Sher Vancouver is now accepting submissions for its inaugural Sundar Prize.
The Sundar Prize is an international film awards competition with over $10,000 in cash prizes for the top five films.
Films released within the last two years after Dec. 25, 2020, are eligible for the following cash prizes in Canadian dollars:
· Best Feature Film – $5,000
· Best Documentary – $2,500
· Best Short Film – $1,500
· Best Animation – $1,000
· Best Student Film – $500
The winners will be announced in June 2024, and the winning films will be screened at the iconic, landmark City Centre Library and/or Surrey City Hall in Surrey.
The screenings will be held over two back-to-back days on a weekend before a live audience. The Sundar Prize seeks to recognize beautiful films that uplift our world through impactful and informative storytelling about social causes and social issues that have a social impact. Films with any theme are welcome but we encourage filmmakers who showcase the following communities and causes to submit their films: · Human Rights
· Immigrants and Refugees
· Social Justice Issues
· Indigenous Communities
· People of Colour
· LGBTQ+ Community
· Vulnerable and Marginalized Peoples
· Environmental and Climate Change
· Educational Films.
Selection process
· Official Selections are shortlisted by a jury from all the films submitted
· Out of the official selections, five films in each category that rank and score the highest by the jury become a Finalist
· Of those finalists, one Award Winner is selected in each category by a separate independent jury.
“Sher Vancouver wants to bring the best, most beautiful, and impactful films from around the world to the heart of Surrey City Centre for the people to enjoy and learn from and drive change in our communities,” states Sher Vancouver Founder and Festival Manager Alex Sangha of North Delta.
Sangha is an award-winning social worker and documentary film producer. He produced a short documentary, My Name Was January, about transgender people of color, and a feature documentary, Emergence: Out of the Shadows, about coming out in the South Asian community of Metro Vancouver. He received the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada for founding Sher Vancouver which is a registered charity for LGBTQ+ South Asians and their friends, families, and allies. Alex is a member of the Documentary Organization of Canada and is a graduate of the Business for Producers program at the National Screen Institute. He has served on the youth jury for the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival and the feature film jury for the Vancouver Asian Film Festival.
Festival director Vinay Giridhar is an award-winning director, editor, and visual artist. His debut feature documentary, Emergence: Out of the Shadows, was an official selection at nearly 50 established film festivals around the world including Out On Film in Atlanta which is an Academy Award qualifying festival, Frameline in San Francisco which is a BAFTA qualifying festival, and five Canadian Screen Award qualifying festivals including the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Vancouver Queer Film Festival, and the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival where it was the Closing Night Film and picked up Best Documentary. The film was also broadcast on Knowledge Network in British Columbia, TVO in Ontario, and OUTtv across Canada. Vinay is a graduate of the Classical Animation program at the Vancouver Film School.
Submit your film here.
