The world’s only Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival – Tasveer Film Festival, celebrated its opening night in person on October 12, 2023, in Seattle, Washington. The virtual segment of the film festival began on October 16 and continues through October 22.
The opening night featured a screening of “Munnel,” a film that explores the post-war landscape of Sri Lanka. Directed by Visakesa Chandrasekaram, the film follows an ex-Tamil militant, Rudran, haunted by war and loss as he searches for his vanished lover, Vaani. Guided by his clairvoyant mother and a desperate pilgrimage, he seeks a divine reunion.
Chandrasekaram, who wrote, directed, and produced the film, was present at the event to engage in discussion with the audience.
This year marks the 18th edition of Tasveer South Asian Film Festival. Themed Breaking Cinematic Barriers, the festival focuses on lesser-known film industries of Southasia*. This year, the countries highlighted in the films are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The lineup features a collection of 83 selected films spanning diverse genres and captivating themes. They include 23 features, 60 shorts, 20 documentaries, and 63 narratives; 25 world premieres, 36 North American premieres, with 33 female-identified directors.
Apart from the opening night film, the centerpiece and top highlight is “Pasang: In Shadow of Everest,” about the first Nepali woman mountaineer, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, to summit Everest.
The world premiere of the Pakistani film, “Catfish” took place on October 15.
In partnership with Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, Tasveer Film Fund finalists pitched on the morning of the opening night Oct 12th to studio executives and Tasveer staff. Tasveer is the first South Asian organization to create a film fund for independent Southasian filmmakers in North America. The fund offers grants of up to $25,000 in three categories: Short Narrative, Short Documentary, and Short LGBTQIA+ films. In addition to financial support, grantees receive mentorship and other resources to complete their films for Tasveer’s 2024 Film Festival.
This year’s Tasveer Film Fund finalists tackle compelling social issues through diverse lenses. The Short Documentary finalists are — Nausheen Dadabhoy (Halal Bodies), Hemal Trivedi (Yatra), and Pallavi Somusetty (Welcome Home Jhaiji); the Short LGBTQIA+ finalists are — Vik Chopra (Bite), Ibrahim Rana (Me & My Guardian Angel), and Salman Alam (The Last Visit), and the Short Narrative finalists are— Radha Mehta (Tuner), Rajan Gill (Channel Bibi), and Aneesa Khan (What is the Criteria).
Those interested in additional information and virtual ticket options can find details at the official website: https://tasveer.org/
Southasia Peace Action Network 