Culture / iSAFF 2025 Recap: Award Winners, Festival Highlights & More

iSAFF 2025 Recap: Award Winners, Festival Highlights & More

Culture Oct 08, 2025

by Farah Khan | Editorial Director

With its 15th anniversary edition now complete, the International South Asian Film Festival (iSAFF) has once again proven itself a cornerstone of Canada’s cultural landscape, spotlighting fearless voices in South Asian cinema. iSAFF ran from September 24 to 28, 2025, in Surrey, British Columbia. With this year’s theme “Legacy,” the festival honored both the rich history of South Asian cinema and iSAFF’s own journey as a hub for bold, innovative storytelling. The milestone edition drew filmmakers, industry professionals, and audiences from across the globe, cementing iSAFF’s place as one of Canada’s premier platforms for South Asian creative voices.

Honouring Icons & Trailblazers

This year’s festival marked a major milestone with the launch of the Deepa Mehta Legacy Award, presented to Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to cinema and South Asian storytelling.

Alongside this historic moment, iSAFF also honoured celebrated filmmaker Onir with the Icon Award, acclaimed actor Supinder Wraich with the Leadership Award, emerging talent Shubham Chhabra with the Emerging Artist Award, and visionary director Sarb Nagra with the DGC BC Director Award.

Their recognition, paired with Mehta’s presence, set a celebratory tone for a week filled with groundbreaking films, engaging discussions, and vibrant community gatherings.

iSAFF 2025 Recap: Award Winners, Festival Highlights & More | Deepa Mehta

A Festival Of Innovation & Representation

The program offered a dynamic mix of features, shorts, music videos, episodic series, and industry events, showcasing stories that spanned the past, present, and future of South Asian identity and culture.

A standout moment was the 10th Anniversary Celebration Reading of Schitt’s Creek, Season 1, Episode 3, “Don’t Worry It’s His Sister,” reimagined with an all–South Asian cast, presented in collaboration with and courtesy of Not A Real Management Company, Inc. This unique event blended pop culture with fresh representation, proving that inclusivity and reinvention remain at the heart of iSAFF’s vision.

Fashion Meets Film

Adding to the festival’s multidimensional programming, the Fashion in Film event explored the intersection of cinema and style, featuring designers, stylists, and filmmakers in conversation about how costume and fashion shape storytelling, representation, and identity on screen.

This session drew enthusiastic participation and highlighted the deep cultural influence of South Asian fashion in global media, showcasing how aesthetics and narrative intertwine in cinematic expression.

Community Partnerships & Awards

Community partners played a vital role in supporting and celebrating South Asian filmmakers at this year’s festival.

Sher Vancouver proudly presented the $2,000 Award for Best 2SLGBTQ+ Film to Leela Varghese for her film I’m The Most Racist Person I Know, recognizing bold storytelling that challenges perspectives.

The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) BC Division presented the DGC Award to Sarb Nagra, which included a $1,500 cash prize, while the Emerging Artist Award, presented by RBC, honored Shubham Chhabra with a $1,000 cash prize. Both monetary awards were generously funded by the Weissach Foundation.

Award Winners – iSAFF 2025

Excellence in Feature Filmmaking

Winner: Fcktoys* (Dir: Annapurna Sriram)
Honorable Mention: Pooja, Sir (Dir: Deepak Rauniyar)

Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking

Winner: The Last Resort (Dir: Sarita Khurana)
Honorable Mention: Have You Heard Judi Singh? (Dir: Baljit Sangra)

Sher Vancouver Award for Best 2SLGBTQ+ Film

Winner: I’m The Most Racist Person I Know (Dir: Leela Varghese)

Excellence in Short Filmmaking (North America)

Winner: Zari (Dir: Shruti Parekh)
Honorable Mention: Hatch (Dir: Alireza Kazemipour and Panta Mosleh)

Excellence in Short Filmmaking (International)

Winner: Sulaimani (Dir: Vinnie Ann Bose)
Honorable Mention: The First Film (Dir: Piyush Thakur)
iSAFF 2025 Recap: Award Winners, Festival Highlights & More

Building The Next Chapter of Legacy

Over five days, iSAFF 2025 reaffirmed its mission: to provide a vibrant platform for South Asian filmmakers and to connect audiences across borders through the power of storytelling.

With its 15th anniversary edition now concluded, iSAFF looks ahead to building on this legacy, continuing to amplify diverse voices, and further cementing Surrey as a global hub for South Asian cinema.

ANOKHI had the opportunity to sit down for a couple of exclusive interviews during iSAFF 2025:
Exclusive: Director Seemab Gul On ‘Ghost School’ – A Pakistani Tale Of Childhood & Corruption
Exclusive Chat With Director Onir On “We Are Faheem & Karun”: A Queer Kashmir Love Story

Farah Khan | Editorial Director

Author

Farah Khan manages the editorial department at ANOKHI LIFE, overseeing content production, publishing, and the annual editorial calendar, while also supporting operations, projects, systems, events, and vendor coordination.

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