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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                                MARCH 13, 2026      |  The Indian Eye 28

                 South Asian International Film Festival

             Florida 2026 Concludes with Echoes of Us

                           Sweeping Top Short Film Honors

            OUR BUREAU
            Tampa, FL
                  he 2026 edition of the South
                  Asian International Film Festi-
            Tval Florida (SAIFFF) conclud-
            ed on February 23 with a milestone
            achievement as the short film Echoes
            of Us captured all three major awards
            in the Short Film category.
                The English-language Indian
            drama distinguished itself among this
            year’s selections, earning:
            • Best Short Film
            • Best Actor (Short Film) – Deepak
              Tijori
            • Best Actress (Short Film) – Iulia
              Vantur
                                                                                                                  • Best Actress (Short Film): Iulia
            Directed by Joe Rajan and produced                                                                      Vantur – Echoes of Us
            by Pooja Batra, Echoes of Us received                                                                 • Best Short Documentary: Kaashi
                                                                                                                    to Kumbha – Abhilash Arunakar
            a standing ovation at its festival                                                                      & Shane Ali
            screening. Its emotionally compel-                                                                    • Best Short Film (Critics’ Choice):
                                                                                                                    Tat Tvam Asi
            ling narrative and powerful perfor-                                                                   • Best Actress (Short Film – Critics):
            mances solidified its status as the                                                                     Anubha Fatehpuria – Thursday
                                                                                                                    Special
            standout short film of SAIFFF 2026.                                                                   • Best Emerging Talent: Sujay Kho-
                                                                                                                    na – Kaju Katli
                                                                                                                  • NCG Audience Choice Award:
             SAIFFF 2026: Showcasing South Asian                                                                    Harij Weds Sajili
                     Stories Worldwide                                                                            Feature & Documentary Category
                Held from February 21–23, 2026                                                                    • Best Feature Film: Hindi Vindi
            at NCG Cinema in Tampa, the three-                                                                    • Best Actress (Feature Film): Nee-
            day festival featured more than 50   Batra and Omi Vaidya, along with   their work, this year’s festival was   na Gupta – Hindi Vindi
            films selected from over 200 submis-  filmmakers and industry profession-  truly exceptional. We were proud   • Best Documentary: Untouchable,
            sions  worldwide.  This  year’s  official   als from around the world.  to  welcome  filmmakers  not  only   Laughing Out Caste – Manjeet
            selections  represented  filmmakers   A major highlight of the week-  from India but also from Australia,   Sarkar
            from India, Australia, Canada, the   end was INDIA DAY, presented on   Canada, and the United Kingdom     The  South  Asian International
            United Kingdom, New Zealand, the   Saturday with support from the Con-  to engage directly with audiences.   Film Festival Florida (SAIFFF) is a
            Netherlands, Switzerland, Nepal,   sulate  General  of India  in  Atlanta.   The overall quality of the selected   nonprofit, volunteer-led organization
            and the United States—demonstrat-  The celebration honored Indian cin-  films was outstanding. Among them,   dedicated to promoting independent
            ing the global reach and diversity of   ema  created by  the  global  diaspora   Echoes of Us in the Short Film cate-  South Asian cinema and fostering
            South Asian storytelling.         and featured special screenings of   gory and Hindi Vindi in the Feature   cross-cultural dialogue through film.
                In  addition  to  film  screenings,   English Vinglish, Vikram, Hellaro,   Film category exemplify the power of   The festival provides a dynamic plat-
            SAIFFF 2026 featured cultural     and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The   authentic storytelling and the global   form for both emerging and estab-
            dance performances by local groups   ceremony was hosted by Pooja Batra   impact of South Asian cinema.”  lished  filmmakers  while  strengthen-
            during the opening night, Saturday   and Omi Vaidya.                 SAIFFF 2026 – Official Award Winners  ing community connections through
            programming, and the closing cere-    Reflecting  on  the  festival’s  suc-                           the power of storytelling.
            mony,  enriching  the  festival  experi-  cess, SAIFFF Director Hemant   Short Film Category              SAIFFF 2026 was supported by
            ence.                             Dinkar stated:                    • Best Short Film: Echoes of Us –   TeamLogicIT, GroundGameHealth,
                The festival opened with a sold-  “With more than 200 submis-     Joe Rajan & Pooja Batra         BlackStraw AI, The Tampa Neuro-
            out red-carpet gala attended by   sions from across the globe and film-  • Best Actor (Short Film): Deepak   psychiatry/TMS Group, Convergent
            acclaimed Bollywood actors Pooja   makers traveling to Tampa to share   Tijori – Echoes of Us         Media, and Sakar Trust.

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