Tasveer Producers Lab
The Tasveer Producers Lab is dedicated to empowering and advancing South Asian voices in global cinema. It gives emerging producers the knowledge, skills, and industry connections they need to bring their projects to life. Through immersive workshops, mentorship, and networking, the lab creates a collaborative space where producers can refine their craft, navigate financing and distribution, and build sustainable careers.Each lab culminates at the annual Tasveer Film Market in Seattle in October, where fellows pitch their projects for a $10,000 development grant and connect with industry leaders through curated meetings and events.
Why It MattersSouth Asian producers remain vastly underrepresented in Hollywood, often without access to key gatekeepers, funding, and distribution networks. Now is the time to invest in them, because their stories deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated.
THE 2025 LABThe inaugural Tasveer Producers Lab brought together eight fellows from across North America and India. The cohort began with a two-day intensive in Los Angeles, continued through virtual sessions, and concluded at the 2025 Tasveer Film Market in Seattle, where fellows pitched their projects live for the $10,000 development grant.
2025 Producers Lab Winner
Alison Almeida
Alison Almeida is a South Asian producer who associate-produced Amar Wala’s Shook (TIFF 2024), Durga Chew-Bose’s Bonjour Tristesse (TIFF 2024), Reza Dahya’s Boxcutter (SXSW 2025) and Season 4 of Children Ruin Everything (2025 CSA Best Comedy Series). Alison has participated in the 2024 Whistler Film Festival Producers Lab and the 2024 CFC Norman Jewison Producers Lab.
2025 Fellows
Aneesa Khan
Aneesa Khan is a Pakistani-American filmmaker, producer, and writer dedicated to highlighting marginalized communities. Her films “The Girl With Anklets” and “Criteria Kya Hai?” earned festival recognition globally. She previously interned at Blumhouse Productions, and in the past year alone, she’s produced six indie films by South Asian/Muslim filmmakers.
Karan Shah
Karan Shah is an independent producer and consultant with experience at companies like Plan B, A24, and MGM. His work has screened at Short Shorts, IFFLA, and Palm Springs. He focuses on bold, boundary-pushing narratives across India and the U.S., championing underrepresented voices through emotionally resonant, globally relevant stories.
Aishwarya Sonar
Aishwarya Sonar is a producer from Pune, India working at the intersection of US projects focused on identity, humanity and joy. A Film Independent Project Involve fellow, she has produced over 15 short films, which have played at festivals worldwide. Sonar draws inspiration from the women around her, reflected in the stories at her production company, Lambe Log Productions.
Vinay Umapathy
Vinay Umapathy (he/him) is an Indian-American filmmaker with a BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU Tisch. His short film “Behind The Line” won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short at the 2024 Chelsea Film Festival. He currently directs music videos and branded content, and is in preproduction for his debut feature “The Settler,” where he serves as director, writer, and producer.
Janani Vijayanathan
Janani is a software engineer and independent film producer. She founded an independent production house called KINOSTREET with filmmaker Sachin Dheeraj, and their work has been shown at prestigious film festivals worldwide, including Hot Docs, Raindance, EnergaCAMERIMAGE, and Kraków. She is currently developing her feature-length debut film, A Silent Wave.
Alifya Ali
Alifya Ali is a producer from Houston, Texas, and now based in Brooklyn, New York. They are an award-winning commercial producer, and their narrative work includes the short film “When You Left Me On That Boulevard,” which won the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Shuchi Dwivedi
Shuchi Dwivedi is a writer/producer and American Film Institute graduate. Winner of IFFLA Pitch competition 2024 for FRIENDS AND FASCISM, also shortlisted for Cannes W Scripted competition and Cinevesture International Market 2025. Working on India-US intersection, she uses laughter as antidote to fear, imagining braver worlds.
