eShe TV: Rita Meher on taking South Asian films to the Oscars and the world

Rita Meher cofounded Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF) two decades ago to serve as a platform for films from South Asia for audiences in the US. Today, Tasveer has the distinction of being the only Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival in the world, and receives hundreds of applications each year.

Rita, who studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, began her career in Japan working in a TV station. She made her first film Citizenship 101 after moving to the United States. The film was inspired after she was subject to a hate incident in the fallout of the 9/11 attacks. A stranger on the street shouted, “Go back to your f***ing country”.

Along with her friend, filmmaker Farah Nousheen, Rita cofounded Tasveer as a nonprofit in 2002 to provide Americans a glimpse into the lives of South Asians through cinema, art and storytelling. Two years later, they launched TSAFF.

In this episode of eShe TV, Rita narrates the journey of Tasveer and her own personal challenges and moments of satisfaction in the journey.

The 18th edition of TSAFF is all set to take place in-person from October 12 to 15, 2023, at multiple venues in Seattle, USA, while the online event will be available to viewers around the world on TasveerTV from October 16 to 22. This year’s line-up includes 83 films in 17 languages, of which 25 films are world premieres.

The films are from diverse genres and themes. “I always call it a buffet!” says Rita, adding that the festival receives between 400 to 500 applications each year. This year, she highly recommends Munnel (Sand), a Sri Lankan post-war love story that will be screened on the opening night. “It’s so deep and beautiful and subtle and painful to watch… I love contemplative films like that. It shows the landscape we are not aware of in our day-to-day lives. I like to show things that are not very common,” she says.

Besides her persistence in keeping Tasveer going strong by featuring high-quality films all these years, Rita takes immense satisfaction from the outcome of the Tasveer Film Fund, which supports South Asian filmmakers. The fund was launched in the thick of the pandemic in 2020 with the help of sponsors like Netflix. Tasveer has not only helps filmmakers financially but also arranges distribution and mentorship for them.

In the interview, Rita shares the challenges of running such a niche enterprise, from outreach to funding. But she also adds that getting the Oscar-qualifying status recently has given her a huge sense of achievement, especially after the struggle of the pandemic. “Short films that win an award at Tasveer now get a direct entry to the Oscars,” she explains.

Hear the full interview on YouTube or Facebook.

It is also available as a podcast on Spotify.