Our Bureau
Chicago, IL
The Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF) wrapped its 16th year on night of September 21 with a full house for the Closing Night film, Pinch, and the presentation of this year’s Jury Awards, Audience Choice Awards, including a Special Mention recognizing outstanding achievement across narrative and documentary work.
“From red-carpet premieres to intimate conversations with filmmakers, this year reaffirmed CSAFF’s mission to champion bold, independent storytelling from South Asia and the diaspora,” said the festival team. “We’re grateful to our filmmakers, audiences, partners, and volunteers for making the 16th edition such a vibrant celebration of cinema.”
2025 CSAFF AWARD WINNERS
Jury Awards
● Feature Film (Jury Award): Humans in the Loop — Director: Aranya Sahay
● Feature Documentary (Jury Award): Marching in the Dark — Director: Kinshuk Surjan
Audience Choice Awards
● Short Fiction (Audience Choice 2025): Out of the House — Director: Brittany Ward
● Short Documentary (Audience Choice 2025): Teaching America — Director: Anurima Bhargava
● Feature Documentary (Audience Choice 2025): Love Chaos Kin — Director: Chithra Jeyaram
● Feature Fiction (Audience Choice 2025): Pyre — Director: Vinod Kapri
Special Mention
● Feature Fiction (Special Mention): Courage — Director: Ankur Kakatkar
Closing Night
CSAFF closed with Pinch, with writer, director and lead actor, Uttera Singh, introducing the film and engaging with the audience during a riveting post-screening Q&A. This capped a week of screenings, Q&As, and industry engagements at AMC River East. The film’s reception underscored this year’s broader themes of “Beyond Borders, Across Generations”.
Gratitude
CSAFF extends heartfelt thanks to the filmmakers and jurors, our tireless volunteers, audience members, and community partners who helped bring this edition to life. Select programming was presented in association with Jio Studios.
About the Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF)
Founded in 2010, CSAFF is the Midwest’s leading platform for South Asian cinema, presenting narrative features, documentaries, shorts, and animated films while fostering cross-cultural dialogue. Now in its 16th year, the festival remains dedicated to inclusive representation and filmmaker-first programming.
