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In October 2021, the fisherwomen of Pulicat Lake, South India's largest brackish water lagoon, hosted a lavish meal for politicians and bureaucrats. Their aim was to highlight the rich biodiversity at risk if a proposed massive port, which would severely pollute and potentially destroy the lake, was approved. By turning food into a tool of protest, they found a unique way to make their message heard. This event inspired filmmaker Rishi Chandra's The Feast that takes on a similar quest of evoking the flavours of home to sway a politician, Ratatouille-style.
South Asia is filled with such engrossing human interest stories that capture the micro-cultures of the people and places they come from. And you can catch an excellent curation of such films at the Tasveer Film Festival. Tasveer promises a powerful lineup of films that will leave you inspired, moved, and thinking. With its focus on emerging voices and pressing social themes, this year’s festival offers a dynamic space where stories of identity, activism, tradition, and transformation take center stage. Featuring 110 films and 91 shorts from 14 countries, The Seattle-based festival is a movement for change rooted in impact storytelling.
The best part about the festival, for me at least is that it is a hybrid festival, which means you can screen the films featured this year virtually from any part of the world. This year, the festival is also launching its first-ever Tasveer Film Market (TFM) that aims to connect South Asian filmmakers with investors and partners to help fund and develop their projects. It invites film and TV pitches from South Asian countries and the diaspora to explore opportunities for partnerships and financing. It’s a milestone that cements Tasveer’s role as a crucial platform for South Asian cinema, not just in showcasing films but in nurturing the next generation of filmmakers.
The themes that the films on Tasveer touch upon this year resonates with South Asians across the world. Immigration, domestic abuse, farming community, human rights, mental health, child labour, religious rights, gender roles and climate change is just some of them. The opening night feature Wakhri by Pakistani filmmaker Iram Parveen Bilal is Inspired by the real-life story of social media activist Qandeel Baloch. The film dives into the complexities of identity, social media, and activism in contemporary Pakistan. Closing night takes a total opposite tone with Roshan Sethi's queer comedy about a son-in-law in a desi household called A Nice Indian Boy. And everything in between the two is what you'll find at the festival.
Here are some short films that caught our eye:
In Muneeb Hassan's, musical romance, All the Men I Met But Never Dated, a closeted Muslim boy must choose between love and faith.
Radha, the 11-year-old protagonist in Snigdha Kapoor's Holy Curse grapples with their gender identity while being subjected to manipulative orthodox rituals in the family.
Hema by Ritvik Dhavale is a story about cultural displacement and assimilation through that manifests as a dependent mother's struggle to find a home away from home.
Is the moon made of magic, love dreams or is it just a piece of space rock? This argument is the crux of Niyantha Shekar's The Moon held by a romantic and a cynic.
Muhammad Shaan Aatir puts on a brilliant clash of classes in his film, Who's better than who?, a desi version of the French Play 'Le Dieu Du carnage'.
Trauma or evil spirits? Narthanie Yasadi Serasinghe highlights the generational disparities in mental health awareness through an uncomfortable premise of harassment in Prathi.
Tasveer Film Festival's line this year is a true celebration of the South Asian ecosystem — bold, diverse, and deeply reflective of the changing dynamics in the region and its diaspora. The festival starts from October 15. Films will be available for screening online from October 21. Browse the film guide, schedule and streaming information here.
