It will range from panel discussions on women in film, business tech, and climate change to curated sets of live and electronic music to a Reel Deal session, Comedy Hour, Industry Leadership Sessions, Mental Health Corner, Queer/Dalit Visual Art NFTs, and Desi Drag Brunch
For the first time in its 37-year history, South by Southwest® (SXSW) will be celebrating the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture and will partner with South Asian House (SAH) to highlight, recognize, and appreciate seven South Asian nations – India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives.
Convening at Fourth and Co in the iconic Warehouse District of downtown Austin, six blocks from SXSW event headquarters on March 11 and 12, 2023, the first-ever SAH during SXSW will feature two full days of programming, according to an SAH press release.
It will range from panel discussions on women in film, business tech, and climate change to curated sets of live and electronic music to a Reel Deal session, Comedy Hour, Industry Leadership Sessions, Mental Health Corner, Queer/Dalit Visual Art NFTs, and Desi Drag Brunch.
SAH will culminate in a red carpet, awards ceremony on Oscar® Sunday recognizing South Asian Trailblazers in Cinema. It will also recognize accomplished members of the diaspora from the seven South Asian nations.
SAH is the brainchild of veteran producers, curators, and programers Rohi Mirza Pandya (Box Office Guru Media & Desipina), Monika Samtani (Ms Media & The Fem Word), Jitin Hingorani (Jingo Media & DFW South Asian Film Festival), and Kirtana Banskota (Banskota Productions & Nepal America Film Society).
SAH will also welcome community leaders and partners such as Shelly Kapoor Collins, founder of the Shatter Foundation, a nonprofit to bring entrepreneurship education to girls.
As one of the first to come on board, Kapoor Collins says, “I am thrilled to partner with South Asian House in their endeavor to support not only the community as a whole, but to create a leadership program and space for female founders and entrepreneurs. Shatter Foundation is proud to be a part of this inaugural event at SXSW in 2023.”
Also joining SAH will be The Partnership, Inc, a nationally-recognized organization supporting the development of professionals of color into authentic leaders and the transformation of corporate cultures into diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplaces.
Since 1987, they have worked with more than 600 companies across all industries and provided more than 6,000 professionals with unparalleled leadership development programs and services.
Storylounge Studios, a NYC based artistic collective whose work spans the fields of digital media, film, theater, and music, will present “The Reel Deal,” hosted by Vick Krishna (TikTok, Gotham Comedy Club, NYC) and Samrat Chakrabarti (Mr Robot, Midnight’s Children), focused on how to make effective Instagram and TikTok reels, as well as a Variety Show with music and comedy featuring special guests.
Other programming partners include Ragoth Bala, one of the co-founders of The Cumin Club, a brand that makes it easier to enjoy authentic Indian meals in just minutes.
Their plant-based menu of 30+ regional dishes from all over India is curated by expert chefs and made with all-natural ingredients, zero preservatives, and healthy sides for a complete meal you can feel great about.
To round out the weekend’s eclectic programming, Indo Warehouse, a premium brand across New York’s world class electronic music scene, will feature its founding artists, Kahani and Kunal Merchant, who have played across the globe from Ibiza to Tulum. They will extend the reach of their sound at SAH, as they prepare for global expansion in 2023.
Pooja Kumar, Award-winning actress states, “I am so excited to be an official mentor for the South Asian House, which is bringing top Indian cinema and talent to Texas through its international curation.”
Other mentors include Milan Chakraborty, Head of Film at Marginal Mediaworks and SXSW veteran, and Falguni Lakhani Adams, Executive Producer at VICEMedia, who will also serve as a panelist on SAH’s “Women In Film” panel. Additional programming partners include: Women in Film & Television (WIFT); Maria Gotay Designs, Guru Tax Pro, Austin and Satwic Mudigulam.
*********************************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com