South Asia Foundation to host South Asian Film Festival
More than 50 films from 8 South Asian countries and Special Screening of 12 Iranian Films to be screened at SAFF

South Asia Foundation had been organizing the Annual “South Asian Film Festival ...dissolving boundaries” in New Delhi, and at the invitation of the Hon. Chief Minister of Goa, the Festival was moved to Goa as a part of the 'Initiative of the Government of Goa'. This was not only an honour for the Foundation but, also, reflects the strength of the objective of the Festival. The Government of Goa and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) are the co-sponsors of the festival, which is also being supported by Entertainment Society of Goa & Kala Academy, Goa. Shri Kapil Sibal is the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Festival that includes many prominent personalities of the region.

This year SAFF will be held from June 26-29, 2009 at the Entertainment Society of Goa and Kala Academy, Panjim. Over 50 films from 8 South Asian countries- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka and special screening of 12 Iranian films will be screened at the four day Festival.
South Asian Film Festival with the theme of dissolving boundaries is one of very few festivals that have been designed for a larger socio-cultural and political objective, and this is what sets it apart from the other festivals.
According to Mr Rahul Barua, Secretary General, South Asia Foundation, that organizes  the South Asian Film Festival, “We believe that films are the single most effective medium for improving communication and cooperation within the South Asian region. The influence of films on the psyche of the masses, in the region, is enormous. It could be used for reinforcing the initiatives that are already underway for generating peace and harmony”.

Four categories of films will be screened at the festival that includes Classic Films, Short Films, Documentary Films and Popular Films/ Mainstream Films. The festival will feature films from all era’s, from Raj Kapoor to Pooja Bhatt and Onir. It will also include some of the internationally acclaimed and award winning films. The festival will also feature contemporary films like Fashion, Welcome to Sajjanpur and many more which talk about the real life issues.

Highlights
South Asian Film Festival, Goa

1. Over 50 films to be screened at the festival from South Asian Countries.
2.  “Special Screening” of 12 Iranian film.
3. Films from all eight South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan would be screened
4. Seminar on Indian Cinema & South Asia with participation from various directors and actors from the participating countries
5. Directors and actors who will be present at the film festival include Prasanna Vithanage, Fathimath Nahula, Enamul Karim Nirjhar, Nakim Uddin, Ugyen Wangdi, Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt, Shyam Benegal, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhary, Anirudh Maheshwari, Madhur Bhandarkar, Manisha Koirala and many others.
6. Festival Premiere of an international movie “Yousuf”.

SAF, through their 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 cooperation within the region. 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 would result in better government-to-government interaction and would also open up & increase opportunities for trade & investment. The festival is expected to initiate larger cooperation in making joint ventures among filmmakers within this four day grand event.