Exclusive | South Asian Creatives Gather in London for BAFTA Weekend Industry Event
Product of Culture and Society O hosted a first-of-its-kind convening spotlighting South Asian talent across film and television.
An industry gathering spotlighting the achievements of South Asian creatives took place in London on Friday evening, timed to coincide with the EE BAFTA Film Awards weekend. Hosted by Product of Culture in partnership with Society O, the event brought together filmmakers, executives, nominees and emerging voices from across the global screen industries.
Positioned as a dedicated meeting point within the awards-season calendar, the convening reflected the growing international presence of South Asian storytelling in this year’s nominations, while aiming to foster industry connections at the centre of BAFTA weekend.
Among the attendees were Aziz Ansari, Dame Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar OBE, Nina Wadia OBE, Kulvinder Ghir, Daniel Francis, Adeel Akhtar, Varada Sethu and Gurinder Chadha OBE. The evening also marked a reunion of the cast of Goodness Gracious Me — Bhaskar, Syal, Ghir and Wadia — who appeared together publicly for the first time in a decade.
The inaugural gathering was spearheaded by Product of Culture — led by Archana Misra Jain and Monika Sharma Abbas — the US-based marketing-first strategy and distribution platform known for awards-season campaigns and cultural initiatives supporting South Asian entertainment globally. It was staged in partnership with Society O, a British events platform founded by filmmakers Sukki Menon and Parvinder Shergill and dedicated to amplifying Asian voices.
In a joint statement, Jain, Abbas, Menon and Shergill said the BAFTA weekend represented “a moment where global storytelling converges”, adding that this year’s nominations demonstrated the range and impact of South Asian creatives — from internationally distributed documentaries and British shorts to regional cinema reaching wider audiences.
“By bringing together nominees, collaborators and industry leaders, we aimed to create a meaningful space that celebrates artistic excellence while strengthening the connections shaping the future of the screen industries,” they said.
Recognised titles this year included Boong, directed by Lakshmipriya Devi which won the Children’s & Family Film; The Perfect Neighbor, Geeta Gandbhir’s BAFTA-nominated documentary feature; and Magid/Zafar, the British short film directed by Luís Hindman.
The event also drew a wider mix of producers, directors, executives and rising talent from the UK and international film and television sectors.