SXSW to Host First Ever South Asian House (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran
·2 min read

For the first time in its 37-year history, the SXSW festival in Austin will host South Asian House, an initiative to celebrate South Asians from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives as well as accomplished members of the diaspora.

The initiative, scheduled for the first weekend of SXSW on March 11 and 12, 2023, will feature programming around film and television, dance and music, technology, business, fashion, comedy and climate change from a South Asian world view across plenaries, sessions, panel discussions, workshops, art exhibits, book launches and music concerts. It will take place in the 4th Street neighborhood of downtown Austin, near the Austin Convention Center event headquarters.

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One of the highlights will be a red carpet and awards ceremony on Oscar Sunday (March 12, 2023) to recognize South Asian talent and filmmakers who have been featured at past SXSW festivals, as well as those nominated for the 2022 Oscars.

The initiative is the brainchild of veteran producers, 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.”

In 2021, Variety owner P-MRC made a significant investment in South by Southwest, the parent company of the SXSW festival.

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