Fuelling Stories And Empowering Screen Storytellers
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
SAFA connects South Asian filmmakers to funding, career avenues, and industry opportunities that advance their practice and enable them to thrive. These resources empower creators to bring their vision to life and sustain their creative journey. Within its 360-degree ecosystem, SAFA collaborates with the South Asian Screen Office of Canada (SASO Canada) to provide targeted funding opportunities that catalyze South Asian storytelling. SAFA is also developing a Screen Opportunities Hub where Members can explore screen callouts, industry roles, and professional avenues, enabling them to advance their creative and career ambitions. Stay connected with SAFA to discover new opportunities as they are announced.
Explore the Bright Lights Funding Program below, opening for applications on June 10, 2026.
BRIGHT LIGHTS FUNDING PROGRAM – 4TH EDITION
An Exclusive Opportunity For SAFA Members
The Bright Lights Program, presented by the South Asian Screen Office (SASO Canada) in collaboration with the IFFSA Talent Fund, is a premier initiative supporting emerging and mid-career South Asian Canadian filmmakers. Now in its fourth edition, the program combines financial support with immersive hands-on workshops and mentorship led by acclaimed Canadian and international filmmakers, offering participants a unique platform to realize their creative visions and advance their careers toward feature filmmaking.
The program seeks to uncover untold stories within the South Asian Canadian community, emphasizing narratives that convey the specificity of diasporic experience while resonating with universal themes. Over its previous editions, the Bright Lights Program has fostered projects that have gone on to gain festival recognition, critical acclaim, and industry development opportunities, spotlighting the next generation of South Asian Canadian screen talent. Applications for the 2026 edition open on June 10, 2026, and close on July 31, 2026, via the IFFSA Talent Fund website.
Phase I will select ten finalists to participate in script development, pitching workshops, and mentorship, culminating in a live project pitch session before a distinguished jury and the announcement of the winners. Selected projects will then enter production phases under the guidance and mentorship of industry advisors, ensuring professional oversight and support at every stage. The Bright Lights Program is more than a funding initiative—it is a launchpad for bold, authentic, and visionary South Asian Canadian storytelling, shaping the voices and careers that will define the future of screen media.
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“My film Desi Standard Time Travel literally would not exist without the IFFSA Talent Fund. In a world where BIPOC filmmakers are always being asked to re-justify our existence and pick at our deepest trauma for a chance to get any funding, it means so much to have a fund that accepts South Asian Canadian filmmakers for who we are. IFFSA Talent Fund allowed me to stretch from drama in to genre, taking a creative risk that I couldn’t afford to otherwise. Beyond funding, the IFFSA Talent Fund provided that space to dream. And as I move forward with my festival run in North America, and private screening series around the world, I couldn’t be more proud to have my film start with the IFFSA logo.” – KASHIF PASTA, FILMMAKER
“The talent fund allowed me to make a personal film about my culture, my mental health, and my late father. It’s been a journey and a process making the film, but the support I received not only allowed me to create art with my grief, but gave me closure, and for that I say thank you.” – IAN BAWA, FILMMAKER
IFFSA TALENT FUND IS SUPPORTED BY
