The 19th edition of the Tasveer Film Festival wrapped up in grand style, celebrating an array of outstanding films that captured the hearts of audiences and impressed juries alike. Held in Seattle, the Oscar-qualifying festival brought together a diverse collection of films from South Asia and its diaspora, marking a milestone for South Asian cinema.
One of the highlights of this year’s event was the sold-out screening of ‘A Nice Indian Boy’, a feature film that left a strong impact on viewers at the PAC SCI IMAX theater in Seattle Center. This screening concluded the week-long festival, which showcased 110 films from 15 different countries. Among these, there were 19 narrative features and 91 short films, with a special emphasis on inclusivity and gender diversity. In fact, 52 of the films were directed by women, trans, and non-binary filmmakers.
Tasveer Film Festival Director and Founder Rita Meher expressed her pride in curating a collection that represents the wide-reaching and diverse voices of South Asian filmmakers. “We are dedicated to uplifting independent South Asian filmmakers and storytelling from the Diaspora,” said Meher, reflecting on the festival’s mission to provide a platform for underrepresented narratives.
Associate Director Shailaja Rao added that the films selected for the festival often tackle themes that are not always easily addressed in South Asia due to censorship and social pressures. “Our curation is deliberate, focusing on narratives that may face cultural, legal, and political barriers,” said Rao, emphasizing the importance of offering these filmmakers a space to freely share their stories.
Two main competitions formed the core of the awards: a juried competition judged by industry professionals, and an audience choice segment where film lovers cast votes after screenings. The juried competition crowned ‘All We Imagine As Light’ by Payal Kapadia as Best Feature Narrative, while ‘Holy Curse’, a short by Snigdha Kapoor, took home the Best Short Narrative award. Sumira Roy’s ‘Bhangaar’ claimed the Best Feature Documentary title. Honorable mentions were given to the feature documentary ‘Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: Now and Then’ and the short film ‘Loop Line’.
In the audience choice awards, ‘A Nice Indian Boy’ by Roshan Sethi won Best Narrative Feature, a reflection of its warm reception at the closing screening. ‘Pink’, directed by Yassa Khan, was awarded Best Narrative Short, while Rishabh Jain’s ‘A Dream Called Khushi’ won Best Documentary Short. The festival’s Best Actor award went to Faizan Sheikh for his role in ‘Stalled’. Other notable wins included Best Director for Pooja Kaul for her film ‘The Umesh Chronicles’, Best LGBTQI Film for Rohit Prajapati’s ‘Katlaa Curry’, and Best Social Justice Film for Rahul Roye’s ‘A Lullaby for Yellow Roses’.
The festival also honored the efforts of filmmakers working in the children’s film and animation categories, with ‘Gold Medal’ by Ujjwal Patel winning Best Children’s Film and ‘Loop Line’ by Renuka Shahane taking home the award for Best Animation.