Sundar Prize Film Festival Celebrates 2026 Winners at Third Annual Awards Ceremony in Surrey

USANewsOnline.Com Desk, April 26, 2026 — The third annual Sundar Prize Film Festival concluded with a powerful sold-out awards ceremony at Landmark Cinemas Guildford in Surrey, beginning at 7:30 p.m., celebrating bold, socially engaged films from British Columbia, Canada, and around the world.
The evening brought together filmmakers, performers, community leaders, industry guests, sponsors, partners, audiences, as well as media including CBC’s Dan Burritt, for a meaningful celebration of cinema that moves beyond entertainment and into the realm of empathy, awareness, and social change. As Surrey continues to emerge as a growing hub for diverse cultural expression, the Sundar Prize Film Festival highlighted the importance of creating space for underrepresented voices, including IBPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, immigrant, Indigenous, youth, student, and emerging filmmakers.
This year’s award recipients reflected the festival’s mission to recognize films that combine artistic excellence with human impact. The top honour, Best Feature Film — Narrative Live Action, was awarded to “Bayaan,” directed by Bikas Ranjan Mishra, which received a $2,000 cash prize. Best Short Film — Narrative Live Action went to “One Day This Kid,” directed by Alexander Farah, which received a $1,000 cash prize.
In the documentary categories, Best Feature Documentary was awarded to “Saints and Warriors,” directed by Patrick Shannon, which received $2,000, while Best Short Documentary went to “Light Through the Blindfold,” directed by Alireza Kazemipour, earning $1,000 and a TELUS Originals swag box.
The festival’s BC-focused awards recognized local excellence and industry support. Best BC Feature Film was awarded to “A Cree Approach,” directed by Tristin Greyeyes, which received a $2,000 cash prize and a $10,000 equipment-rental gift certificate from Keslow Camera. Best BC Short Film went to “Red Light Rebel,” directed by Hannah Yang, which received $1,000 and a $400 gear credit from Rainscope Filmworks.
Other major award winners included “The Fire in Our Hearts,” directed by Josias Tschanz, for Best Environmental Film; “Sing to the Wind,” directed by Yaffa Aboudib Husseini, for Best Short Animation; and “Et Maintenant? (What Now?),” directed by Jocelyn Forgues, for Best Spiritual, Health, and Wellness Film. Each received a $1,000 cash prize.
The Best 2SLGBTQ+ Film award was presented to “If,” directed by Tathagata Ghosh, which received a $2,000 cash prize. The emerging talent awards recognized “Praying for Love,” directed by Sofia Tonin, as Best Student Film, and “Fallen,” directed by Angela Ruohan Yan, as Best Youth Film — 19 and Under. Both films received $500 cash prizes.
The BC Student Film Showcase Award was presented to “Home Is a Feeling,” directed by Ryah SM King, which received $1,000 and a $3,000 equipment-rental gift certificate from Sparky’s Film Rentals. The KDocsFF Best Emerging Filmmaker Residency Award was awarded to Özgün Gündüz, who received $1,000 and a four-month filmmaker residency at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The Performer’s Mastery Award for Outstanding BC Performance went to Medha Gautham, who received a $500 cash prize, along with tuition to a three-day Performer’s Mastery Workshop from ACTg Vancouver, valued at $750.
Additional Prizes and Eco-Trophy
Each award winner also received a Vancouver Film School course, Museum of Vancouver tickets, eco-friendly Forest Bean Coffee, and the festival’s custom Sundar Prize trophy, created to reflect the festival’s commitment to sustainability, artistry, and meaningful recognition. This bamboo eco-trophy is designed by the festival co-founder Vinay Giridhar and is crafted by artisans in Squamish. https://sundarprize.com/trophy/
Quotes
“This awards ceremony is not only about honouring exceptional films. It is about honouring the courage it takes to tell the truth, to share lived experiences, and to create art that can open hearts and change minds,” said Amar Sangha, Co-Founder of the Sundar Prize Film Festival and Founder of Sher Pride, the registered charity behind the festival. “As a festival rooted in social justice, human rights, and community care, we are proud to celebrate filmmakers whose work makes people feel seen, heard, and less alone. Surrey and North Delta deserve access to powerful cinema like this, and our winners remind us why representation, empathy, and storytelling matter so deeply.”
“This year’s winners showcase the unique blend of emerging filmmakers and established ones, we are really proud to say that the winners not only showed exceptional cinematic value but also on a human level these films touched people’s hearts, I would like to also thank all the other filmmakers who got selected and nominated, your art is seen, appreciated and valued” said Sidartha Murjani, Executive Director and Senior Programmer of the Sundar Prize Film Festival.
Assets
Best Feature Film — Narrative Live Action, was awarded to Bayaan Assets, directed by Bikas Ranjan Mishra, which received a $2,000 cash prize.
Best Short Film — Narrative Live Action went to One Day This Kid, directed by Alexander Farah, Assets which received a $1,000 cash prize.
Best Feature Documentary was awarded to Saints and Warriors Assets, directed by Patrick Shannon, which received $2,000,
Best Short Documentary went to Light Through the Blindfold Assets , directed by Alireza Kazemipour, earning $1,000 and a TELUS originals swag box.
The Best BC Feature Film award went to A Cree Approach Assets, directed by Tristin Greyeyes, which received a $2,000 cash prize and a $10,000 equipment-rental gift certificate from Keslow Camera.
Best BC Short Film was awarded to Red Light Rebel Assets, directed by Hannah Yang, which received $1,000 and a $400 gear credit from Rainscope Filmworks.
The Fire in Our Hearts Assets, directed by Josias Tschanz, won Best Environmental Film an a $1,000 cash prize;
Sing to the Wind Assets, directed by Yaffa Aboudib Husseini, won Best Short Animation and a $1,000 cash prize;
Et Maintenant? (What Now?) Assets, directed by Jocelyn Forgues, received the award for Best Spiritual, Health, and Wellness Film. The film received a $1,000 cash prize.
The Best 2SLGBTQ+ Film award went to If, directed by Tathagata Ghosh, which received a $2,000 cash prize Assets
In the emerging talent categories, Best Student Film was awarded to Praying for Love Assets, directed by Sofia Tonin received a $500 cash prize;
Best Youth Film — 19 and Under went to Fallen Assets, directed by Angela Ruohan Yan received a $500 cash prize.
The BC Student Film Showcase Award was presented to Home Is a Feeling Assets, directed by Ryah SM King, which received $1,000 and a $3,000 equipment-rental gift certificate from Sparky’s Film Rentals.
The KDocsFF Best Emerging Filmmaker Residency Award was awarded to Özgün Gündüz, who received $1,000 and a four-month filmmaker residency at Kwantlen Polytechnic University .Assets
The Performer’s Mastery Award for Outstanding BC Performance went to Medha Gautham, who received a $500 cash prize. ACTg Vancouver also awarded Medha tuition to a three-day Performer’s Mastery Workshop, valued at $750.
About the Festival
The Sundar Prize Film Festival is an international film festival dedicated to socially conscious storytelling and diverse voices. The festival brings together filmmakers, audiences, and industry leaders for screenings, panels, and community engagement, positioning Surrey and the surrounding region as a growing hub for film and cultural dialogue. The festival is founded by local filmmakers Amar Sangha of North Delta and Vinay Giridhar of Surrey. Press Release
Photo credit : Sher Pride.