Tasveer Film Fund 2023 Winners: Evocative Contemporary South Asian Stories

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.

The judges for each category were luminaries and award winners from the film industry including Emmy Award winners Apoorva Bakshi and Mo Naqvi, the founder of India's only Queer film festival, Kashish, Sridhar Rangayan, and award-winning scriptwriters Shiwani Srivastava, Geeta Malik, Samudrika Arora and Swati Shetty. 

“On behalf of the jury, I would like to congratulate all the talented filmmakers who were in competition for the Tasveer Film Fund sponsored generously by Netflix. This opportunity is there to nurture South Asian creators and give them a boost in realizing their projects in this competitive business. We look forward to seeing these projects realized and can’t wait for audiences to enjoy them world over,” said filmmaker Arshad Khan, known for the award-winning documentary Abu and director of the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (MISAFF). 

As part of the Tasveer Film Fund, each filmmaker will receive a $25,000 grant for film production, as well as mentorship and other support from Tasveer to make these scripts into films. These films will premiere at the 19th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival in 2024.   

Hemal Trivedi’s film, Yatra (Journey) is about a young Indian-American doctor who, haunted by her mother's death, journeys back to India to find meaning. While there, an unexpected encounter with a young indigenous girl makes her confront her past and question her future. 

CHANNEL BIBI by Rajan Gill explores generational trauma in a fantastical world of hashtags, followers, and influencer-status. When a lonely grandmother becomes an internet sensation on YouTube, she questions whether her online fans can replace her distant family. 

In Ibrahim Rana’s Me and My Guardian Angel a vulnerable South Asian youth faces temptation and danger late at night while waiting alone at the bus stop, until an unexpected ally provides a path to redemption.

Learn more about the Tasveer Film Fund at the Tasveer website. 

About Tasveer:

Founded in 2002, Tasveer is a Seattle-based non-profit committed to sharing South Asian stories through film. Its Oscar-qualifying festival promotes diverse voices across the diaspora.

Press Contact: 

Olympia Bhatt | 206-698-3906 | olympia@tasveer.org