Mee Raqsam to open SAFF Montréal

The dance drama Mee Raqsam (2020), directed by Baba Azmi, will open the 11th edition of the South Asian Film Festival of Montréal (SAFFM).

The upcoming edition, the only South Asian film festival in Quebec, will be held in a hybrid format both in cinemas and online from 19 to 28 November, along with live Q&As from around the world.

The festival, held in collaboration with Bibliothèques de Saguenay and in partnership with Cinémathèque Québécoise, will host 54 award-winning short, long, documentary and feature selections from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Iran, South Korea, Canada and the US.  

All films shown at the festival will be presented in their original version with English or French subtitles as chosen by viewers. Most films are available for free, including opening night at Cineplex Forum.

As previously announced by the organizers, this year SAFFM will pay tribute to renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray on the occasion of his centenary. This year, the festival will also present films from a neighbouring South Asian country. The section will open with a spotlight on Iran, by paying homage to Shahin Parhami, the Iranian-Canadian filmmaker from Montréal who died earlier this year.

Syeda Bukhari, the festival’s new director, aims to include filmmakers everywhere. She stated, "I would like to reach as many minority language communities of South Asia as possible for even more inclusiveness. At the same time, I would like SAFF Montréal, the only South Asian film festival in Quebec, to be presented in different parts of the province in an effort to widen cultural connections."

She added that the festival wants to introduce the true colours and essence of South Asia to the world for better understanding and appreciation. “Showcasing some of the best cinema made by South Asians, the festival promotes harmony and peace. There is a need to understand and celebrate the cultural history and diversity of the region, which encompasses various ethnic groups, cultures and languages, with people practising almost all major religions,” she said.

 TK Raghunathan, president of SAFF Montréal, was happy that some part of the festival will have a physical presence. “It is an exhilarating feeling to have a live audience and to (safely) interact with them,” he said.

The opening film Mee Raqsam will be available to view in theatres on 19 November, while Priya Krishnaswamy's National award-winning Tamil film Baaram will be screened on 25 November. Professor Shanku O El Dorado (2019), directed by Sandip Ray, will be presented on 26 November, while the homage to Parhami, including his documentary short Jabaroot (2003), will be screened on 27 November. The South African film Bhai’s Cafe will be showcased in the afternoon on 28 November, and LGBTQ+ films Sheer Qorma and Emergence: Out of the Shadows will be shown in the evening.

Awards will be presented to the best short and feature-length films both in the documentary and fiction categories.