By Variety | Created at 2026-10-09 09:41:50 | Updated at 2026-10-09 13:13:11
7 hours ago
South Asian filmmakers from around the world will compete for $150,000 in grants at the third Tasveer Film Market, held in tandem with the 21st edition of the Tasveer Film Festival in Seattle from Oct. 13-18.
The market has picked 12 fiction and documentary features, all in late-stage development, for its Tasveer Market Selects strand. Nine short film projects have also made the shortlist for the Tasveer Film Fund.
Most of the money will go to the shorts. At the Netflix-supported Tasveer Film Fund Pitch, the nine finalists will present their projects live to a jury of producers and filmmakers. That jury will award four production grants of $35,000 each. A separate jury will assess the Market Selects titles and choose two for $5,000 awards.
All pitches will be held at the Tasveer Film Center. Filmmakers will also get one-on-one time with industry mentors over the course of the market.
This year also sees the debut of Tasveer EDU, which will run sessions throughout the year on development, financing, casting, rights and distribution. It sits alongside the Tasveer Producers Lab, a Los Angeles initiative that links South Asian producers with the industry.
A market panel featuring Greg Laemmle of Laemmle Theaters, Cathy Ni of EST Studios and producer Lucas Ford will look at how South Asian films reach audiences. International Emmy-winning “Delhi Crime” producer Apoorva Bakshi will deliver a masterclass.
Companies sending executives include Zero Gravity Management, Aamir Khan Pictures, EST Studios, Netflix, Wieden+Kennedy and Buffalo 8.
“Three years ago we set out to build a table our community never had, where South Asian filmmakers sit across from the people who can help get their films made. Seeing that table filled with this much talent, funding and support is what keeps us going. With Tasveer EDU, that work now continues all year, not just festival week,” said Tasveer founder Rita Meher.
The nonprofit has championed South Asian voices in film, art and storytelling since 2002, giving a platform to work on subjects such as caste, gender and sexuality. It describes its market as the first of its kind in North America to put South Asian projects in front of global executives. In 2025, Tasveer acquired the Ark Lodge Cinema in Seattle’s Columbia City and turned it into the Tasveer Film Center, which shows international cinema every day of the week.
2026 Tasveer Market Selects
“Baraat: The Wedding Horse,” Nadeem Uddin, James Longley (documentary)
“Blood Mountain,” Kartic Bhargav
“Colours of the Sea,” Jeffin Thomas (documentary)
“Her Acre,” Swati Jha (documentary)
“Home Before Night,” Kalani Gacon
“Kowloon Story,” Amarik Singh Khosa
“Ladki Waale” (“The Bride’s Side”), Kovid Gupta
“Mirage,” Aqsa Altaf, Severine Tibi
“Mother Tongue,” Anu Valia
“Rainbow,” Sumi Baghel
“Sons of the River,” Katyayani Kumar (documentary)
“Unlisted,” Bibhanshu Rai
2026 Tasveer Film Fund Finalists
“Friend-for-Hire.com,” Nishanth R.
“Lila,” Ira Dubey
“Lingua Franca” (“Universal Language”), Ambarien Alqadar, Eugene Sun Park
“Lost Kids of K City,” Reaa Puri
“MarMaid,” Shuchi Dwivedi, Aishwarya Sonar
“Paar Channa De” (“Across the Chenab River”), Vibha Gulati
“Planned Parenthood,” Rahul Chaturvedi
“The Blue House,” Red Reddy
“Very Intelligent Aunties,” Sameer Arshad
