The 2025 Sundar Prize Film Festival was the second annual Sundar Prize Film Festival, held from April 10 to 13, 2025, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada."April dates, details for 2nd Sundar Prize film fest at 2 Surrey theatres". Surrey Now-Leader. February 19, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026. Presented by Sher Vancouver, the festival was themed "Life in Motion: Journeys of Growth and Discovery" and featured more than four dozen films at the Surrey campus of Simon Fraser University and Landmark Cinemas Guildford."'Life in Motion' at 2nd Sundar Prize Film Festival in Surrey this week". Hope Standard. April 7, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026."Sundar Prize Film Festival announces 2025 edition, April 10 to 13". Stir. February 19, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
A pre-launch screening of Chrisann Hessing's documentary We Will Be Brave was co-presented with the Vancouver International Film Festival and Story Money Impact on April 9 at the VIFF Centre in Vancouver, ahead of the festival's official opening night."We Will Be Brave". VIFF. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
The festival opened with the screening block Dreams & Petals: A Night of Enchantment, which paired Clara Chan's animated short Have I Swallowed Your Dreams with Mahesh Pailoor's feature film Paper Flowers, and closed with the screening block The Fragility of Forever, which paired Farnoosh Abedi Renani and Negah Khezre Fardiar Dad's animated short HOLY HEAVƎNESs with Enrique Vázquez's feature film Firma Aquí."PROGRAMME". Sundar Prize Film Festival. April 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026.Emily Lyth, "Sundar Prize Film Festival opener Paper Flowers ensures the sun never sets on Shalin Shah's legacy". Stir. April 1, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
Sidartha Murjani continued as the festival's executive director and senior programmer, a role he had held since the inaugural festival.
Program The 2025 festival's official program ran from April 10 to 13, 2025, with opening night at the Surrey campus of Simon Fraser University on April 10 and the remaining public screenings at Landmark Cinemas Guildford from April 11 to 13. The program included feature films, shorts screening blocks, panel discussions, a networking reception, an open mic pitch session, and an awards presentation."Sundar Prize Film Festival marks 2nd year with film screenings and awards ceremony". The Runner. April 20, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
Jury The 2025 program guide listed finalist jurors and shortlist jurors for the festival."2025 Program Guide". Sundar Prize Film Festival. April 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026. The Runner reported that Sidartha Murjani, Alex Sangha, and Vinay Giridhar were part of the finalist jury, which reviewed the top films selected by the shortlist jury."Sundar Prize Film Festival marks 2nd year with film screenings and awards ceremony". The Runner. April 20, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
Finalist Jury
Alex Sangha Vinay Giridhar Susan Ruzic Sidartha Murjani Carolyn Mauricette Greg Chan
Shortlist Jury
Akshay Sachdeva Nic Altobelli Rami Kahlon
Awards The 2025 edition expanded the festival's award categories ahead of its second annual event and the festival's award winners were announced on April 13, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford in Surrey, concluding the five-day run that began with the April 9 pre-launch screening.Janet Smith, "Tea Creek and Firma Aquí take top awards at Sundar Prize Film Festival". Stir. April 14, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026."'Tea Creek' and other prize-winning films at Sundar festival in Surrey". Surrey Now-Leader. April 15, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026.Charlie Smith, "Sundar Prize Film Festival honours Tea Creek, Firma Aqui, and Mareya Shot Keetha Goal: Make the Shot". Pancouver. April 14, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026."2025 Winners". Sundar Prize Film Festival. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
Award Film Director or recipient Prize Best Feature Film Firma Aquí Enrique Vázquez $2,500 CAD Best Short Film The Poem We Sang Annie Sakab $500 CAD Rogers Group of Funds Best Canadian Documentary Tea Creek Ryan David Lee Dickie $2,500 CAD Knowledge Network Best International Documentary This Is Who We Are Peter Lilly $1,000 CAD Best Animation Have I Swallowed Your Dreams Clara Chan $1,000 CAD Best Environmental Film Tea Creek Ryan David Lee Dickie $1,000 CAD Best 2SLGBTQ+ Film Leilani's Fortune Loveleen Kaur $1,000 CAD Best Youth Film (19 and under) LOOK Georgia Tindle Acken $500 CAD Best Student Film Desync Minerva Marie Navasca $500 CAD Best British Columbia Feature Film Mareya Shot Keetha Goal: Make the Shot Baljit Sangra and Nilesh Patel $1,000 CAD Best British Columbia Short Film Stand In Hiromu Yamawaki $500 CAD KDocsFF Best Emerging Filmmaker Residency Prize Velvet Secrets Shanthini Balasubramanian $1,000 CAD
Films
Pre-launch screening The festival held a soft pre-launch screening of We Will Be Brave, co-presented by the Vancouver International Film Festival and Story Money Impact, on April 9, 2025, at the VIFF Centre in Vancouver.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country We Will Be Brave Chrisann Hessing Canada
Dreams & Petals: A Night of Enchantment This opening-night screening block was screened on April 10, 2025, at the Surrey campus of Simon Fraser University.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Have I Swallowed Your Dreams Clara Chan Canada Paper Flowers Mahesh Pailoor United States
Reclaiming Futures: A Call to Protect and Preserve This screening block was screened on April 11, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Throwaway Living Laura Malatos United States HA NII TOKXW: Our Food Table Farhan Umedaly Canada The Stand Christopher Auchter Canada
Courage Unscripted: Moments of Fearless Authenticity This shorts screening block was screened on April 11, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Different Kind of Sick Nightingale Canada Lupe Q and the Galactic Corn Cake Javier Badillo Canada Mannequin Ramgopal Rajagopalan Canada Female and Furious Siddharth Sanjay and Logan Ferino Canada Lifers Ranjit Samra Canada Warmest Regards, E Tina Nowarre and Shireen Dalbey Canada Beyond the Reins Magill Moyes Canada Kids Are Only Kids Once Alysha Collie and Dallas Yellowfly Canada Bubble Gum Ice Cream Tegan Rane Dobrich and Huy Hoang Canada the eulogy. Grace Chin Canada Jia Vee Shi Australia
Spirit and Resilience: A Vaisakhi Celebration This screening block was screened on April 11, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Lullaby for Gulli Dallas Sauer Canada Mareya Shot Keetha Goal: Make the Shot Baljit Sangra and Nilesh Patel Canada
The Human Mosaic: Dreams, Loss, and New Beginnings This shorts screening block was screened on April 11, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country A Summer's End Poem Lam Can-zhao China New Blood Ethan Wingrove Canada Jumpstart Gur-Inder Singh and Harnoor Gill Canada Stand In Hiromu Yamawaki Canada Out Beyond Salman Alam Khan United States The Pringle Mingle Jenny Lee-Gilmore Canada Close Shave Marc Yungco Canada Mirthless Tina Kardan Canada Choose The Correct Answer A, B, C or ... Seung Yeon You Canada HATCH Alireza Kazemipour and Panta Mosleh Canada
Redefining Her Story This screening block was screened on April 12, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Velvet Secrets Shanthini Balasubramanian Canada Teresa's Choice Marlene Castaños Ortega Canada Designed by Preeti Gayatri Everitt Bajpai United States
Rewriting Queer Representation This screening block was screened on April 12, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country My Roommate Ahriman Nessa Aref Canada Bulletproof: A Lesbian's Guide to Surviving the Plot Regan Latimer Canada
Threads of Memory This shorts screening block was screened on April 12, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Mirage Jhanvi Motla United States Tehran Is Ours Hamideh Azimi United States Bardo Mishki Vaccaro Canada Desync Minerva Marie Navasca Canada LOOK Georgia Tindle Acken Canada A Simple Ask Nadya Naumaan United States Conviction Bruce Thomas Miller Canada Whispers of Colors Sujin Kim United States FLIGHT 182 Rippin Sindher United States
Harvesting Hope: Food as Healing and Activism This screening block was screened on April 13, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country A Nation's Table Garrett Smith Canada Tea Creek Ryan David Lee Dickie Canada
Unseen Palestine This screening block was screened on April 13, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country My Homeland Mawtini Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller Canada The Poem We Sang Annie Sakab Canada, Jordan, Palestine This Is Who We Are Peter Lilly United Kingdom
Life in Full Colour: Celebrating Queer Triumphs This screening block was screened on April 13, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Body Varial Audrey Kerridge Canada Canyon Chorus Chris Cresci United States Leilani's Fortune Loveleen Kaur Canada
The Fragility of Forever This closing-night screening block was screened on April 13, 2025, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country HOLY HEAVƎNESs Farnoosh Abedi Renani and Negah Khezre Fardiar Dad Iran Sign Here Firma Aquí Enrique Vázquez Mexico
References
External links
2025 Program Guide 2025 Winners