Tasveer Film Fund Triples Filmmaker Funding in the Second Year

[Seattle, Washington, United States, July 6, 2021]: Tasveer today announced its second year of the Tasveer Film Fund (TFF), a program first launched in June 2020 to help bolster emerging South Asian filmmakers within the U.S. The Tasveer Film Fund aims to empower South Asian filmmakers to bring their scripts to life with $5,000 grants as well as year-long support with resources and mentorship access.

With support from Netflix, Tasveer is expanding the program to support three filmmakers who are developing short film, documentary and LGBTQIA+ film projects. This collaboration is part of the recently announced Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, where Netflix will invest USD $100 million dollars over the next five years in a combination of external organizations with a strong track record of setting underrepresented communities up for success in the TV and film industries, as well as bespoke programs that will help us to identify, train and provide job placement for up-and-coming talent globally.

🎬 @TasveerOrg Film Fund is back for another year of enabling South Asian filmmakers within the US to bring their scripts to life! This year, it's bigger than ever with up to $15000 in grants, with the support of #Netflix 💰Learn more  Tweet

“In an effort to bring out-of-the-box, diverse South Asian story ideas to the forefront, we have tripled our grant from last year. We feel there is an urgency and the time is right. We want to show that the South Asian experience is not monolithic.” says Rita Meher, Tasveer Executive Director.

“Having a film fund for South Asian filmmakers within the US I think is vital. It gives us the opportunity to take risks and tell bold, inclusive, and diverse stories as we try to forge a path in an industry where there are not too many people of our background or culture,” says Naman Gupta, Tasveer Film Fund 2020 winner. Last year, Naman Gupta & Janki Parekh won $5000 for their queer sci-fi script “Coming Out with the Help of a Time Machine.”

Filmmakers who are interested in applying can submit their scripts online until September 25, 2021. Tasveer will select the top three applicants within each grant category and invite the 9 finalists to pitch their script or documentary treatment at the upcoming Tasveer Festival in October 2021.

Tasveer was founded to inspire social change through thought-provoking South Asian films, art, and storytelling. We envision an informed and just society where storytelling leads to truth-telling and in the process, individuals are entertained, transformed, healed, and empowered.  

Contact:
Rita Meher
Phone: 206-349-4478
Email: [email protected]