Independent producer Uday Jhunjhunwala has unveiled the establishment of a fund, fiscally sponsored by Desipina Productions, for film, theater, prose and poetry projects centered on international human rights and children’s welfare during South Asian House’s programming at the Tribeca Festival.
The fund was among several projects that gained momentum as South Asian House concluded its third consecutive year of programming at the festival, partnering with the Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF) and Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) to spotlight the need for authentic representation in film.
One of the highlights of the programming was a panel at the AT&T Untold Stories Lounge, curated by Rohi Mirza Pandya, founder of South Asian House/Box Office Guru Media. Moderated by Shruti Ganguly, the conversation featured panelists Aizzah Fatima from ISF and Maya Labban from AFMI. The event opened with a video message from Alana Hadid of Watermelon Pictures, who emphasized the importance of “freeing the narrative.”
The panel addressed the stark underrepresentation of Muslim characters in Hollywood, citing a June 2021 USC Annenberg study that found only 1.6% of nearly 9,000 characters in the 200 most popular films between 2017-2019 were Muslim, despite Muslims comprising 1.8 billion people globally.
Beyond the main panel, South Asian House produced Tribeca Talks with ISF at the BrownGirl Clubhouse, while AFMI presented a mixer at MadamJi during the festival week.
“Where the Light Enters You,” a short documentary co-directed by Academy member Hemal Trivedi and Matt Alesevich, announced its Oscar qualifying run and Impact first campaign, aiming to build awareness around grassroots healthcare reform in rural India.
Gitesh Pandya, founder of Box Office Guru, moderated a panel featuring South Asian filmmakers from Tribeca-selected films, including “Pinch” director Uttera Singh, “Poreless” producer/star Akbar Hamid, and “The Patel Motel Story” co-directors Rahul Rohatgi and Amar Shah.
The programming also included Industry Talks and a shorts screening featuring South Asian, Arab and Muslim filmmakers discussing authentic representation and industry access. Participants included entertainment lawyer Maaha Khan, cultural strategist Hiba Irshad, musician and actor Samrat Chakrabarti, co-directors Ronald Austin Jr. and Vinny Anand, comedian Atheer Yacoub, and actors Cindy Shi and Piyali Syam.
ISF curated short films featured work by filmmakers Fatimah Asghar, Angbeen Saleem, Fahim Hamid and Habib Yazdi, who were in attendance.
“This partnership with Tribeca Festival has been incredible — their support means the world to us, and their commitment to diverse audiences is unparalleled,” said Pandya. “To have these conversations in my hometown – where the grit and determination of independent filmmakers is the heartbeat of the city and to do so alongside such a brilliant group of women with an engaged audience – was truly a dream.”
South Asian House, founded by Pandya and Monika Samtani, creates celebratory spaces for South Asian communities at major festivals. ISF, established in 2009, works to elevate American Muslim storytelling in media, while AFMI focuses on reshaping Arab narratives through film to challenge global stereotypes.
