News

Independent producer Uday Jhunjhunwala has unveiled the establishment of a fund, fiscally sponsored by Desipina Productions, for film, theater, prose and poetry projects centered on international human rights and children’s welfare during South Asian House’s programming at the Tribeca Festival.

The fund was among several projects that gained momentum as South Asian House concluded its third consecutive year of programming at the festival, partnering with the Islamic Scholarship Fund (Isf) and Arab Film and Media Institute (Afmi) to spotlight the need for authentic representation in film.

One of the highlights of the programming was a panel at the AT&T Untold Stories Lounge, curated by Rohi Mirza Pandya, founder of South Asian House/Box Office Guru Media. Moderated by Shruti Ganguly, the conversation featured panelists Aizzah Fatima from Isf and Maya Labban from Afmi. The event opened with a video message from Alana Hadid of Watermelon Pictures, who...

The South Asian House initiative, which aims to highlight, recognize and appreciate South Asians in film and television, has partnered with the Islamic Scholarship Fund to present programming at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, marking a significant collaboration for South Asian, Arab and Muslim representation in the entertainment industry.

The partnership will present a series of panels, mixers and cultural events during festival week, with support from the Brown Girl Clubhouse, a community platform for South Asian women. Programming is designed to champion representation in film, television and media while creating spaces for connection and creative celebration.

Key events include a June 3 filmmakers event presented by the Arab Film and Media Institute at MadamJi, and a June 4 “Filmmakers & chai” gathering at the Brown Girl Clubhouse.

Industry talks will feature South Asian House founder and Box Office Guru Media’s Rohi Mirza Pandya, Academy member Hemal Trivedi, entertainment attorney Maaha Khan, Arab Film...

The Pakistan Crescent Collective made a triumphant return to the Cannes Film Market this week, presenting a powerhouse panel that positioned filmmaking as an act of creative defiance against decades of limiting stereotypes.

The collective’s “New Wave Pakistan: Telling Global Stories, Rooted at Home” panel drew industry attention to a cinematic movement that’s rewriting the rules of Pakistani storytelling.

The event was introduced by Rohi Mirza Pandya of Rasa Film Group. Panel moderator Mohammed Ali (Mo) Naqvi, the acclaimed filmmaker and Crescent Collective co-founder, who also serves as chair of the Pakistan Oscar selection committee, set the tone with a pointed observation about narrative liberation. “For so long, the only stories we were allowed to tell were filtered through a Western lens: terrorism, trauma, poverty,” Naqvi said. “We’re finally claiming the freedom to tell our own stories – joyful ones, horrifying ones, romantic ones – on our own terms.

Rasa Film Group, based in New York, is about to greatly affect South Asian movies. The independent production collective said tech executive Rohit Bhayana has joined its leadership team. Along with this news, Rasa announced a wide range of bold projects for the next twelve months.

Established in 2024, Rasa Film Group quickly became known for its dedication to diverse storytelling, especially in promoting short films directed by women. The collective made four movies in its first year, giving it a strong base in the independent film industry.

“Witness,” an interesting short film, is one of Rasa’s planned releases. It will have its North American premiere at the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival. The movie Radha Mehta and Saif Jaan directed shows how hard it is for an imam to balance traditional values with helping a male congregation member on his spiritual path. The project has a lot of support; the Netflix...

The independent production banner Rasa Film Group is broadening its reach, welcoming tech and hospitality veteran Rohit Bhayana as the latest addition to its partnership ranks as the collective sets its sights on expanding its South Asian storytelling ventures.

The New York-based collective, which made its debut in 2024, has already established a track record of backing female-directed short films, with four productions completed in its inaugural year.

At the forefront of Rasa’s current slate, the short film “Witness” is preparing for its North American premiere at the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival. The project, helmed by directors Radha Mehta and Saif Jaan, explores the story of an imam facing a moral crossroads between upholding traditional mosque values and protecting a male congregant’s spiritual journey. The film has gained substantial support, securing funding from the Netflix Tasveer Film Fund and the InsideOut 2Slgbtq+ Re:Focus Fund.

The collective’s lineup also features “Don’t Be Late,...

Exclusive: With 346 submissions since the Desi List was first announced earlier this year, the South Asian scribe spotlighting partnership between The Black List and The Salon has some big talent looking at the work of the talent of tomorrow.

“We’re committed to transforming the conversation on South Asian and Desi representation in TV and film” said The Salon’s co-founders Nik Dodani, Bash Naran, and Vinny Chhibber on new feature scripts and TV pilots. “Our goal is to shine a light on a forward-looking slate of scripts and retire the tropes and stereotypes that have defined our community on screen for so long,” the trio added.

“In order to ensure that the diversity of our large community is reflected in The Desi List – in terms of cultural background, professional experience, and creative taste – we’ve recruited an eclectic group of 43 writers, showrunners, directors, actors, producers, executives, agents, and managers...

The Indian American Impact Fund, a leading national political organization and prominent voice for Indian and South Asian Americans, proudly launched its 2024 Desi President Artist Ambassador program. This innovative initiative will unite a diverse group of artists who are dedicated to using their creative talents and platforms to amplify the voices of South Asian and Aapi communities, fostering greater voter engagement and support for Kamala Harris for President.

Chaired by artists Ari Afsar and Simi Shah, the program brings together 18 talented South Asian

artists from across the country, including:

– Ari Afsar, Composer & Performer

– Devika Bhise, Actor and Producer

– Ronita Choudhuri-Wade, Painter, Writer

– Nina Davuluri, Filmmaker, Activist, & Former Miss America

– Avish Jain, Singer and Physician

– Rizwan Jagani, Violist and Educator

– Raakhee Mirchandani, Author

– Rehana Lew Mirza, Playwright and Filmmaker

– Rohi Mirza Pandya, Producer

– Ishika Muchhal, Actor, Writer, Singer, and Dancer

– Hitha Palepu, Author of We’re Speaking: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris

– Sheela Ramesh,...

The South Asian House (Sah) initiative, which aims to highlight, recognize and appreciate South Asians in film and television, has unveiled its program for this year’s Tribeca Festival in New York.

For the centerpiece Build Bridges, Create Impact summit on June 12, Sah founders Monika Samtani and Rohi Mirza Pandya have partnered with Moxmo Media and Jayaram in collaboration with Facet, Walmart, and iHeartMedia. The afternoon will spotlight multiethnic talent and creative entrepreneurs with a focus on emerging leaders. Vivek Jayaram, founder of Jayaram Law, will lead the Script to Screen: How Do I Fund This Thing? session with filmmakers and funders, while Samtani will lead a discussion on supporting untapped talent.

The summit will conclude with an Art of Impact panel led by Mirza Pandya that will explore the balance filmmakers must strike to connect global audiences to their film’s participants and causes. The discussion will include a...

Festival

The South Asian House initiative is back at SXSW with the festival’s first-ever South Asian music showcase. Featured acts include Jay Dhami, Bodur, Simar, Avara, Meetu Chilana, The Tabla Queen, DJ Anupi, Bollyflow and The Diversity Band. In addition, South Asian co-founder and film producer, Jitin Hingorani (“Zende”), will highlight the Telugu-language film industry becoming a healthy disruptor in the business of global cinema along with producers and directors Deepak Reddy and Sachin Dheeraj, actor Pooja Kumar, and Enowate’s Anil Shankaramanchi, who markets Telugu films in the U.S.

Following the SXSW U.S. premiere of South Asian-themed “The Queen of My Dreams,” which bowed at Toronto 2023, South Asian House will co-host the film’s premiere party in partnership with Canada House, Agliff, Isf, and the film’s producers Baby Daal Production, Spark Features, and Shut Up & Colour. South Asian House is also hosting a mixer to...

Written and starring Lilly Singh, Doin’ It will have it’s world premiere at the prestigious film festival South by Southwest 2024. It tells the story of a 30 year old Indian-American virgin who gets a job teaching high school Sex Ed.

After teenage Maya is caught in a sexually compromising position, her mom moves the family back to India so Maya can learn proper discipline. Years later, she returns to the US to find funding for her teen-focused app, and gets a job as a substitute high school teacher so she can research her target demo. But when the principal assigns her to teach sex ed, Maya — who’s still a virgin— sets out on a quest with her best friend to make up for the high school experience she lost out on.

Anita Verma-Lallian is the founder of Arizona’s first female and South Asian-owned film production company, Camelback Productions...

U.S.-based Rasa Film Group is launching a film collective at the Sundance Film Festival.

The collective is actively exploring projects featuring strong female protagonists, narratives centered around social justice and stories that portray Muslim characters in positive and empowering roles. Rasa is in talks for future projects involving Muslim or Pakistani women talent such as Aizzah Fatima (“Americanish”), Mehreen Jabbar (“Farar”), Afia Nathaniel (“Dukhtar”), Mahnoor Euceph (“Eid Mubarak”) and Rehana Lew Mirza (“Wishtree”).

Rasa is the brainchild of four partners of South Asian origin. Asad Butt is the founder and CEO of Rifelion Media, a film and podcast studio elevating diverse voices. He is the executive producer of the forthcoming “Ramadan America” film anthology and the “King of the World” podcast series. Butt is also a startup advisor and investor, primarily working with pet care and education founders and accelerator programs.

Sujit Chawla was a producer on the groundbreaking independent film “American Desi,...

Pakistani-American writer-director Mahnoor Euceph’s Oscar-qualified live action short “Eid Mubarak” has clinched a brace of distribution deals.

Sales agent Ouat Media has sold the film to Kis Kis – keep it short, which will launch the film on YouTube in select territories on Nov. 18, and to streaming service Kanopy, the on-demand streaming video platform for public and academic libraries, where it will launch in early 2024.

In “Eid Mubarak,” Iman, a privileged Pakistani girl, goes with her family to buy a goat, as is the tradition in Pakistan before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Azha. She picks the cutest one, and takes it home. She spends all of her time with the goat, whom she names Barfi, after her favorite Pakistani dessert. Soon, however, she realizes that Barfi is not a pet, but a goat being raised for slaughter. She makes a plan to save Barfi’s life before he can be sacrificed on Eid.

One of the premiere film, television, tech and music festivals in the United States will have a special addition to the 2023 conference. For the first time in South by Southwest® (SXSW®) history, an innovative initiative to highlight, recognize, and appreciate South Asians from the seven countries – India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives – as well as accomplished members of the diaspora, will be unveiled at the First-ever South Asian House (Sah) at SXSW in March 2023.

The brainchild of veteran producers, curators, and programmers Rohi Mirza Pandya (Box Office Guru Media & Desipina), Monika Samtani (Ms. Media & The Fem Word), Jitin Hingorani (Jingo Media & Dfw South Asian Film Festival), and Kirtana Banskota (Banskota Productions & Nepal America Film Society), Sah will showcase programming around film/television, dance/music, technology, business, fashion, comedy, and climate change from a South Asian world view. The two days of plenaries, sessions, panel discussions, workshops, art exhibits,...

For the first time in its 37-year history, the SXSW festival in Austin will host South Asian House, an initiative to celebrate South Asians from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives as well as accomplished members of the diaspora.

The initiative, scheduled for the first weekend of SXSW on March 11 and 12, 2023, will feature programming around film and television, dance and music, technology, business, fashion, comedy and climate change from a South Asian world view across plenaries, sessions, panel discussions, workshops, art exhibits, book launches and music concerts. It will take place in the 4th Street neighborhood of downtown Austin, near the Austin Convention Center event headquarters.

One of the highlights will be a red carpet and awards ceremony on Oscar Sunday to recognize South Asian talent and filmmakers who have been featured at past SXSW festivals, as well as those nominated for the 2022 Oscars.

The initiative is the brainchild of veteran producers,...

The red carpet premiere of Hiding Divya took place on Tuesday night, August 17, at the Big Cinemas Manhattan theater in New York City. There for the big event were writer/director Rehana Mirza, producer Rohi Mirza Pandya, and actors Pooja Kumar, Madhur Jaffrey, and Deep Katdare.

Hiding Divya is a film that takes a look at mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder and the effects it has on 3 generations of women. About the story of the film director Mizra told BollySpice, "The film has elements of dealing with mental illness but also is as much about family as anything else. It is about how to hold on to family while still holding on to yourself. The film is set in a small town in New Jersey. Linny (played by Pooja Kumar), the daughter of Divya (played by Madhur Jaffrey), left this town when she was sixteen and pregnant, and vowed never to return home.

Shot in New York City and New Jersey, Hiding Divya tells the story of three generations of women and the taboos created in the South Asian American community from mental illness in the family. Inspired by true stories, the English-language drama is the debut feature from sister filmmakers Rehana Mirza (writer/director) and Rohi Mirza Pandya (producer) and stars Pooja Kumar (Bollywood Hero, Sita Sings the Blues), Deep Katdare (American Desi), and veteran actress Madhur Jaffrey (Cotton Mary, Shakespeare-Wallah) as Divya. Hiding Divya opens in limited release in selected markets across the U.S. on August 20 and will open in New York at Big Cinemas Manhattan.

Synopsis:

Filmmaker Rehana Mirza tackles the taboo of mental illness in the South Asian American community in her writing and directorial feature debut. Hiding Divya provides a rare, realistic and poignant glimpse into the lives of three generations of women - Divya Shah (Madhur Jaffrey...