Cannes 2026: Tasveer leads the charge for South Asian cinema

South Asian cinema has marked a historic milestone at the Cannes Film Festival after the film organisation Tasveer hosted a high-profile panel discussion on the prestigious main stage of the Marche du Film.

Titled 'Reimagining Global Pathways and Financing for Stories That Travel', the session achieved the unique distinction of being the only official South Asian event permitted on the world-renowned festival's central stage this year.

The discussion was spearheaded and moderated by Rita Meher, Tasveer’s co-founder and executive director. Joining her on the panel was a heavyweight line-up of industry experts, including Dr Arathi Sethumadhavan, user research scientist at Google; Anjana Gopakumar, executive director of South Stack Studios; Academy Award-winning producer Guneet Monga Kapoor; and Jaime Otero of Parrot Analytics.

The primary objective of the showcase was to thrust South Asian cinema firmly into the global spotlight. Panellists engaged in vital discussions regarding the hurdles of securing international film finance and the mechanics of constructing robust global distribution networks.

The panel also tackled the rapidly shifting technological landscape, hosting a series of earnest debates on the revolutionary impact of Artificial Intelligence on modern filmmaking and traditional storytelling.