South Asian Screen Office of Canada, IFFSA Toronto and Storiculture have selected eight South Asian feature projects for South Asian Screen Futures, an initiative connecting filmmakers with financiers and industry partners at the Toronto Film Festival’s inaugural market. The programme highlights emerging and established talent with links to major festivals, including Payal Kapadia, Neeraj Churi and Subhadra Mahajan, and aims to increase industry access for South Asian-led projects.

The slate includes projects from Canada and India, as well as “Unbraided”, a Saudi Arabia–Netherlands–Canada co-production. Stories range from grief and family belief in “A Varnam in Silence” to widowhood in “Moh”, LGBTQ+ adolescence in “Pink City Skies”, a polyandrous Himalayan family in “Soma Helang”, addiction recovery through cricket in “Lefty”, and social change in Saudi Arabia in “Unbraided”; several filmmakers and producers have recent Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, BAFTA or Emmy recognition.