Founded in Montréal in 2011, the South Asian Film Festival of Montréal (SAFFM) is dedicated to showcasing bold, independent and socially engaged cinema from South Asia and its diasporas. The festival was established with the guidance of the late Vijaya Mulay – distinguished documentary filmmaker, film historian, writer, educationist and researcher – and Thomas Waugh, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Film Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies in Sexuality at Concordia University.

SAFFM creates a space for filmmakers whose stories are often underrepresented in mainstream cinema. Our programming brings together fiction, documentary, animation and short films that explore the diversity and complexity of South Asian experiences, from questions of identity, migration, gender, class and belonging to family, memory, culture, politics, environment and social change.

The festival welcomes films from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as work by South Asian filmmakers and communities across the global diaspora. At its discretion, SAFFM also presents films from neighbouring regions whose stories, histories and cultural connections resonate with the broader South Asian experience.

Multilingualism is central to SAFFM. Films are presented in the many national and regional languages of South Asia, alongside English and French, with subtitles helping stories travel across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Through screenings, filmmaker conversations, panels and community dialogue, SAFFM connects audiences in Montréal and beyond with distinctive cinematic voices while fostering exchange between South Asia, Canada and the wider world.

At its heart, SAFFM believes in cinema as a space for storytelling, dialogue, discovery and connection, bringing audiences closer to stories that challenge assumptions, cross borders and deepen our understanding of one another.