Surrey, BC — The third annual Sundar Prize Film Festival is proud to spotlight a powerful selection of South Asian films that speak to identity, silence, survival, love, and truth across generations and borders. Reflecting this year’s theme, “Home Is Complicated, So Are We,” the festival’s South Asian programming brings together bold, emotionally resonant stories from filmmakers in Canada, India, and beyond whose work challenges stigma, confronts injustice, and honours the complexity of lived experience.
From intimate stories of grief, desire, and family pressure to gripping narratives about power, abuse, and resilience, this year’s lineup highlights the depth and range of South Asian cinema at a time when authentic representation matters more than ever. These films do more than entertain, they open space for reflection, dialogue, and social change, while amplifying voices that have too often been marginalized or unheard.
QUOTES
“This year’s South Asian programming brings together urgent and deeply human narratives that challenge cultural silence, confront systemic power, and celebrate emotional resilience,” states Sidartha Murjani, Executive Director and Senior Programmer of the Sundar Prize Film Festival.
“South Asian stories are rich, layered, and urgently deserving of visibility, especially when they confront silence, stigma, and the realities many people are still afraid to name,” said Amar Sangha, Co-Founder of the Sundar Prize Film Festival and Founder of Sher Pride, the registered charity behind the festival. “At Sundar Prize, we are proud to create a platform where courageous filmmakers can share truthful, emotionally powerful work that reflects the complexity of our communities. These films invite audiences not only to watch, but to feel deeply, reflect honestly, and connect across difference.”
SOUTH ASIAN SPOTLIGHT FILMS
Bayaan (India, 2025) — Director: Bikas Ranjan Mishra — 1:58:00 — BC Premiere
Logline: When a letter accusing a revered cult leader of abuse surfaces in a small Indian town, rookie detective Roohi is sent to investigate. Confronted by a wall of silence and blind devotion, she must navigate a closed community to uncover the truth no one dares to speak. Assets
World Premiere at TIFF, screened at Busan International Film Festival, starring Huma Qureshi.
Saturday Screening Block 2
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Time: 1:15 PM
Venue: Landmark Cinemas, Surrey, Guildlford
Calorie (Canada/India, 2025) – Eisha Marjara – 2025 – (1 hr 47 min) – BC Premiere
Logline: CALORIE follows three generations of women whose present and past lives collide during an emotionally packed summer trip in India. Assets
World Premiere at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa. Selected at multiple Canadian film festivals.
Highlights: World Premiere at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa.
Date: Friday, April 24, 2026
Time: 8:30 PM
Venue: North Delta Centre for the Arts
Sanjeevani (Canada, BC, 2025)
Sanjeevani (Canada, BC, 2025) — Director: Neetha John — 15:00 – World Premiere
Logline: In a quiet Kerala home, in Southern India, a young woman grieving in silence crosses paths with a mysterious woman and through their brief connection, finds a small moment of strength she didn’t know she needed to change her life. Assets.
Date: Friday, April 24, 2026
Time: 8:30 PM
Venue: North Delta Centre for the Arts
ShitCute (Canada, BC, 2025)
Shitcute (Canada, BC, 2025) — Directors: Ritisha Jhamb & Ry Fry — 4:51
Logline: Two girls. One spark. Sometimes you can’t let your dirty business get in the way of true love. Assets
Date: Friday, April 24, 2026
Time: 8:30 PM
Venue: North Delta Centre for the Arts
IF (India, 2025) — Director: Tathagata Ghosh — 25:41 — Surrey Premiere
Logline: An arranged marriage tears a lesbian couple apart, but with a mother’s love, perhaps another future is possible. Assets
World Premiere at BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival; screened at Uppsala Short Film Festival (Academy Award® Qualifying), SHORTS MÉXICO (Academy Award® Qualifying), Mardi Gras Film Festival, International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, and TLVFest – Tel Aviv International LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Time: 10:15 AM
Venue: Landmark Cinemas Guildford
“Purgatory” – (Canada, Ontario, 2025) — Director: Nikki Shaffeeullah — 19:34 — BC Premiere
Logline: Zena, a usually confident queer woman with an anxiety-induced supernatural streak, is forced to face off with a meddling relative when she returns to her family’s mosque with her partner in tow to attend the funeral of a beloved community member. Assets
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Time: 4:15 PM
Venue: Landmark Cinemas Guildford
IMPORTANT SCHEDULE UPDATE
The festival would like to inform audiences and media of an important scheduling update:
● Bayaan and Calorie have switched screening slots within the festival programme.
This change reflects our ongoing commitment to curating the strongest possible audience experience and ensuring each film is positioned within the most thematically resonant block.
Festival attendees are encouraged to check the updated schedule on our website and programme guide for the latest screening times (see above dates and times and confirm on below link).
CLOSING
The Sundar Prize Film Festival invites audiences, media, and community members to experience this exceptional South Asian film lineup and to explore the stories shaping this year’s festival programme. As an emerging social justice and human rights film festival, Sundar Prize remains committed to championing underrepresented voices and presenting cinema that sparks empathy, dialogue, and meaningful social impact.
Festival-goers are encouraged to review the updated schedule online and in the official programme guide, including the screening change for “Bayaan” and “Calorie.”
About the Festival
The Sundar Prize Film Festival is an international film festival dedicated to socially conscious storytelling and diverse voices. The festival brings together filmmakers, audiences, and industry leaders for screenings, panels, and community engagement, positioning Surrey and the surrounding region as a growing hub for film and cultural dialogue. The festival is founded by local filmmakers Amar Sangha of North Delta and Vinay Giridhar of Surrey.
FULL FESTIVAL LINEUP, SCREENING SCHEDULE, AND TICKETS
The full festival lineup and screening schedule can be found here – Link
Summary of Schedule
https://sundarprize.com/2026-programme-summary/
Thursday, April 23, 2026 – North Delta Centre for the Arts (11425 84 Ave, Delta, BC V4C 2L9), Opening Night, Film Screenings, and Refreshments, 5 pm to 11 pm (Opening Remarks start at 6:00 pm).
Friday, April 24, 2026 – North Delta Centre for the Arts (11425 84 Ave, Delta, BC V4C 2L9), Film Screenings, 12 pm to midnight.
Saturday, April 25, 2026 – Landmark Cinemas Guildford, Surrey (15051 101 Ave, Surrey, BC V3R 7Z1), Film Screenings, 10 am to 9:30 pm.
Sunday, April 26, 2026 – Landmark Cinemas Guildford, Surrey (15051 101 Ave, Surrey, BC V3R 7Z1), Closing Night, Film Screenings, and Award Ceremony, 1 pm to 9:30 pm (Awards Ceremony starts at 7:30 pm).
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Festival and Programming Inquiries
Sidartha Murjani
Executive Director and Senior Programmer
Sponsorship and Marketing Inquiries
Amar Sangha
Co-Founder of the Sundar Prize Film Festival and Founder of Sher Pride
OFFICIAL WEBSITES
OFFICIAL SPONSORS
100 Gay Men For A Cause
ACTg Vancouver
BCGEU
BCTF
Government of Canada
Canada Council for the Arts
CMPA-BC
Canadian Race Relations Foundation
City of Surrey
Consulate General of Switzerland in Vancouver
Creative BC
CUPE BC
Discover Surrey
Forest Bean
HEU
HSA
Keslow Camera
Knowledge Network
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Landmark Cinemas Surrey, Guildford
Museum of Vancouver
Pacific Backlot
Rainscope Filmworks
Sparky’s Film Rentals
Sunbelt Rentals Film and TV
TELUS STORYHIVE and TELUS originals
Unifor – Social Justice Fund
Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Film Studios
FILM FESTIVAL PARTNERS
Crazy8’s
GEMS
iSAFF
KDocsFF
MENA Film Festival
Vancouver Asian Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival
Vancouver Queer Film Festival
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
BC Civil Liberties Association
Boundless Lion Productions
Delta Pride
Goodness Pictures Ltd.
Himmat Media
Living Wage BC
Love Intersections
Moving Images Distribution
Mustang Justice
Punjabi Market Collective
SWRBOT
The Celluloid Social Club
The Cold Reading Series
EXCLUSIVE MEDIA PARTNER
CBC
OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNERS
The Times of Canada
Urban Asian
DIGITAL MARKETING PARTNER
Stir
Thank you for your support!
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Sher Vancouver LGBTQ Friends Society (Sher Pride), the registered charity behind the Sundar Prize Film Festival. For nearly 20 years, Sher Pride has created safe, life-affirming spaces, amplified marginalized voices, and used the power of film and community to drive social change. Your support helps sustain this vital work and ensures it continues for generations to come.
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/sher-vancouver-lgbtq-friends-society
The Sundar Prize Film Festival takes place on the unceded traditional homelands of the Semiahmoo, Musqueam, Katzie, Kwikwetlem, Kwantlen, Qayqayt and Tsawwassen people.
