📣 ATTENTION FILMMAKERS! 📣
Submissions for our 2026 festival are now open! 🎬🍿
iSAFF is dedicated to championing the most powerful, impactful, innovative, and pathbreaking storytelling and talent from all across South Asia, as well as the diaspora in Canada, USA, and around the world.
We program scripted features, documentaries, shorts, episodics, music videos, and web content. Catch the earlybird pricing before March 31!
📩Submit your work via Filmfreeway. Link in bio 🔗
#isaff2026 #southasian #filmmaking
Honored to be speaking at this year’s CAAMFest in San Francisco about programming for AAPI film festivals.
I’ll be representing @isaffcanada and speaking about what goes into programming for the festival, and we like to work with filmmakers! 🙌🏽
📍May 7 in San Francisco! @caamedia
#aapiheritagemonth #southasian #filmfestival
We’re looking for a General Manager to lead iSAFF 2026.
If you can manage operations, drive partnerships, and bring a festival to life — this is your role.
📍 Vancouver,BC
⏳ Seasonal | Semi Full-Time
📩 Apply: [email protected]
Candidate must be Canadian citizen, or permanent resident of Canada.
Link in bio to view the full job descriptions and apply.
On the occasion of National Canadian Film Day, the International South Asian Film Festival (ISAFF) hosted a special free screening of The Queen of My Dreams at Landmark Cinemas Surrey Guildford.
The film tells the story of a queer Pakistani Muslim grad student, played by Amrit Kaur, navigating identity, culture, and a complex relationship with her parents—an honest and heartfelt narrative that resonated with audiences.
A meaningful way to celebrate Canadian cinema through diverse voices and powerful storytelling.
#NationalCanadianFilmDay #ISAFF #TheQueenOfMyDreams
Thank you to our Film Festival Partner, International South Asian Film Festival Canada (iSAFF), for your continued support and for joining us again for our third year! As one of our Founding Festival Partners, your ongoing collaboration means so much to us. 🎥🌏
iSAFF is a Canadian Screen Award qualifying festival that champions contemporary South Asian cinema from Canada and around the world. With a commitment to amplifying diverse South Asian voices, iSAFF showcases a dynamic mix of feature films, shorts, and documentaries that highlight cultural heritage, identity, and social issues through bold and innovative storytelling. 🥻✨
The final deadline for submissions ends on June 12th, 2026 and the festival is running from September 23-27, 2026, this year! If you're a South Asian filmmaker or know someone who is, tag them below, and submit your work to be part of their stellar festival! 🗳️
Sundar Prize Film Festival is a project of Sher Pride (est. 2008)
www.sherpride.ca
#sundarprize #sundarprizefilmfestival #spff2026 #isaff #partner
On the occasion of National Canadian Film Day, the International South Asian Film Festival (ISAFF) hosted a special free screening of The Queen of My Dreams at Landmark Cinemas Surrey Guildford.
The film tells the story of a queer Pakistani Muslim grad student, played by Amrit Kaur, navigating identity, culture, and a complex relationship with her parents—an honest and heartfelt narrative that resonated with audiences.
A meaningful way to celebrate Canadian cinema through diverse voices and powerful storytelling.
#NationalCanadianFilmDay #ISAFF #TheQueenOfMyDreams @mnusandhu@isaffcanada
During the @allegiancetv X @vancitydance screening I got the chance to ask guest star @anishacheema about her acceptance speech from @isaffcanada and how it relates to the great work she’s doing now
huge shoutout to @5xfest for sending me to such a wonderful event🙌🙌
#vancouver #allegiance #interview #isaff #punjabi
🎬 Surrey, this one’s for you.
Join us for a FREE screening of The Queen of My Dreams on National Canadian Film Day 🇨🇦
A bold, cross-cultural story that celebrates identity, memory, and belonging.
📍 Landmark Cinemas Guildford
📅 April 15
🕖 7:00 PM
🎟️ Reserve your free tickets on Eventbrite 🔗 Link in bio
Presented by iSAFF in partnership with Reel Canada.
#iSAFF #CanadianFilmDay #SurreyEvents #FreeScreening #SupportCanadianFilm
🎬✨ iSAFF is proud to present a special FREE screening of ‘The Queen of My Dreams’ in partnership with Canadian Film Day!
Join us for this vibrant, genre-blending film from director Fawzia Mirza - a moving, visually rich story that follows Azra, a queer Pakistani-Canadian woman navigating identity, family, and love across generations and continents. From Toronto to Karachi, the film weaves together past and present in a heartfelt exploration of mother-daughter relationships and cultural belonging.
Celebrated for its bold storytelling and joyful homage to Bollywood cinema, ‘The Queen of My Dreams’ is part of a new wave of Canadian filmmaking that centers underrepresented voices, bringing queer, Muslim, and diasporic experiences to the forefront with humor, warmth, and authenticity.
🎟️ Free admission — don’t miss this unforgettable cinematic experience! 🔗 Link in bio
#CanadianFilmDay #iSAFF #FreeScreening #TheQueenOfMyDreams #SupportCanadianFilm
We are proud to support the Sundar Prize Film Festival 2026, our theme this year is,
“Home Is Complicated, So Are We.” Join filmmakers, artists, and audiences from around
the world as the festival returns April 23–26, 2026 in Delta and Surrey, BC.
The Sundar Prize Film Festival celebrates powerful storytelling that highlights social
justice, diversity, and underrepresented voices through impactful cinema.
Sundar Prize Film Festival is a project of Sher Pride (est. 2008)
www.sherpride.ca
#sundarprize #sundarprizefilmfestival #spff2026
Weekend plans? 🎬✨ Submit your films to @isaffcanada before our Early Bird deadline on March 31!
Don’t miss your chance to showcase your work while taking advantage of our lowest submission fees! Your future audience is waiting. 🚀
#ISAFFCanada #FilmFestival #CallForEntries #IndieFilm #Filmmakers SubmitYourFilm
On February 28, we were proud to host our first event of the year — “@haveyouheardjudisingh Listening Lounge & Fireside Chat” and thanks to the incredible support of the 5X community, the evening was completely sold out!
Held during #BlackHistoryMonth, the gathering celebrated the legacy of pioneering Canadian jazz vocalist Judi Singh, whose family history reflects some of the earliest Black and Panjabi settlers in Canada.
The evening created an intimate space for community to come together and participate in a curated listening lounge with selections from the documentary soundtrack while reflecting on music, identity, and cultural memory.
Our fireside chat featured @rebelinx of @fadetoblackentertainment , delivering his first public talk after more than 30 years of quietly championing Black arts and culture in Vancouver. He was joined by Selwyn Jacob, Executive Producer and Cultural Consultant on Have You Heard of Judi Singh?, whose work with the National Film Board has long focused on ensuring culture is represented with care and respect in film. Moderated by @jessieesidhu , the conversation explored how music can preserve culture, tell the stories of our communities, and connect generations across time.
Together, the evening honoured Judi Singh’s legacy while reminding us of the powerful role sound and storytelling play in shaping our collective memory.
A heartfelt thank you to our partners @theblackartscentre , @docnorthwest , @isaffcanada , @fadetoblackentertainment , and @vivamantrafilms for helping make this meaningful evening possible.
Moments like these remind us why community spaces for culture, conversation, and music matter. 🎶✨
#5XFest #JudiSingh #musiceducation #community
