The South Asia Foundation (SAF) has been working for over a decade in South Asia to foster co-operation and understanding amongst the people of the region and to kindle a spirit of oneness. It played a crucial role during the recent unrest in Nepal and worked with various groups for a peaceful resolution to the conflict there. The Foundation has been involved, through various initiatives, for improving the people-to-people contact and co-operation within South Asia.

SAF has been working with artisans, cultural and social activists, policy planners, artists, film-makers, NGOs, et al, to design and implement programs that yield sustainable results.

The Foundation, through its interaction with a cross section of people in the region over the years, has come to the conclusion that films are the single most effective medium for improving communication and co-operation within the region. The influence of films on the psyche of the masses is enormous. It can be used for reinforcing the initiatives that are already underway for generating peace and harmony. There is a need to support and showcase the products of this medium to generate appreciation for the socio-cultural norms that exist in each country of the region. Improved understanding at the peoples’ level will result in a better government-to-government interaction and will also open up and increase opportunities for trade and investment.

The first ever 'Annual South Asian Film Festival… dissolving boundaries’, organised by South Asia Foundation in New Delhi from October 24 to 30, 2006, has now become a major event in the region. The aim of the Festival is to forge an environment of peace and harmony among the countries in the region. Further, its objective is to provide a forum for film-makers to discuss their work, exchange creative and technical expertise in film-making, ensure the participation of policy planners and opinion leaders, and facilitate marketing of films from the countries within the region that will enhance mutual trade opportunities. The idea is also to ensure that the emergence of Indian Cinema in the global entertainment scenario is treated as an opportunity and not a threat, so that a niche of South Asian films is developed in the region.

It is pertinent to mention here that this is one of the very few festivals that have been designed for a larger socio-cultural and political objective, and it is this that sets it apart from the other festivals.

Union Minister, Shri Kapil Sibal is the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the South Asian Film Festival that includes prominent film personalities of the region – Vinod Khanna, Goutam Ghose, Shyam Benegal, Tariq Anwar, Sudhir Mishra, Pankuj Parashar, Zeba Bakhtiyar, Bhushan Dahal, Tanveer Hussain, Tshering Tobgay, Boodee Keerthisena, Latif Ahmadi and Rameeza Akhtar (Festival Director).

The Steering Committee has given an important dimension to the Festival by identifying this socio-political role of cinema in the growth and prosperity of the South Asian region.