Surrey, BC – Following the remarkable success of its inaugural festival in 2024, the Sundar Prize Film Festival is set to return with an even more spectacular lineup in 2025. Last year’s festival saw overwhelming support with 58 sponsors, 24 published news articles, over 450 attendees, screenings of nine award-winning films, four insightful panel discussions, two vibrant networking receptions, and an engaging open mic session where filmmakers pitched their projects. Filmmakers from Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Victoria joined the celebration, marking the event as a truly international gathering.
The 2025 Sundar Prize Film Festival will be held over three days, from April 11 to 13. The opening reception and film screenings will take place at the SFU Surrey Campus, with the subsequent two days’ events hosted at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
New Categories and Exciting Prizes
This year, the festival introduces three new award categories:
- Best 2SLGBTQ+ Film – $1,000
- Best Youth Film (19 and under) – $500
- Best BC Short Film – $500
These prizes are detailed on our website and aim to celebrate diverse storytelling and emerging talent.
Mentorship and Special Presentations
The Sundar Prize is committed to fostering new talent through its filmmaker mentorship program, where participants can seek advice and guidance from industry experts. In addition to films in competition, the festival will feature curated films out of competition for special presentations, including a special South Asian film screening to mark Vaisakhi.
New and Returning Sponsors
We are thrilled to welcome Discover Surrey as a new sponsor. The Vancouver Film School returns to provide free online courses to our winners and Moving Images Distribution will offer distribution deals for the Best BC Short Film and Best BC Feature Film.
The Rogers Group of Funds continues its support by sponsoring the Best Canadian Documentary Award with a $2,500 prize. KDocsFF is back with a $1,000 prize for the Emerging Filmmaker Residency at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Prospera Credit Union and the Canadian Association of Social Workers are also founding returning sponsors.
New Community Partner
We are excited to announce that the Vancouver International Youth Film Festival has joined us as a new community partner. This collaboration aims to strengthen our support for young filmmakers and further enrich our festival offerings.
Youth Jury and Closing Ceremony
A special youth jury will be introduced to select the winner of the Best Youth Film award, bringing fresh perspectives to the judging process. The festival will culminate in a grand closing award ceremony, celebrating the best in film and filmmaking talent.
“The Sundar Prize Film Festival showcases the powerful synergy between community and the film industry, celebrating the incredible talent and creativity of our diverse filmmakers, many of whom are local to BC,” states Sundar Prize Film Festival Co-Founder Alex Sangha.
“The essence of ‘Sundar,’ meaning beautiful, is reflected in every aspect of our festival, from the films we screen to the connections we foster,” says Sidartha Murjani, Executive Director and Senior Programmer of the Sundar Prize Film Festival.
As an IMDb qualifying film festival, the Sundar Prize Film Festival continues to grow as a prominent platform for filmmakers to showcase their work, connect with audiences, and gain industry recognition.
www.sundarprize.com
2024 FESTIVAL RECAP VIDEO
https://youtu.be/dqbDyzHV0U4?si=O6Fw8S2iOB6vKkIE
