About: Kanwal

Leesa Gazi has dedicated her career to telling stories from women’s perspectives. She is a writer, theater practitioner, and award-winning filmmaker who co-founded the Komola Collective. Gazi directed the multi-award-winning documentary Rising Silence, about the survivors of sexual violence of the Bangladesh Liberation War, and has created several counter-violent extremism shorts for a United Kingdom think tank. In 2023, Amazon Crossing published the English translation of her critically acclaimed Bengali novel Rourob (Good Girls). Gazi’s first feature, A House Named Shahana, won awards at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and BFI London Independent Film Festival 2023. She is also a founding member of the Global Survivors’ Network, SEMA.

Shuchi Talati is a filmmaker from India whose work challenges dominant narratives around gender, sexuality, and South Asian identity. Her feature film, Girls Will Be Girls, world premiered in competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Her short film, A Period Piece, about an afternoon of period sex, was selected for SXSW Film & TV Festival. Shuchi is an alumna of Berlinale Talents, and her work has been recognized by the New York State Council for the Arts and Région Île-de-France. She is a graduate of the American Film Institute. She lives in New York City and is a member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, the Bitchitra Collective, and the Freelance Solidarity Project.

Shaun Seneviratne is a writer and director of emo movies. His first feature, Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts, was shot on location in Sri Lanka and world premiered last March at SXSW Film & TV Festival. Seneviratne’s previous shorts have screened at Nantucket, Montclair, CAAMFest, San Diego Asian, and Bushwick. Based in New York City, he teaches at the Brooklyn STEAM Center, co-hosts the podcast Rohmercast, and runs Redacted Screenings.

Christo Tomy is a two-time National Award-winning filmmaker and an alumnus of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata. He is the director of Netflix’s true crime show Curry and Cyanide, which earned a Global Top #2 viewership and was among the top ten most viewed titles in over 30 countries. Tomy’s feature film script for Undercurrent (Ullozhukku) won the Cinestaan India’s Storytellers Script Contest, India’s largest feature film script contest. It was also part of Film Independent’s Global Media Makers Los Angeles residency, the NFDC Film Bazaar Co-Production Market, and the NFDC Screenwriters Lab.

Join in for these wonderful conversations, this Saturday & Sunday, 29th and 30th June, on our Show, Saat Samundar Paar at – 9:00AM,1:00 PM,5:00 PM and 9:00 PM – EST MeraSangeet Gold and at 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM, and 8 :00 PM – EST MeraSangeet USA/East.

IFFLA brings to Los Angeles audiences the most exciting and groundbreaking independent cinema from South Asia and its diasporas.

The festival offers emerging and underrepresented storytellers numerous industry-facing mentorship, educational and networking opportunities. A highly curated program along with a direct access to the professional film industry in Hollywood make IFFLA a unique platform for South Asian filmmakers.

Save the date: June 27 – 30! IFFLA is at Landmark Theaters Sunset, bringing you the best in South Asian cinema and its diasporas.

Brace yourself for world premieres, star studded galas, an Industry Day forum with a pitch competition, mentorship and much more!

Passes and tickets are on sale at www.indianfilmfestival.org

Romila Sadasivan is the Domestic Violence Program Manager at Saheli. With her 15 years of experience in social work from India and the UK, Romila manages the domestic violence team, which includes South Asian and Arabic-speaking domestic violence advocates, to provide culturally sensitive and trauma-informed case management to domestic violence survivors. Her experience working with various high-needs populations, especially women and children, guides her as she works to manage and strengthen Saheli’s Domestic Violence Advocacy Program has been the core of Saheli’s work.

Priya Murali serves as the Executive Director at Saheli. With a profound commitment to advocating for immigrant women, Priya has dedicated the past five years to working in the immigrant-serving nonprofit sector, where she has passionately developed and implemented programs to empower underserved communities. As an immigrant herself, originally from India, Priya brings firsthand experience and empathy to her work, having resided in the United States for 14 years. She holds a Master’s degree in Communication & Cultural Studies from Northeastern University, which has equipped her with valuable insights and skills to address the needs of diverse communities effectively.

We have a detailed conversation with Romila and with Priya about Saheli, about their services, about how they could be contacted and much more – Tune – in for sure, today, 11th June, on our Show, Saat Samundar Paar, on MeraSangeet Gold – at 9:00 AM,1:00 PM,5:00 PM, and 9:00 PM – EST. You can also catch the interview on MeraSangeet East at 11:00 AM EST.