The Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival

After the success of its very first online edition in 2020, Canada’s leading South Asian film festival, the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (MISAFF), is returning for a ninth year in December 2021 with a special hybrid edition. Presented by the Canadian Community Arts Initiative (CCAI), MISAFF will host the world premiere of DONKEYHEAD from Canadian filmmaker Agam Darshi. The film is the centrepiece of this year’s incredible lineup and will be screened on December 2nd at 6 pm at an in-person red carpet gala at TIFF Bell Lightbox (300 King Street West).

Tickets to the World Premiere & Opening Ceremony are $30 + tax and fees. CLICK TO BUY.
The rest of the program will be available for viewing online, running from December 1st – December 5th, 2021. MISAFF is showcasing 10 fiction films, 4 documentaries and 28 shorts from Canada, India, the USA, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, UK and Bangladesh. This year, the festival has chosen films that highlight stories of connection and belonging with a central theme of “cinema that unites us”

“MISAFF pivoted online last year due to COVID, and we are thrilled that this year we are able to offer an in-person experience to an extremely important Canadian feature film, alongside a compelling virtual lineup,” said Festival Director Arshad Khan. “Cinema has been there for us in our most vulnerable and isolated times and we are happy to be able to curate films that speak to the community and reflect how we feel.”

This year at MISAFF, we aim to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh, bookending the festival with films from Bangladesh for the opening night and closing night of the festival (only available online). We invite you to visit the Art Gallery of Mississauga where Ali Adil Khan has set up a special major exhibition of contemporary art by Bangladesh Artists. The exhibition runs until the middle of January 2022.

Notable films at the festival include opening night film SALT IN OUR WATERS directed by Rezwan Shahrir Sumit, a Bangladeshi film about climate change that was just presented at the COP26 summit in Europe to great acclaim, and the Canadian feature QUICKENING directed by Haya Waseem, about a young woman with anxiety caused by the stresses at home combined with first love heartbreak, which recently premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. Other highlights include the North American premiere of the Cannes award-winner REHANA MARIAM NOOR directed by Abdullah Mohammad Saad, IN THE RUMBLING BELLY OF THE MOTHERLAND directed by Brishkay Ahmed, ADIEU GODARD directed by Amartya Bhattaraiyya, BITTERSWEET directed by Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, and the Oscar buzzworthy FLEE directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen.

Buy MISAFF Digital Festival Pass for $20 +tax and fees here

For a full list of films and the schedule, please visit: www.MISAFF.com