South Asian Filmmakers to Vie for $150,000 at Tasveer Film Market as Netflix, Aamir Khan Pictures Attend — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Tasveer Film Market will award $150,000 in grants at its third edition, held alongside the 21st Tasveer Film Festival in Seattle from Oct. 13-18, with 12 features and 9 short film projects shortlisted.
- Netflix backs the Tasveer Film Fund Pitch, where nine short film finalists vie for four production grants of $35,000 each — totaling $140,000 of the $150,000 purse.
- A separate Market Selects jury will pick two of 12 fiction and documentary features for $5,000 awards each, with filmmakers also receiving one-on-one mentor sessions over the market's run.
- Executives from Aamir Khan Pictures, Zero Gravity Management, EST Studios, Wieden+Kennedy and Buffalo 8 are also attending, alongside a panel with Greg Laemmle of Laemmle Theaters, Cathy Ni of EST Studios and producer Lucas Ford on reaching South Asian audiences.
- International Emmy-winning "Delhi Crime" producer Apoorva Bakshi delivers a masterclass at the Tasveer Film Center during festival week.
- The festival debuts Tasveer EDU, a year-round education program on development, financing, casting, rights and distribution, sitting alongside the LA-based Tasveer Producers Lab.
- Tasveer acquired Seattle's Ark Lodge Cinema in 2025 and converted it into the Tasveer Film Center, which now screens international cinema every day of the week.
Why it matters: The $150,000 purse skews heavily toward shorts: Netflix-backed finalists compete for four $35,000 grants ($140,000 total), while 12 features split just $10,000. For South Asian filmmakers eyeing Netflix relationships, the structural signal is that short-form — not features — is where the door opens.
Ask SkimNews
