The Sundar Prize Film Festival is an international film awards competition with over $10,000 in cash prizes for the Top 5 films in the select categories.
The winning films will be screened at the iconic, landmark Centre Stage Theatre at Surrey City Hall in Surrey, British Columbia.
The Sundar Prize Film Festival seeks to recognize beautiful films that uplift our world through impactful and informative storytelling about social causes and social issues that have social impact.
Films with any theme are welcome but we encourage filmmakers who showcase the following communities and causes:
• Human Rights
• Immigrants and Refugees
• Social Justice Issues
• Indigenous Peoples
• People of Color
• LGBTQ+ Community
• Vulnerable and Marginalized Peoples
• Environmental and Climate Change
• Educational Films
SHER VANCOUVER
The Sundar Prize Film Festival is an initiative of Sher Vancouver which is a registered charity in Canada, and was originally founded as a social welfare group in 2008. For more information check out: https://www.shervancouver.com/
FILM FESTIVAL ALLIANCE
The Sundar Prize Film Festival is a proud member of the Film Festival Alliance which aims to create a collaborative global community for mission-driven film festivals. Film Festival Alliance is home to more than 230 members from 40 states, Canada, and the UK, including large, mid-size & start-up festivals, festival consultants, and programmers.
FOUNDERS OF THE SUNDAR PRIZE FILM FESTIVAL
Alex Sangha is an award-winning social worker and documentary film producer. He produced a short documentary, My Name Was January, about transgender people of color, and a feature documentary, Emergence: Out of the Shadows, about coming out in the South Asian community of Metro Vancouver. He received the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada for founding Sher Vancouver which is a registered charity for LGBTQ+ South Asians and their friends, families, and allies. Alex is a member of the Documentary Organization of Canada and is a graduate of the Business for Producers program at the National Screen Institute.
Vinay Giridhar is an award-winning director, editor, and visual artist. His debut feature documentary, Emergence: Out of the Shadows, was an official selection at nearly 50 established film festivals around the world including Out On Film in Atlanta which is an Academy Award qualifying festival, Frameline in San Francisco which is a BAFTA qualifying festival, and five Canadian Screen Award qualifying festivals. The film was also broadcast on Knowledge Network in British Columbia, TVO in Ontario, and OUTtv across Canada. Vinay is a graduate of the Classical Animation program at the Vancouver Film School.
FESTIVAL VALUES
The official film festival for the Sundar Prize is based on the following core values:
FILMS – To bring the best films from around the world to the heart of Surrey City Centre
FILMMAKERS – To compensate the winning filmmakers fairly and recognize and acknowledge their work
TICKETS – To ensure low-barrier access with affordable ticket pricing
VENUE – To host the event at a public venue at the iconic, landmark Centre Stage Theatre at Surrey City Hall
LOCATION – To host the event at a central location near public transportation and Skytrain
ACCESSIBILITY – To ensure the event is as accessible as possible for people with disabilities
SUBTITLES – To ensure films that are screened at the festival that are not in English have English subtitles
SUSTAINABILITY– To aim to make the festival as eco-friendly as possible
The winners of the inaugural Sundar Prize are announced at the film festival in June 2024.
Shortlisted submissions will be submitted to a jury that will watch, rank, and score the films.
Films released within the last two years after December 25, 2020 are eligible for the following cash prizes in Canadian dollars:
• Best Feature Film - $5000
• Best Documentary - $2500
• Best Short Film - $1500
• Best Animation - $1000
• Best Student Film - $500
The winners will also receive:
• Official Laurel for the winners, finalists, and official selections
• Digital Certificate for the winners
• Letter of Congratulations for the winners
• Trophy mailed to the winners
CENTRE STAGE THEATRE AT SURREY CITY HALL
The winners are announced in June 2024 and the winning films will be screened at the iconic, landmark Centre Stage Theatre at Surrey City Hall in Surrey, British Columbia over two days before a live audience.
SELECTION PROCESS
Official Selections are shortlisted by a jury from all the films submitted.
Out of the official selections, five films in each category that rank and score the highest by the jury become a Finalist.
Of those finalists, one Award Winner is selected in each category by a separate independent jury.
FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
Only the Award Winners in each of the five categories are screened at the film festival.