Tasveer Film Market Launches with 40+ Projects and Global Industry Leaders, Aiming to Amplify South Asian Voices Worldwide

Acclaimed talents such as Radhika Apte, Amole Gupte, Sarvnik Kaur, Apoorva Charan, Nabeel Qureshi, Sadia Ashraf, and Hania Chima are set to present their projects at TFM.

Award-winning filmmakers Deepa Mehta, Pan Nalin, Kamil Chima, and National Award-winning writer Utkarshini Vashishtha are set to attend and deliver talks at the Tasveer Film Market.

Leading companies and studios including Amazon MGM Studios, Pillars Fund, Blumhouse, HBO, EST N8, Creativeland Studios, NBCU, CAA, and WME, among others, will attend.

The inaugural edition of the Tasveer Film Market, a new groundbreaking initiative under the prestigious 19th Tasveer Film Festival, is set to make waves by showcasing an exciting array of meticulously curated 40+ South Asian and diaspora projects, handpicked from over 300 submissions across India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia. It will bring to the forefront some of the region’s most talented filmmakers and producers, providing them a unique platform to present their work, geared towards creating a global footprint. Notable names including Sarvnik Kaur (Against the Tide), Radhika Apte (Sleepwalkers), Hania Chima (Laal Kabootar), Amole Gupte (Stanley Ka Dabba), Nabeel Qureshi (Na Maloom Afraad), among others, will present their projects at TFM. The market is also set to include the feature film adaptation of Soniah Kamal’s novel Unmarriageable, a project led by Sadia Ashraf and James McMillan, whose credits as a cinematographer include Avengers: Endgame and A Quiet Place: Part One, among others.

Business will open at the market with the presentation of the 20 Tasveer Film Market Jury Select Projects. The Jury Select projects will be showcased and presented to leading studio executives, producers, DEI executives, and other key industry figures with the goal of forging partnerships and, in certain cases, facilitating funding. The Tasveer Film Market’s esteemed jury features notable figures from the entertainment world, including Dominique Welinski (Producer & Curator, Director’s Factory, Directors’ Fortnight – Cannes), Falguni Adams (Former Network Executive Producer, Vice Media), Shobha Sant (CEO, Creativeland Studios), Hemal Trivedi (Oscar & Emmy-winning filmmaker), and Swati Shetty (Founder, Bridge7).

The Project Catalog will also feature 20 Tasveer Film Market Select projects that reflect diverse voices from across South Asia and the diaspora, along with an Out-of-Competition section of 20 Finished Films. These include key titles like Pooja Kaul’s The Umesh Chronicles, Suman Ghosh’s The Ancient, and Miriam Chandy Menacherry’s much-talked-about From the Shadows.

The Tasveer Film Market will also host the final pitching session of the 5th Tasveer Film Fund, supported by Netflix. Nine finalists, out of a total of 200 submissions with under-development Narrative Shorts, will compete for the $25,000 grant, which will be awarded to three winning pitches.

In addition to project pitches, the Tasveer Film Market includes keynote speeches, fireside chats, and panel discussions, providing attendees with an opportunity to engage with key industry figures. Among those attending are industry leaders such as award-winning filmmaker Pan Nalin, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta, and executives from Blumhouse, Amazon MGM Studios, EST N8, Creativeland Studios, HBO, WME, CAA, One Community, Pillars Fund, and others. Furthermore, the festival and market have also partnered with leading organizations like NBCU, K&L Gates, and Washington Filmworks to support this growing platform. With a clear focus on elevating South Asian and diaspora content, the Tasveer Film Market aims to become a key player in the international film landscape.

Rita Meher, Founder and Director of the Tasveer Film Market, expressed her enthusiasm: “A film market focused on South Asian cinema has been a long time coming. We’ve elevated the Tasveer Film Festival to new heights, making it the only Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival in the world. Now, through the Tasveer Film Market, our vision is for these filmmakers to secure financing, access vital resources, engage directly with industry leaders, and gain distribution. It’s time for South Asian stories to transcend borders and be celebrated on the global stage.”

“Our goal is to create a platform where South Asian and diaspora filmmakers can connect with the global industry, particularly in North America, where diverse voices are being amplified more than ever. We believe the Tasveer Film Market will become a vital stepping stone for these unique voices to gain the attention they truly deserve and for the ecosystem to incorporate and nurture more representation of South Asia, the diaspora, and their concerns. Being in Seattle, we will also bring a boom to the creative economy of the region,” added Anupama Bose, Advisor & Associate Director, Tasveer Film Market.

The 19th Tasveer Film Festival, where the market is hosted, will also showcase over 100 films, including feature films, shorts, and documentaries. The festival has established itself as a hub for cultural exchange and artistic collaboration, offering a vital platform for South Asian storytelling to flourish on the global stage.

The Tasveer Film Festival and Market are set to take place from the 15th to the 20th of October.

LIST OF SELECTED PROJECTS AT THE MARKET –

TASVEER FILM MARKET JURY SELECT projects

1. A Country Without A Post Office by Umbreen Butt (Canada) – Documentary Feature (animation)

2. Birdie by Prarthana Joshi (US) – Narrative Feature

3. Burnout by Swetha Regunathan (US) – Narrative Feature

4. Feral by Nihaarika Negi (US / India) – Narrative Feature

5. Hori by Arun Deo Joshi (Nepal) – Narrative Feature

6. Jackie and Jilal by Jyothi Kalyan Sura (US) – TV

7. Kabootar by Ishan Sharma (India) – Narrative Feature

8. Mangal – The Holy Beast by Triparna Maiti (India) – Narrative Feature

9. Samosa by Nipunika Fernando (Sri Lanka) – Narrative Feature

Their Life is Water by Brayden Yoder & Aditi Mediratta (US / India) – Narrative Feature
Montu Went To The Moon by Radhika Apte (India) – Narrative Feature
Rain Echoes Fire by Ayon Pratim Saikia (India) – Narrative Feature
Queen Peak by David Barchet, Hania Chima (US) – Narrative Feature
The Aunt by Ranjan Ghosh (India) – Narrative Feature
Umbrellas of the Acrobats by Mukesh Subramaniam (US) – Narrative Feature

TASVEER FILM MARKET JURY SELECT – Work in Progress projects

1. Adi by Amole Gupte & Deepa Bhatia (India) – Documentary Feature

2. A Street Play by Tanmaya Shekhar (India) – Narrative Feature

3. Laptein aka Flames by Ravi Shankar Kaushik (India) – Narrative Feature

4. The Return by Anjali Kamat & Rehan Ansari / Sanjna Selva (US) – Documentary Feature

5. Waste-Side Story by Supriyo Sen (India) – Documentary Feature

TASVEER FILM MARKET SELECTProjects

1. Anandibai by Samip Mallick (US) – ShortDoc Animation

2. Behind The Scene by Bilal Sami (US) – TV

3. Chilli Score by Vinny Anand & Ronald Austin, Jr. (US) – Narrative Feature

4. Disrupted by Sarvnik Kaur (India/US) – Documentary

5. Dreams Uprooted by Meghna Damani (US) – ShortDoc

6. Fara by Arshad W Khan (Canada) – Narrative Feature

7. Good Girls by Hira Shiraz (US) – Narrative Feature

8. Lone Star Hijra – An Indian Fairy Tale by Sheila Sawhny (US) – Narrative Feature (WIP)

9. Nisa (Woman) by Ambarien Alqadar (US) – Narrative Feature

Patel by Ravi Kapoor (US) – Narrative Feature
Prisoner by Nabeel Qureshi (Pakistan) – Narrative Feature
Unmarriageable by Sadia Ashraf (US) – Narrative Feature
Suraiya by Shibabrata Barman & Robiul Alam Robi (Bangladesh) – Narrative Feature (WIP)
Tandava by Vinay M Umapathy (US) – Narrative Feature
The Laughter by Aproova Charan & Saim Sadiq (US) – Narrative Feature
The Pharaoh of Pharma by Zaki Chinde (India/US) – Narrative Feature
Untitled by Tanuja Chandra (India) – Documentary
Welcome Home Jhaiji by Pallavi Somusetty (US) – Documentary
Whistle in the Mist by Jahnu Barua (Australia) – Narrative Feature
Zewel by Kaushik ‘Q’ Mukherjee (India) – Narrative Feature

TASVEER FILM FUND FINALISTS

1. Bombil Fry: Sunsets Limited, Cigarettes Pivoted and Sambal Swallowed by Tushar Gidwani

2. By Design by Moitri Ghosh

3. Extreme Vetting by Shehryar Mir

4. Lavenders Bloom by Sara Rangooni

5. Open Shaadi by Jerika Marchan & Dini Parayitam

6. Pooja in Her Prime by Kesav Wable & Asavari Kumar

7. Tabbasum by Sri Ram Burgula

8. The Sale by Meera Angelica Joshi

9. Yakshi by Karan Sunil

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