The International South Asian Film Festival of Canada (iSAFF) just completed its fourteenth edition and hosted the North American premiere of Usman Riaz’s “The Glassworker.” Riaz’s film is the first hand-drawn animated feature from Pakistan and the country’s official Academy Award entry for 2025.
The festival honors filmmaking in various categories; short films (international and North America), documentary filmmaking, feature filmmaking, and the annual Sher Vancouver Award for Best LGBTQ+ Film. Jurors across categories were filmmakers, content creators, performers, and more, including “Ms. Marvel” star Iman Vellani and Shahani Goswami, star of the U.K.’s official Oscar entry, “Santosh.”
This year also introduced the Rbc Film Fund in partnership with Royal Bank of Canada, which will provide five thousand Canadian dollars to each of five different iSAFF films. A year from now, iSAFF plans to celebrate the first batch of recipients from this fund and the work they’ve achieved.
The festival honors filmmaking in various categories; short films (international and North America), documentary filmmaking, feature filmmaking, and the annual Sher Vancouver Award for Best LGBTQ+ Film. Jurors across categories were filmmakers, content creators, performers, and more, including “Ms. Marvel” star Iman Vellani and Shahani Goswami, star of the U.K.’s official Oscar entry, “Santosh.”
This year also introduced the Rbc Film Fund in partnership with Royal Bank of Canada, which will provide five thousand Canadian dollars to each of five different iSAFF films. A year from now, iSAFF plans to celebrate the first batch of recipients from this fund and the work they’ve achieved.
- 10/1/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Canada’s International South Asian Film Festival (iSAFF) has unveiled its lineup. The festival will take place in Surrey, British Columbia and run from September 25 to 29.
Featuring 19 world premieres, eight North American premieres, and 23 Canadian premieres, the festival will open with Lakshmipriya Devi’s debut feature Boong. Boong will have its world premiere at TIFF on September 7.
The iSAFF’s closing film will be Amar Wala’s debut feature Shook, which stars Saamer Usmani and Amy Forsyth (Coda). The Canadian production is financed by Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates.
Under this year’s festival theme of “Crossroads,” the lineup also includes Usman Riaz’s The Glassworker, the festival’s first animated feature from Pakistan and dark comedy We Strangers, directed by Anu Valia.
Besides feature films, the festival will showcase 53 short films and five episodic series from South Asia and its diaspora.
Featuring 19 world premieres, eight North American premieres, and 23 Canadian premieres, the festival will open with Lakshmipriya Devi’s debut feature Boong. Boong will have its world premiere at TIFF on September 7.
The iSAFF’s closing film will be Amar Wala’s debut feature Shook, which stars Saamer Usmani and Amy Forsyth (Coda). The Canadian production is financed by Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates.
Under this year’s festival theme of “Crossroads,” the lineup also includes Usman Riaz’s The Glassworker, the festival’s first animated feature from Pakistan and dark comedy We Strangers, directed by Anu Valia.
Besides feature films, the festival will showcase 53 short films and five episodic series from South Asia and its diaspora.
- 9/3/2024
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
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