12th DC South Asian Film Festival, 2023 December 1st – 3rd (In Person)
The DC South Asian Arts Council, a non-profit organization that provides opportunities to South Asian artists to showcase their talents via films, dance, books and arts, hosted the 12th DC South Asian Festival from December 1st-18th, 2023 (December 1st – 3rd - In Person and December 4th – 18th - Virtual). The event embodies Presentations, Screenings, and Lectures from Experts and renowned artists across the diaspora with a platform for South Asian independent filmmakers. A total of 60 films from eight countries, featuring films of 12 Languages along with 16 premieres and 11 documentaries have been showcased. The In-person events were held simultaneously at AMC Montgomery Mall, Bethesda, MD, American University School of Communications, McKinley Building, NW Washington, DC and The Writer’s Center, Bethesda, MD.
The opening night at the DCSAAF provided an opportunity for the patrons to meet and interact with renowned director Jamil Dehlavi from Pakistan and the session was moderated by well-known Director and Actor from Pakistan, Sarmad Khoosat. The session was packed up and set the right tone for the In-Person session of the 12th DC South Asian Film Festival
December 2nd and 3rd gave an opportunity to the film makers and film enthusiasts to watch a number of critically acclaimed independent films at the Montgomery Mall AMC theater and American University School of Communications
Amongst the many film makers who flew in and came from different locations, DCSAFF saw a lineup of celebrities from India and Pakistan. Amongst the recognizable names were Jamil Dehlavi, Sarmad Khoosat, Nimra Bucha, Mehreen Jabbar, Rizwan Manji, Arpita Mukherjee, Bhavani Rao, Nardip Khurmi, Aarti Bagdi, and Manjari Fadnis.
This year’s DC Film Festival was also attended by film celebrities residing in the Washington DC Metro area - Sangeeta Agrawal, Sri Mirajkar, Prerna Saraff Chauhan, Suneeta Mishra - to name a few.
The award winners for the movies that were screened during December 1st - 3rd were announced on December 3rd, and they were honored on the DCSAFF red carpet
- Best Director- Feature Film: Sarmad Khoosat(Pakistan) for his movie, Kamli
- Best Director- Short Film: Ananth Mahadevan (India)
- Best Feature Film: Footprints on Water
- Best Short Documentary Award: Colonel Kalsi
- Best Short Film Award: The Last Mean
- Best Film for Social Message: Four Fifty Five ML
- Best Feature Film (Jury Mention): Chalti Rahe Zindagi
- Best Short Film (Jury Mention): Passenger Seat
Testimonials from few of the artists who attended the event
Aarti Bagdi (India)
The 12th DCSAFF in 2023 was filled with incredibly warm interactions, great films, and the hospitality was all nothing short of a large family affair that made every moment feel like home. A heartfelt thanks to the festival director Mr. Manoj Singh and the entire team at DCSAFF for this simply memorable experience as our film Chalti Rahe Zindagi not only experiences a houseful filled with laughs, gasps, tears and applauses but also gets the Special Mention Jury Award. So gratifying, as we got the bread buttered from both sides!…
Nathalia Syam (India)
DCSAFF was an incredible film festival to be a part of this year. I came with our film, Footprints on Water, and was honoured to join the screening and QnA session in front of a packed and curious audience. The Organizers were brilliant and the festival was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I hope to attend again in the future and highly recommended this festival for filmmakers and film lovers…
Nimra Bucha (Pakistan)
The DCSAFF festival combines a love of film with enough heart to embrace the world. What a pleasure it was to meet filmmakers from all over South Asia where the new wave of films is breaking ground and telling stories we’ve been wanting to see. It was a great space to connect, reflect and dream. Three days in film heaven. Would love to go back.
Manjari Fadnis (India)
I had an extremely enriching experience at the DCSAFF. Loved the selection of the films & most importantly… what a wonderful & intimate vibe the festival had. Really a beautiful experience interacting with the amazing film makers who had brought their brilliant films….