Mumbai,
3rd
December,
2025:
Tasveer,
the
world’s
only
Oscar®-qualifying
South
Asian
film
festival
based
out
of
Seattle,
is
bringing
a
special
two-film
showcase
in
Mumbai,
launching
its
first
event
in
India.
Scheduled
for
8th
December
2025
at
6:30
PM,
the
event
will
feature
two
of
its
most
acclaimed
titles
–
Holy
Curse,
directed
by
Snigdha
Kapoor,
winner
of
the
Tasveer
Jury
Award
for
Best
Short
Film
2024,
and
Humans
in
the
Loop,
directed
by
Aranya
Sahay,
winner
of
the
Tasveer
Audience
Choice
Award
2025
and
currently
in
contention
for
the
Oscars®.
Holy
Curse
is
the
second
film
to
qualify
for
the
Oscars®
through
Tasveer,
which
received
its
accreditation
in
2023.
This
screening
marks
a
cultural
milestone
for
South
Asian
independent
cinema,
bridging
the
gap
between
the
creatives
of
India
and
the
world
platform
of
the
United
States.
Co-founded
by
Rita
Meher,
Tasveer
has
spent
23
years
spotlighting
South
Asian
narratives,
identities,
and
unheard
voices.
What
began
as
a
post-9/11
initiative
challenging
stereotypes
has
evolved
into
a
global
platform
that
has
showcased
more
than
8,000
films
to
date.
Tasveer
has
supported
emerging
filmmakers
($368,000
from
2020-2025)
through
the
Tasveer
Film
Fund
in
partnership
with
Netflix,
and
in
recent
years,
launched
the
Tasveer
Film
Market,
acknowledged
as
the
Only
South
Asian-focused
film
market
outside
South
Asia.
Today,
Tasveer
collaborates
with
leading
entertainment
powerhouses,
including
Netflix,
NBC
Universal,
Amazon,
MGM,
WME,
CAA,
Waititi
Productions,
and
others,
strengthening
its
presence
in
the
global
independent
film
ecosystem.
In
addition
to
platforming
new
talent,
Tasveer
has
also
acquired
its
own
theatre
space
that
will
support
independent
cinema
with
access
and
distribution.
Tasveer
is
now
recognised
as
the
first
organisation
of
colour
to
own
a
theatre
in
the
United
States,
addressing
long-standing
inequity
in
access
to
arts
infrastructure.
“Stories
heal,
and
to
be
able
to
tell
those
stories
truthfully
is
revolutionary.
We
provide
that
safe
space
to
Indian
filmmakers.
Our
films
carry
courage,
conflict,
softness,
and
truth,”
Rita
Meher,
Founder
and
Executive
Director,
Tasveer,
said.
“We
are
bringing
them
to
Mumbai
not
as
a
full
festival
yet,
but
as
an
invitation,
a
conversation,
and
the
beginning
of
a
deeper
cultural
exchange.
We
hope
this
opens
new
pathways
for
Indian
independent
cinema
to
reach
international
audiences
and
global
stages.”
Representing
India
at
the
showcase,
Aranya
Sahay,
Director
of
Humans
in
the
Loop,
added,
“Independent
filmmaking
takes
heart,
risk,
and
relentlessness.
Spaces
like
this
allow
films
that
might
not
find
traditional
commercial
platforms
to
breathe
and
be
seen.
We
are
honoured
to
screen
Humans
in
the
Loop
alongside
Holy
Curse,
and
deeply
grateful
to
Tasveer
for
championing
stories
like
ours.”
Shivam
Gupta,
Producer,
Casting
Director
and
Partner
for
the
Mumbai
Showcase,
added,
“Being
part
of
the
Tasveer
Film
Festival
in
the
U.S.
this
year
was
a
deeply
inspiring
experience
the
energy,
the
curation,
and
the
space
it
creates
for
South
Asian
filmmakers
is
exceptional.
Bringing
Tasveer
to
Mumbai
in
this
way
feels
like
the
start
of
something
much
larger.”
The
Mumbai
Showcase
will
screen:
Holy
Curse,
directed
by
Snigdha
Kapoor,
Tasveer
Jury
Award
–
Best
Short
Film
2024
A
nuanced
coming-of-age
film
following
eleven-year-old
Radha
as
they
navigate
gender
identity,
family
tradition,
and
unspoken
cultural
expectations.
Intimate,
quiet,
and
profoundly
human.
Humans
in
the
Loop,
directed
by
Aranya
Sahay,
Tasveer
Audience
Choice
Award
2025
–
Best
Film
Presented
by
Kiran
Rao,
the
film
interrogates
social
behaviour,
consciousness,
and
the
lines
between
humanity
and
automation.
It
is
currently
in
Oscar®
consideration
for
its
screenplay.
Tasveer’s
work
has
consistently
amplified
South
Asian
stories
addressing
identity,
mental
health,
queer
narratives,
social
justice,
gender
equity,
and
the
dismantling
of
the
‘model
minority’ myth,
nurturing
voices
often
underrepresented
in
global
cinema
conversations.
The
Mumbai
showcase
will
be
attended
by
Tasveer
staff
Rita
Meher
(Founder
&
Director),
Anushree
Shukla
(Assoc
Dir,
Film
Market),
and
Jitendra
Joshi
(IT
Director),
and
will
be
presented
in
partnership
with
Shivam
Gupta
of
Shivam
Gupta
Casting.
Screening
Details:
Date:
8th
December
2025
Venue:
Red
Bulb
Studios,
Off
Link
Road,
Andheri
West
Time:
6:30
PM