This year’s festival centers around the theme of ‘Dreamscapes,’ championing stories of resilience and imagined futures.
[SURREY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA] — [September 3, 2026] — The International South Asian Film Festival (iSAFF) has announced the complete lineup for its 16th edition, running September 23 to 27. This year’s program brings together 77 films — 8 features and 69 shorts — from 15 countries, spoken in 19 languages, offering Surrey and BC audiences an expansive showcase of South Asian and diasporic storytelling. The edition opens with Sarmad Sultan Khoosat’s dark comedy LALI (World Premiere at Berlinale), closes with Shubhangi Shekhar’s audience award-winning basketball doc HOOP LIKE THIS, and features a gala presentation of THE GYMNASTS OF FISHERMAN COLONY, executive produced by Malala Yousafzai and Mariska Hargitay.
“Over the past 16 years, we’ve grown and refined our festival to be a beautiful confluence of both local BC talent and stories, with the most exciting voices from South Asia and the diaspora around the world,” said Mannu Sandhu, Festival Producer.
Beyond screenings, this year’s edition also includes a filmmaker retreat day geared towards professional networking and uplifting local BC talent, and the iSAFF InFocus industry sessions which will present a series of in-depth conversations on a wide range of topics from getting films made in Canada, and how to build an IP multiverse, to South Asian visual design in films and a spotlight on pathbreaking actors.
“This year at iSAFF, we’ve built our program around the theme of ‘Dreamscapes,’” said Pulkit Datta, Artistic Director. “It is an invitation to imagine beyond inherited limits and to tell stories that don’t just reflect the world as it is, but shape the world as it could be. We want to honor the storytellers and their stories that dare to envision futures rooted in justice, joy, care, and possibility.”
iSAFF’s carefully curated program brings numerous films to the BC audiences for the first time. Of the 77 films selected, more than half are receiving their first screenings anywhere in Canada or the world. The program includes: 17 World Premieres, 9 International Premieres, 6 North American Premieres, 28 Canadian Premieres, and 10 British Columbia Premieres.
“Our team is proud to have curated a program that features some of the most exciting filmmakers – emerging and established,” added Pallavi Sastry and Keertana Sastry, Co-Directors of Programming. “Our selected films span a wide range of relevant and impactful
topics including, challenging traditional social structures, refreshing intergenerational relationships, sports as a pathway to freedom, debates around faith and spirituality, people fighting to be their truest selves, and much more. We really have a film for everyone.”
The full list of feature films screening at iSAFF:
Opening Night: LALI, directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat. BC Premiere
Closing Night: HOOP LIKE THIS, directed by Shubhangi Shekhar. Canadian Premiere
Gala Presentation: THE GYMNASTS OF FISHERMAN COLONY, directed by Habiba Nosheen. Canadian Premiere. Executive produced by Malala Yousafzai and Mariska Hargitay.
Centrepiece: JERSEY BOY, directed by Jaskaran Singh. Canadian Premiere
Marquee Presentation: NAMASLAY, directed by Rish and Kanish Arhant-Sudhir, Produced by Venk Potula through Khrisp Entertainment. Potula previously produced and starred in the Tribeca-premiering FOUR SAMOSAS, released by Independent Film Company (IFC).
LOVE CHAOS KIN
52 BLUE
STRONG SON (World Premiere at TIFF)
About iSAFF
iSAFF is committed to contributing towards a strong, diverse, and inclusive Canadian society. Through arts and culture that play a critical role in strengthening communities and economies, iSAFF pursues progressive, innovative, and inclusive ways to celebrate South Asian stories, artists, and filmmakers of South Asian descent, and connect them to a global audience.
Full film schedules, ticket information, and venue details are available at
http://isaff.ca/schedule
Media Contact: Gabrielle Cheema, gabrielle@isaff.ca
