Lineup For 2018 Tasveer South Asian Film Festival Revealed

SEATTLE, WA - From Tasveer: On Tuesday afternoon, Tasveer revealed the full lineup for the 13th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival. Nineteen of the sixty three films - about a third - are from this year’s focus country Pakistan. The films were all thoughtfully chosen by Programming Director Laila Kazmi and Festival Director Rita Meher in collaboration with a selection committee.

"We are bringing you some of the best, most unique films to come out of South Asia in the last year, particularly from Pakistan," said Kazmi. "And you won't see them anywhere else in Seattle except at the Tasveer festival."

This year’s film list promises an exciting lineup, beginning with highly acclaimed Pakistani film Cake. Director Asim Abbasi along with many visiting filmmakers, including stars Sanam Saeed and Amina Sheikh, will walk the red carpet at the opening night gala, along with other filmmakers.

"I am extremely honored that Cake has been selected as the opening night film for Tasveer this year,” said Abbasi. “During our general release in the US this year, we did not get a chance to open the film in the State of Washington, so I am really excited that people in Seattle will finally get a chance to see it now."

The following days are filled with meaningful films and panel discussions. The films in this lineup are strong and bold, exploring important political and social issues in South Asia and the diaspora. Some highlights:

• In A Better Man, director director Atiya Khan goes back to confront an abusive ex and reveals a surprising healing process.
• Do We Belong? Explores the contested question of who is American, and whether South Asians belong here through the experience of Sunayana Duamala, whose husband was killed in a hate crime in Kansas in 2017.
• Drawn Together, a film and panel discussion questions what a superhero looks like in order to explore representation in the media.
• Honeygiver Among the Dogs from Bhutan, a country with a small film industry and an even smaller pool of women directors.
• My Pure Land, UK's entry for the Oscars in the foreign language category.. \
• Pataakha, the Seattle premiere of of critically acclaimed director Vishal Bhardhwaj’s upcoming film.

In addition to shorts and feature films, the program also includes Virtual Reality films, shown on multiple days during the festival as free screenings.The program, listed below, is now public and available online: tasveer.org

Image via Tasveer