EXCLUSIVE: Representatives of some major production companies will be heading to Seattle next week for the second annual Tasveer Film Market, “North America’s first industry hub connecting South Asian stories with global executives.”
MonkeyPaw Productions, Atomic Monster, Waititi Productions, South Stack Studios, Marginal Media, Exit 44 Entertainment, Prototype Content, and Strand Entertainment have all confirmed attendance at the market, per Tasveer. The market is set for October 8-12, running concurrently with the 20th Tasveer Film Festival.
Seventeen projects will be showcased at the market, selected from submissions that hail from India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, and North America. In addition, the market announced 10 Tasveer Film Fund Finalists selected for this year’s event. Scroll for the full list of those projects.
“These boundary-pushing projects demonstrate the depth and diversity of South Asian storytelling through both open submissions and the festival’s Producers Lab program,” the market notes.
Set to debut this year is Tasveer X AI, “a groundbreaking program exploring the intersection of cinema and emerging technologies. This innovative lineup features masterclass led by Runway’s Jiri Kilevnik. Tasveer will also host a live, interactive closing event for the Market – Prompt to Preview with Runway, where audience prompts come to life on screen in real time.”
The market will feature panels with industry leaders designed “to share insights on conversations shaping global cinema.” Among the highlights:
Award-winning filmmaker Mohammed Ali (Mo) Naqvi (The Accused: Damned or Devoted?, Among the Believers) recently joined the Tasveer Film Market as artistic director after serving as chairman of the Advisory Board last year. In a statement, he said, “It is my honor and privilege to lead the first of its kind South Asian & diasporic film market based out of North America. That focus—diasporic stories and creators—sets us apart and opens doors: exposure, collaboration, and direct pitching to leading producers, studios, and delegates.”
The Tasveer Film Fund Pitch Event, sponsored by Netflix, will award four outstanding projects with production grants of $35,000 each, totaling $140,000 in funding. Bollywood actor Babil Khan will serve as chief guest at the Tasveer Film Fund 2025 Premiere and Opening Night.
All selected market projects will pitch live to industry executives at The Tasveer Film Center, the festival’s recently acquired century-plus-old heritage building in Seattle’s Columbia City Historic District. The venue, formerly home to Ark Lodge Cinema, “represents a significant milestone for South Asian representation in the film industry,” Tasveer observes.
2025 TASVEER MARKET SELECTS (alphabetical order):
Be Great | Roshan Sethi
Written by Karan Soni and Roshan Sethi, produced by Roshan Sethi and Liz Cardenas
Beyond | Sumit Purohit
Written by Sumit Purohit and Saurav Dey, produced by Chippy Babu & Abhishek Sharma (TrainTripper Films) and Mario Stefan (fieber.film)
Days with Dandekar | Leena Pendharkar
Written and directed by Leena Pendharkar, produced by Jane Kelly Kosek and Rachna Khatau
Dusky Fever | Kalainithan Kalaichelvan
Produced by Alison Almeida
Friends and Fascism | Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy
Written by Shuchi Dwivedi, Produced by Aishwarya Sonar and Shuchi Dwivedi
I Love You More Than My Life | Indira S. Somani
Produced by Erin Ploss-Campoamor and Lily Qi
Mouna Tharangam (A Silent Wave) | Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda
Written and directed by Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda, Produced by Karan Shah and Janani Vijayanathan
On Earth As It Is In Heaven | Kayla Abuda Galang
Produced by Alifya Ali, Samantha Skinner
Pahachi Kissa | Marva M
Written and directed by Marva M
Secrets of the Delta | Souvid “JIJO” Datta
Written and directed by Souvid Datta, produced by David Barbeschi and Vee Kumari
Silverfish | Raj Krishna
Written by Raj Krishna and Sudhanshu Saria, produced by Sudhanshu Saria
Skin | Urvashi Pathania
Written and directed by Urvashi Pathania, produced by Liz Lian
Still Here | Mragendra Singh
Written and directed by Mragendra Singh, produced by Aishwarya Sonar and Amanda Lenker Doyle
The Long Jazeera | Saleem Nasir Gondal
Written and directed by Saleem Nasir Gondal, produced by Rabia Sultana
The Settler | Vinay Umapathy
Written by Vinay Umapathy & Humza Sohail, produced by Aneesa Khan & Vinay Umapathy
The Vampire of Sheung Shui | Shreyom Ghosh
Written by D.F.W. Buckingham, produced by Michael J. Werner, Neeraj Churi, and Peter Yam
Yatra | Gayatri Bajpai
Written by David Barbeschi and Vee Kumari
TASVEER FILM FUND FINALISTS:
A Tale of Roses | Rijaa Nadeem
Block Before Lexington Avenue | Amitabh Reza Chowdhury
Color Me Out | Gurinder J Singh
Cutting Dead Wood | Saket Saurabh
Mother Tongue | Kavita Parekh
Petticoat | Priyanka Shailendra
Rising Tide | Andrea Drepaul
The Most Natural Way to Die | Sana Zahra Jafri
Threaded with Love | Sabareesh Subramaniam Wellness | Gayatri Everitt Bajpai
As noted above, the Tasveer Film Market runs alongside the 20th Tasveer Film Festival, “the world’s only Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival.”
Highlighted films at this year’s 20th edition of the festival include:
● Opening Night Feature: Little Jaffna, Directed by Lawrence Valin (North America Premiere, France 2024) (AlUla Audience Award, Red Sea Film Festival)
● Closing Night Feature: Zewel, Directed by ‘Q’ (World Premiere, Bangladesh/India 2025)
Tasveer, founded in 2002 by Rita Meher and Farah Nousheen, is a “Seattle-based nonprofit inspiring social change through South Asian cinema and storytelling.” Meher serves as executive director of the Tasveer Film Festival & Market.
