Four projects by Canadian South Asian filmmakers have received grants through pitching initiatives that took place at this year’s Tasveer Film Festival & Market in Seattle.

The 20th edition of the Oscar-qualifying festival, which celebrates stories and voices from throughout the South Asian diaspora, ran from Oct. 8 to 12.

Toronto-based producer Alison Almeida won a US$10,000 (about $14,000) development grant through the Tasveer Producers Lab program for the feature-film project Dusky Fever.

Written and directed by Kalainithan Kalaichelvan, the film follows a young white woman who undergoes a radical transformation to reconnect with her Tamil ex-boyfriend. The project is expected to go to camera in fall 2026.

Short films from Canadian South Asian filmmakers won three of the four cash prizes of US$35,000 (about $49,000) awarded in this year’s Tasveer Film Fund pitch competition, a Netflix-supported initiative dedicated to short films that showcase untold South Asian stories.

The first project, Rising Tide, stars Degrassi: The Next Generation alums Melinda Shankar and Marvin Ishmael in a story about a pregnant Indo-Caribbean Canadian woman confronting the ghost of her estranged father. The short is directed by Vancouver-based Andrea Drepaul and written by Richard Young. Erin Purghart is producer, with Praneet Akilla serving as co-producer and T.J. Scott as executive producer.

Petticoat, from Brampton-based director-producer Priyanka Shailendra, is set during a family puja, where a young Indo-Fijian woman’s public humiliation pushes her towards a disturbing act of self-control. The short is written by Renuka Singh and Shevon Singh.

The third winning project is Wellness, from L.A.-based Canadian writer-director Gayatri Everitt Bajpai and producer Kajri Akhtar. The dark comedy follows two sisters tasked with serving divorce papers to their elusive father at a silent retreat, only to find their mission quickly unraveling as they’re drawn into the retreat’s bizarre rituals of healing and reflection.

All three short films are set to go to camera in spring 2026, and will world premiere at the Tasveer Film Festival that fall.

Pictured top (L-R): Andrea Drepaul, Priyanka Shailendra

Pictured bottom (L-R): Gayatri Everitt Bajpai, Alison Almeida (photo by George Pimentel)

Photos courtesy of Tasveer Film Festival