Tasveer South Asian Film Festival is the largest South Asian film festival in the United States. Seeking to provide a counterpoint to the images and stories prevalent in main stream South Asia and Bollywood, the festival encourages an atmosphere of thoughtful dialogue and creative inquiry, where filmmakers and audiences engage in lively discussions, forums, and other collaborative interactive formats. In 2018, the festival will screen over 65 films and welcome 5000 attendees over 11 days, in 5 cities.
While Pakistan is the festival focus for 2018 and the festival theme is #KnowMe, TSAFF 2018 will include films–shorts, experimental work, documentaries, and narratives of any length–on themes related to South Asia in its entirety: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the various diasporas across the world. Films with a focus on issues of human rights and social justice will be a highlight of the festival again this year.
Tasveer is a non-profit film and arts organization. Tasveer’s mission is to inspire social change through thought-provoking film and arts.
Questions? Email us or call 206.349.4478.
2018 Festival Staff
Rita Meher
Festival Director
Rita Meher is Tasveer’s co-founder and executive director. In addition to managing the organization’s daily operations, she oversees the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival and Aaina: South Asian Women’s Festival every year. Rita has received awards from the Seattle Globalist (2015) and has been named a Rising Star (NW Asian Weekly, 2015), and Community Voice (International Examiner, 2017).
Laila Kazmi
Programming Director
Laila Kazmi is an Emmy Award-winning producer and filmmaker. Her stories have aired on PBS television stations in Seattle, San Diego, Boston and streamed on PBS NewsHour. Her articles have been published on PBS NewsHour online, ColorLines Magazine, The Seattle Times, and Pakistan’s daily Dawn. She blogs at Sufdari.com.
Publicity Lead/ Tasveer Program Manager: Kamna Shastri
Sponsorship Coordinator: Khenrab Palden
Festival Coordinators: Soumya Chauhan, Siddhi Ghai, Pooja Choksi
Symposium Lead: Samuel Ostroff, Sunila Kale (South Asia Center, UW Seattle), Alka Kurian, S. Charusheela (UW Bothell)
Festival Volunteers: Saira Bano, Sheraz Malik, Anushey Nassar, Uzma Khan, Omar Vandal, Shahina Piyarali, Pooja Galgali, Shannon Kohli, Mohammad Ranjbar, Bharati Ravi, Seyyada Burney, Morgan Wells
Website Lead: Sumathi Raghavan
Website help: Jitendra Joshi, Nalin Kumar, Rahul Ghai
TasVR Lead: Soumita Bhattacharya
Emcee: Smeeta Hirani
Content Creator: Uma Kukathas
Photographer: Abhishek Kulkarni
2018 Festival Artist: Mita Mahato
Tasveer Board
Rita Meher, Co-founder/ Executive Director, Tasveer
Farah Nousheen, Co-founder, Tasveer
Shahina Piyarali, Board President
Alka Kurian, Secretary
Debadutta Dash, Treasurer
Sheraz Malik
Prachi Vora
Ananya Rabeya
Sumathi Raghavan
