Entertainment · Film · 1 hr ago
‘Mayilaa’ and ‘The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony’ win Tasveer awards
The Tasveer Film Festival in Seattle announced its 21st-edition awards after running from October 13 to 18.
Semmalar Annam’s ‘Mayilaa’ won the Jury Award for Best Feature Narrative.
The drama follows a novice saleswoman travelling across South India to help meet her family’s financial needs.
Habiba Nosheen’s ‘The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony’ won the documentary feature award.
It follows young women pursuing gymnastics in a part of Pakistan where the sport is uncommon for girls.
The festival showed 136 films from 16 countries in more than 25 languages, including 20 world premieres.
Its awards and film market offer recognition and support for South Asian and diasporic cinema, while the festival says it aims to help filmmakers reach audiences and industry figures.
The festival has wrapped, and the source gives no further next steps for the winning films.
Mayilaa and The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony won the Tasveer Film Festival’s top feature awards.
Mayilaa, directed by Semmalar Annam, received the Jury Award for Best Feature Narrative.
The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony, directed by Habiba Nosheen, received the Jury Award for Best Feature Documentary.
The festival ran in Seattle from October 13 to 18 and showcased 136 films from 16 countries.
The Jury Award for Best Short went to The Last Glance, directed by Kamran Faiq.
- Who
- Mayilaa and The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony won the feature awards. The Last Glance won the short-film award.
- What
- The Tasveer Film Festival announced its awards for multiple categories.
- When
- The festival ran from October 13 to 18, 2026. The announcement was reported on October 20.
- Where
- Seattle, Washington.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Tasveer Film Festival ran in Seattle, showcasing films from 16 countries.
Deadline reported the festival’s award winners.
- Best Feature Narrative
- Mayilaa, directed by Semmalar Annam
- Best Feature Documentary
- The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony, directed by Habiba Nosheen
- Best Short
- The Last Glance, directed by Kamran Faiq
- Festival dates
- October 13–18, 2026
- Festival program
- 136 films from 16 countries
What people are saying
When we first learned about these young girls and their lives from director Habiba Nosheen, my producing partner, Trish Adlesic, and I knew we wanted to help ensure that their story would reach audiences around the world.
Each film in this year’s lineup came to us carrying someone’s whole world
The 2026 program included powerful storytelling by female directors, groundbreaking animation, an impressive slate of sports-centric cinema, and one of the festival’s strongest LGBTQ+ lineups to date.
Some stories move us through their intimacy; others through their reflection of the world around us