iSAFF 2023 Celebrates Outstanding Global South Asian Pathbreakers

The International South Asian Film Festival (iSAFF) concluded with a grand finale, showcasing remarkable films from Canada and beyond. The festival, which took place from September 28th to October 1st in Surrey, BC, attracted a diverse audience of cinephiles, filmmakers, and industry professionals from around the world.

iSAFF dedicated 2023 to celebrating ‘Pathbreakers’ with rich and diverse cinema selections including six feature films, four documentaries and over 30 short films, as well as dynamic industry events and innovative new initiatives. 

Darpan was the exclusive media sponsor for the event. 

This year’s festival included eight World Premieres, one North American Premiere, 27 Canadian Premieres and three BC Premieres with lauded features from Cannes and TIFF (In Flames), films and filmmakers nominated for Emmys and BAFTAs (The Lunch Box), a former Miss America (Nina Davuluri), and Punjabi-Canadian film (Sardara and Sons) and music stars, among many others.

The Opening Night Purple Carpet Gala at Surrey City Hall gleamed with glitz and glamour.

Performances took place by Gayatri Patel Bahl and Shiamak Vancouver Group which was led by Glen D' Mello.

Mannu Sandhu is iSAFF's Producer and has been spearheading the festival for 13 years “With heartfelt gratitude to the incredible filmmakers, our dedicated jury, generous sponsors, the hardworking team, passionate volunteers, and our vibrant audience – you are the heartbeat of iSAFF! Filled with emotions, enthusiasm, and pure entertainment, our festival thrives on the human connection we've forged”.

Sandhu is fueled by warmth and committed to making next year's iSAFF even bigger and better.  She added, “Just like our theme, ‘pathbreakers’ this year has been a path-breaking journey for the festival itself, a transformative chapter marked by everyone who was a part of it. Cheers to a community that breathes life into the magic of cinema!”

The evening brought together many dignitaries; City of Surrey Councillor Harry Bains, City of Surrey Councillor Pardeep Kooner, City of Surrey Councillor Linda Annis, MLA Rachna Singh, Leslie Wootton (Executive Director, Communications & Strategy, MPPIA), Marnie Gee (BC Film Commissioner and Director of Production Services at Creative BC) amongst several prominent members of the community as well as local talent, filmmakers and actors. 

The Keynote Speaker for the evening was the CEO of Martini Film Studios, Gemma Martini.

iSAFF honoured three very exceptional individuals at the gala for their contributions to cinema with special awards. 

Nimisha Mukerji was presented with the Award of Excellence for Leadership in Film.

Kamal Sharma received the Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Shakil Jessa received the Emerging Artist Award.

Shakil was also awarded an in-kind prize worth $10,000 ($5,000 from Sparky's Grip & Lighting and $5,000 from Brightside Cinema Inc.) to put towards his next project.

The festival featured an impressive lineup of films that captivated audiences with their storytelling, cinematography, and performances. After careful deliberation, the esteemed jury which consisted of 13 very prominent individuals representing Canada, USA and UK selected the following films as the Award Winners of iSAFF 2023:

The Closing Night feature film In Flames (Dir. Zarrar Kahn) won the Best Feature Award

Honorable Mention: Pine Cone (Dir. Onir)

My Mother's Girlfriend (Dir. Arun Fulara) won the Best LGBTQ Short Award. A cash award of $2,000 was presented to the film by Sher Vancouver.

Honorable Mention: The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night (Dir. Fawzia Mirza)

Sweet Refuge (Dir. Maryam Mir) won the Best North American Short Award
Honorable Mention: Dosh (Dir. Radha Mehta)

Starch (Dir. Ajai Vishwanath) won the Best International Short Award
Honorable Mention: Foreigners Only (Nuhash Humayun)

Against The Tide (Dir. Sarvnik Kaur) won the Best Documentary Award
Honorable Mention: Call Me Dancer (Dir. Leslie Shampaine, Pip Gilmour)

For more information about iSAFF, please visit www.isaff.ca