South By SouthWest (SXSW) for the first time will feature film and television, dance and music, technology, business, fashion, and comedy from South Asia. The new project ‘South Asian House’ will recognize South Asian culture from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives as well as members of the diaspora. Scheduled for the first weekend of SXSW on March 11 and 12, 2023, programming will focus on the South Asian worldview across plenaries, sessions, panel discussions, workshops, art exhibits, book launches, and music concerts. South Asian House will take place in the 4th Street neighborhood of downtown Austin, near the Austin Convention Center event headquarters.
A red carpet and awards ceremony on Oscar Sunday (March 12, 2023) will commemorate South Asian talent and filmmakers who have previously been exhibited at SXSW events, as well as those nominated for the 2022 Oscars.
The event is spearheaded by Veteran filmmakers, curators, and programmers Rohi Mirza Pandya (Box Office Guru Media and Desipina), Monika Samtani (Ms. Media and The Fem Word), Jitin Hingorani (Jingo Media and DFW South Asian Film Festival) and Kirtana Banskota (Banskota Productions and Nepal America Film Society).
“We are thrilled to be commissioned to curate the first-ever South Asian House in the 37-year-history of this iconic film, tech, and music festival that is now in the global spotlight,” said Mirza Pandya, Samtani, Hingorani, and Banskota. “Our subcontinent is rich in history, art, culture, and science, and we want the thousands of expected attendees at SXSW to experience our contributions to the world first-hand. Never has South Asia been represented on such a massive scale at an A-list festival.”
SXSW director of global sales, Neil Minocha, said: “South Asians are one of the most accomplished minority groups living and working in the U.S. As a proud South Asian, I have been working towards this kind of programming for years. I look forward to paying tribute to the vast contributions the diaspora has made in almost every major industry through the establishment of the South Asian House.”
Niles Patel, owner of The Pub, added: “During the weekend-long experience, hosted at The Pub on 4th Street, co-influencers, celebrities, icons, and enthusiasts of South Asian academia, film, music, culture, design, fashion, business, tech and climate change will exchange ideas and synergies in this inclusive and thought-provoking environment that has put Austin on the international map.”