents the shifting demographics of Western Washington.
All set to be screened at the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival this month (and in November), The Round Lake, a short film from Pakistan, highlights one of the country’s most pressing issues: water scarcity.
In its third year, the Tasveer Film Fund (TFF) continues to empower South Asian filmmakers to bring their scripts to life. The winning four filmmakers will receive a total of $50k in funds, and yearlong mentorship from a robust cohort of industry advisors. Mentors offering guidance on their productions include producers Stephanie Caleb, Milan Chakraborty, Neeraj Churi, Priya Giri Desai, and Guneet Monga, filmmakers Sushmit Ghosh, Nardeep Khurmi, and Geeta Malik, intimacy coordinator Neha Vyaso, film festival veteran Masashi Niwano and entertainment attorney Kamran Khan.
At the launch party on Oct. 7 for the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF), the largest South Asian film festival in North America, Indo-Afro-Cuban music filled the room as the band Anjuman created the background for conversations among attendees, mostly dressed in beautiful multicolored saris and other traditional South Asian clothing. The most common question overheard is, “What are you here for?” Actors, writers, directors, and others were all seeking to find out what part each person was playing in supporting TSAFF.
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF) is excited to announce its largest slate of films for its 2022 edition taking place over 18 days. This year’s TSAFF will present 24 features and 79 short films spanning 17 countries and 15 languages, including 12 World Premieres and 24 US Premieres. The lineup showcases work that challenges patriarchy and amplifies gender justice, embodying the festival’s theme “Unapologetically South Asian.”
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF) is excited to announce its largest slate of films for its 2022 edition taking place over 18 days. This year’s TSAFF will present 24 features and 79 short films spanning 17 countries and 15 languages, including 12 World Premieres and 24 US Premieres. The lineup showcases work that challenges patriarchy and amplifies gender justice, embodying the festival’s theme “Unapologetically South Asian.”
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF) has started the countdown for its 17th edition, which will be in hybrid format (in Seattle theaters and online) from November 3–20. The largest South Asian film festival in the United States, TSAFF focuses on screening high caliber films that explore social justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, and gender equality.
South Asian arts organization Tasveer has launched its third annual film fund, which supports emerging filmmakers with production grants in addition to mentorship and resources.
SEATTLE, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Tasveer opens applications for their third annual Tasveer Film Fund program (TFF) which will now include two tracks: one for Short Films and one for Feature Films. TFF empowers South Asian filmmakers to bring unique, untold stories to life with production grants, as well as year-long support, resources, and mentorship.
Tasveer, a South Asian nonprofit film and art organization, has opened applications for their third annual Tasveer Film Fund program (TFF), which will support South Asian short filmmakers.
Today, Tasveer is opening applications for their third annual Tasveer Film Fund program (TFF) which will now include two tracks: one for Short Films and one for Feature Films. TFF empowers South Asian filmmakers to bring unique, untold stories to life with production grants, as well as year-long support, resources, and mentorship.
SEATTLE, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Tasveer opens applications for their third annual Tasveer Film Fund program (TFF) which will now include two tracks: one for Short Films and one for Feature Films. TFF empowers South Asian filmmakers to bring unique, untold stories to life with production grants, as well as year-long support, resources, and mentorship.