When Rita Meher left her home town in India, she had no idea that she would one day be onstage at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival — a world-renowned, invitation-only event in France. But on May 19, 2026, she did just that, representing Tasveer, Seattle’s only South Asian film festival. As its co-founder and current Executive Director, Meher continues to shine a spotlight on the nonprofit organization that brings visibility to South Asian filmmakers.
Because her father worked for the Indian Air Force, Meher’s childhood was spent traveling and residing throughout India. Her family’s lifestyle gifted her with a diverse upbringing and exposed her to a wide range of experiences.
“I grew up surrounded by many cultures, languages, and stories,” she explained.
After graduating with a degree in Japanese language, Meher moved to Japan in 1994. There, she made her broadcast debut, co-producing and appearing in an educational television program.
Although being a foreigner in Japan would eventually instill her with confidence, initially she felt “othered” as she struggled to fit in.
“Living in Japan opened my eyes to what it means to be an outsider,” she said, “to navigate language and culture, and to find your voice in a new country.”
However, she added, “It became one of the most formative chapters of my life.”
Working as a coordinator for international relations, Meher felt that she “was a conduit between cultures.” That experience, she said, “shaped the way I later approached Tasveer — as a platform where underrepresented stories could be seen with dignity and complexity.”
Besides Japanese and English, Meher is also fluent in Hindi and Odia, and emphasized the significance of being multilingual.
“Speaking multiple languages has helped me understand that stories do not live in only one voice,” she explained. “Language carries emotion, memory, class, region, identity, and history.”
She added that, “with Tasveer, we work across many South Asian communities — Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali, Sri Lankan, Afghan, Bhutanese, and diasporic communities — and language helps me connect with people in a more human way.”
Meher also finds that being a polyglot is beneficial in multiple ways. “It has also helped me understand subtitles, translation, cultural nuance, and the importance of not flattening South Asia into one single identity,” she said, adding, “South Asia is not one story; it is many stories.”
Growing up, Meher was always attracted to the arts, but didn’t consider pursuing a career in it. Instead, she studied the Japanese language and allowed art to find her.
“I was always drawn to stories, performance, and the power of images, but I did not come from a traditional film school path,” she said. “I learned by doing it accidentally — through television, editing, producing, community media, and working directly with artists.”
Meher’s family wasn’t quite in sync with her artistic endeavors either. “Like many South Asian families, my family did not immediately understand that film could be a serious career path, especially for a woman.”
Eventually, Meher found herself living in the Northwest where she helped launch Tasveer as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
“Seattle gave me the space to build community,” she said, “and that eventually led to the co-founding of Tasveer in 2002 after 9/11, at a time when South Asian communities were being deeply misrepresented in the media.”
With the unwarranted onslaught on South Asians in retaliation for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Meher felt it was important to counter any misguided portrayals of the community. Thus, Tasveer (a word meaning “picture” in Hindi and Urdu) was born. Its purpose was to challenge stereotypes and inaccurate representations by providing a platform for filmmakers whose films displayed a converse narrative.
“Tasveer became our way of responding to hate and phobia through art, film, and storytelling,” she said.
Tasveer’s very first film screening was held at Elliott Bay Book Company during Pride Month in 2002. At that time, it was called the Independent South Asian Film Festival. However, in 2004, it officially became the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival and presented at the Broadway Performance Hall.
Today, Tasveer hosts the world’s only Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival at its venue in Columbia City as well as at other local theaters. Additionally, it provides a film market (the first outside of South Asia) which is an important aspect in connecting filmmakers with Hollywood executives, international film buyers and distributors.
While working at Tasveer, Meher also began juggling film production and producing her own films. Citizenship 101 is her first short film and autobiographically explores her own immigration experience. She’s also produced or edited dozens of other films.
Since its inception, Tasveer has received an abundance of quality film submissions and Meher admitted she has some favorites.
“There have been so many films that stayed with me deeply,” she confessed. “Some were technically brilliant, some were politically urgent, and some simply broke my heart open.”
“Films like Yellow, which went on to be shortlisted for the Oscars, remind me why platforms like Tasveer matter,” she added.
Moreover, Meher has found films with specific themes to be not just intriguing, but necessary.
“I have also loved films that center women, queer communities, caste-oppressed communities, working-class stories, and regional voices that rarely get space in mainstream cinema,” she said. “My favorite films are often the ones that make the audience sit in silence for a moment after the credits — because something has shifted inside them.”
On May 19, on the 2026 Marché du Film main stage at Cannes, Tasveer hosted “Reimagining Global Pathways and Financing for Stories That Travel.” It was the only official South Asian panel invited to present this year at the business hub of the Cannes Film Festival.
The discussion, Meher said, centered around “film, technology, AI, and global distribution, the future of culturally rooted storytelling and international co-production.”
Further, the panel’s presentation was so successful that Cannes officials have invited Tasveer back for next year’s event.
“I felt that our message around South Asian storytelling, AI, and global cinema truly landed,” said Meher. “We were not just asking for representation; we were claiming space.”
She added that reception of the panel “was affirming, resourceful, and great outreach for Tasveer.”
“To be there with Tasveer and represent the only official South Asian panel at the Marché du Film felt like a historic moment — not just for me personally, but for the larger movement we have been building for more than two decades,” Meher elaborated.
In addition to being honored at Cannes, Tasveer is also being recognized as an advocacy organization for changing stereotypes of South Asians.
“For years, South Asian cinema has been asked to fit into narrow categories, often reduced to Bollywood or diversity conversations,” said Meher. “At Cannes, we were able to speak about South Asian storytelling as global, innovative, commercially viable, and artistically essential.”
As for the aspect of Cannes which includes a glut of cameras and popping flash bulbs as celebrities pose on the red carpet, Meher said she had a taste of it.
“Yes, I did get to experience some of the Cannes glamour — the red carpets, receptions, and beautiful gatherings that people read about,” she said.
However, she stressed that her mission in highlighting South Asian films was a top priority.
“I was invited to the Opening Night of Cannes du Marche,” she said. “Cannes is definitely dazzling, and it is fun to be part of that world, but for me the most meaningful moments were the conversations behind the glamour: meeting filmmakers, producers, funders, and global industry leaders who are genuinely interested in South Asian stories.”
She added, “The parties are exciting, of course, but the real magic is in the relationships and possibilities that come out of them.”
