Global Youth Filmmaking Movement
(Please note: Fellowships were offered only in the first edition of Zero mm. These are not provided in the 2023 season.)
Imagine a global youth filmmaking movement, where talented youngsters collaborate to create world-class cinema, host the Festival across the world at small to large venues and celebrate Southasian storytelling!
This is a starting point for innovative film-making movement in all genres which brings together young film-makers, field experts and the industry for the definitive discovery of talent and stories in the pursuit of new age filmmaking.
The fellowships are offered to filmmakers who submit films and are selected in the program.
The fellowship has the following benefits for students and emerging filmmakers;
- Become part of emerging Southasian filmmakers network
- Film showcase events across Southasia and internationally
- Online Question and Answer sessions with the film screenings throughout the year
- Mentoring and support sessions with professionals and fellows
- Potential of project collaborations
The jury has made a decision. See the list of films here
Mentors
Sahraa Karimi
Film Director – Afghanistan
Sahraa Karimi is an independent film director from Afghanistan. She has made more than 30 short fictions and documentaries some of which won numerous awards in International film festival including Sun in a Net National Film award from Slovak Film and TV Academy in 2012. Her documentary film ” Afghan women behind the wheel” got more then 25 international awards and was broadcasted through ARTE France TV Channel and BBC.
Ammar Aziz
Film Maker – Pakistan
Ammar Aziz is a FIPRESCI winning and IDFA nominated documentary filmmaker. His debut feature film A Walnut Tree has been screened in over 70 international film festivals. He served as the jury for IDFA’s Oxfam Global Justice Award in 2015. Ammar is also the co-founder of SAMAAJ, a nonprofit org using art and culture for rights awareness in Pakistan.
Maheen Zia
Film Director – Pakistan
Maheen is a Karachi based filmmaker. Her documentary work has aired both locally and internationally. In 2008 she received the Berlin Today Award for her short fiction film ‘Match Factor’. She is a founding member of the KaraFilm Society and has also served as an International Jury Member for several film festivals. She taught filmmaking at the Department of Visual Studies, University of Karachi, for nine years and designed the department’s Bachelor of Media Arts programme.
Neeraj Bhasin
Filmmaker/ Artist – India
Neeraj is an arts practitioner and a filmmaker. He has directed and produced multiple award-winning films. He is also the founder and director of Heritage Commons, a non-profit organization. Presently he is writing a feature, interactive documentary, directing documentaries and series of films on art collective from all over India. He is also focusing on documenting India’s contemporary, traditional and new media artists for future audiences.
Firozeh Usufzay
Cross-cultural filmmaker, digital strategist, educator & founder – Pakistan
Firozeh has been working as a cross cultural filmmaker, educator and digital strategist since 2011. She is passionate about traveling, visual anthropology, world cinema, transmedia storytelling, trend spotting, education & technology.She has produced 8 films and won several awards too. Firouzeh also Instituted Ethnographic film making, world cinema & Film business modules in the undergraduate Film & TV Production degree program at National College of Arts.
Asoka Handagama
Filmmaker – Srilanka
Handgama is a Sri Lankan film maker and is considered as the leader of the third generation of Sri Lankan cinema. His films aim to explore new forms and narratives. This is My Moon, Flying With One Wing, Letter of Fire and Let Her cry are some of his notable. Amiens International Film Festival also paid tribute to Asoka Handagama for his contribution to the development of independent cinema in Asia.
Reecha Sharma
Actress – Nepal
Reecha Sharma is a Nepali actress, model and VJ. She was one of the ten semifinalists of Miss Nepal 2007 pageant. Reecha has been popular for her acting in music videos and ramps. She made her acting debut in a Nepali film and most successful box office movie of 2012 Loot marked a turning point in her acting career. She also acted in a youth-focused movie Visa Girl in 2012.
Min Bahadur Bham
Director – Nepal
Min Bahadur is a young filmmaker and producer from Nepal. He participated in the Berlinale Talent Campus and the Asian Film Academy in 2013. His short film THE FLUTE and his debut feature KALO POTHI were the first Nepalese films presented at Venice Film Festival. He is also President of the Independent Film Society of Nepal, Assistant Professor at Oscar Int. College of Film Studies and Programmer at Ekadeshma Film Festival, Nepal.
Asmita Shrish
Filmmaker – Nepal
Asmita is a Nepali filmmaker working in fiction and documentary. Her short documentaries “Auntie Ganga” and “Gyalmu’s House” have played in 50 festivals around the world including Human Rights Watch. She also produced the short documentary Kaloo School (2013) exploring the challenges of education in the mountains of Afghanistan. Asmita also co-directed Chandra, which was premiered in the 20th edition of International Busan Film Festival and was also one of 8 directing fellows in Asian Film Academy 2014 nurtured by auteur Béla Tarr.
Rezwan Shariar Sumit
Director – Bangladesh
Sumit was born & raised in Bangladesh’s boisterous capital Dhaka. Shorts produced by him have traveled to Copenhagen, NYFF, AFI Fest and Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, and have been acquired by MUBI, VPRO, ASPiRE TV for worldwide distribution. His first feature ‘The Salt in Our Waters’ was awarded France’s CNC (€80,000), Bangladesh’s National Grant ($62,500) and a writing grant by Spike Lee. He is also a Cannes-IEFTA Global Film-Expression and Film Bazaar-CPM 2016 alumni.
