Having celebrated a powerful and diverse lineup of South Asian cinema, the 14th edition of the South Asian Film Festival of Montréal (SAFFM) came to its close on May 10th, 2025. This year’s festival opened with Shambhala by Min Bahadur Bham and closed with Rima Das’s Village Rockstars 2, bookending a hybrid festival that showcased the richness and daring of South Asian storytelling.

SAFFM 2025 featured an eclectic mix of features, shorts, and documentaries that brought to the fore questions of identity, justice, resilience, and belonging. Post-screening conversations with filmmakers such as Sunil Kalia (Offenders), Deepak Rauniyar (Pooja, Sir), Ed Bastian (Dalai Lama), Nirmal Chander (6-A Akash Ganga), Benoit Raoulx and Rupa Raoulx (Nani India), Amardeep Singh (Allegory: A Tapestry of Guru Nanak’s Travels), Zohal Nasrat (Aftershock of a Trauma), and Abdullah Khan (A Clay Horse) sparked vibrant discussions, allowing audiences to engage more deeply with both cinematic craft and pressing social realities.

The festival concluded with the eagerly awaited Jury Awards Ceremony, honoring films across four categories. Mann Aasai by Arivarasan R was awarded Best Short Fiction, while My Father is Afraid of Water by Prateek Rajendra Srivastava and Cruelty by Sam Das received Runner-Up and Special Mention, respectively. Log Kya Kahenge by Rafina Khatun won Best Short Documentary, with Land of Dreams by Ambarien Alqadar named Runner-Up, and Never Say Die by Diya Gambhir receiving Special Mention. In the feature-length categories, Agent of Happiness by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbo took home Best Feature Documentary, with 6-A Akash Ganga and Rice earning Runner-Up and Special Mention. Finally, Village Rockstars 2 by Rima Das won Best Feature Fiction, with Pooja, Sir as Runner-Up, and Nayab and Shambhala receiving Special Mentions.

Held at the J.A. DeSève Cinema at Concordia University, SAFFM 2025 once again turned theatre into spaces of discovery, dialogue, and connection. Audiences queued eagerly before screenings, shared words of admiration afterward, and carried the spirit of these stories into the community beyond the cinema. From red carpets and buzzing lobbies to quiet, reflective moments in the theatre, the 14th edition of SAFFM will be remembered for its bold curation, artistic excellence, and the heartfelt conversations it inspired.