Tasveer Festival Showcases the best in South Asian arts

16th Annual Tasveer Festival Presented Virtually & In-Person October 1 - 24, showcasing the best in South Asian film, literature, and storytelling.

Keynote Speaker Riz Ahmed slated to attend virtually!

Full festival schedule online at tasveerfestival.org

In its 16th year, Tasveer Festival will showcase the best in South Asian film, literature, and storytelling in a SXSW-style festival, permeating the month of October with arts and culture. Through this festival, Tasveer will provide a platform to amplify under-represented South Asian voices, place a spotlight on South Asian artists, and create a safe space for dialogue within our communities. For the first time, three beloved festivals have joined forces for one incredible event!

Tasveer Festival highlights three themes “Watch | Read | Talk” that combine the 16th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF), 3rd Tasveer South Asian LitFest (TSAL), and a brand new and exciting platform that includes comedy workshops and South Asian pride narratives through the Desi Girl Comedy Project + Coming Out Stories.

“I’m so delighted to present not one but three unique ways for South Asian artists and creatives to share their stories in this year’s 2021 Tasveer Festival,” said Rita Meher, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Festival. “Despite the challenges our industry has faced in recent times, our incredible community of South Asian filmmakers, writers, and storytellers have come together to create a compelling and impactful event. Each of the Watch | Read | Talk segments are filled with entertaining and thought-provoking content that promises to challenge, engage, and inspire.”

The festival showcases 87 films and filmmakers, and more than 10 notable South Asian-American authors. Tasveer events attract 6000+ participants every year, and every festival sells out each year. This festival is replete with inspirational South Asian films, literature, and dialogue. The goal is to have a safe and inclusive space for everyone, where storytelling helps to empower, transform, heal, and entertain everyone. Diverse programs will encourage people to start and hold dialogues focused on South Asian stories regarding representation, equity, climate change, LGBTQ issues, women’s rights, and much more.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Some of the most exciting festival events and guest speakers include:

• Swara Bhaskar scheduled to speak via Zoom on opening night.
• Diaspora Films theme: opening films include Coming Out with the Help of a Time Machine & 7 Days and closing night film is Americanish, starring a great Muslim all-women cast based out of New York.
• Two award-winning Afghani films: one is an Oscar entry for Afghanistan 2019; the other the filmmaker recently escaped the country. Hava Maryam Ayesha and Rona Azim’s Mother.
• Riz Ahmed slated to attend as keynote speaker.
• Wedding Season is in production with Netflix.
• Tasveer Film Fund showcase: The participants of the inaugural Tasveer Film Fund program will premiere their film on Opening Night of the festival. Additionally, 9 finalists for this year’s program will pitch their projects to a panel of experts for the opportunity to receive $5,000 grants. This year’s program is supported by Netflix.
• Desi Girls Comedy Project, a 4-week comedy workshop for South Asian women, culminating with a comedy presentation during Tasveer Festival and led by the amazing Zubi Ahmed of Kutti Gang, a queer South Asian women’s comedy troupe based out of New York.

OPENING NIGHT FILMS
Coming Out with the Help of a Time Machine – Science Fiction by Naman Gupta, United States, 30 Minutes

An MIT graduate, Sid, decides to come out to his traditional Indian parents with the help of a time machine. From the waitress spilling the coffee to a nosebleed to a fire in the kitchen, things don't go as planned, forcing Sid to press reset every single time and start over again. When he is finally able to tell his parents that he loves a HE, not a she, their angry reaction forces him to press reset again. What follows is a deep an emotional dialogue between him and his parents which ends up bringing them close than ever. Friday, October 1, 2021, 6pm PDT, Broadway Performance Hall. In-person Q&A moderated by festival director Rita Meher.

7 Days - Romantic Comedy by Roshan Sethi, USA, 86 Minutes

Setup on a pre-arranged date by their old-fashioned Indian parents, Ravi (Karan Soni) and Rita (Geraldine Viswanathan) seemingly have nothing in common, making for an afternoon that, while pleasant enough, couldn’t be any more awkward. As the COVID outbreak intensifies, the shelter-in-place mandate is issued, forcing Ravi to spend the night at Rita’s place. As their time stuck together stretches towards a full week, though, Ravi and Rita develop an unlikely bond, and in the face of a heartbreaking turn of events, that bond grows into something stronger. Friday, October 1, 2021, 6:45pm PDT, Broadway Performance Hall.

Tasveer Festival would like to thank its supporters: WA State Department of Health, Group Health Foundation, Netflix, and Amazon. Desi Girls Comedy Project is funded in part by a Neighborhood Matching Fund award from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.