Celebrating South Asian talent, a very exciting event on Friday, 20th February, took place in London. Society O and Product of Culture held a very special evening spotlighting the achievements of South Asians, which took place the weekend of the EE BAFTA Film Awards. The gathering of attendees, including nominees, filmmakers, executives, and industry leaders, showcased the expanding international presence of South Asian storytelling across this year’s nominations while fostering meaningful industry connections at the center of BAFTA weekend.
This first-of-its-kind event was spearheaded by Society O, a new British events platform dedicated to amplifying Asian voices, founded by filmmakers Sukki Menon (Netflix, I See Her) and Parvinder Shergill (Kaur, Touché), in partnership with Product of Culture, Archana Misra Jain, and Monika Sharma Abbas, the U.S.-based marketing-first strategy and distribution platform behind high-impact awards-season campaigns, industry convenings, and cultural initiatives that elevate South Asian entertainment on the global stage.
At the prestigious BAFTA awards, recognized titles this year included THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR nominated for Best Documentary (Academy Award®-nominated for Best Documentary Feature) by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir, MAGID/ZAFAR nominated for British Short Film directed by Luís Hindman, and BOONG nominated for Children’s & Family Film directed by Lakshmipriya Devi. In an exciting note, the film went on to take home the BAFTA on Sunday evening at the awards ceremony.
As well as the nominees, guests included: Aziz Ansari, Dame Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar OBE, Nina Wadia OBE, Kulvinder Ghir, Daniel Francis, Adeel Akhtar, Varada Sethu, and Gurinder Chadha OBE. This event also saw a reunion by the legendary cast of Goodness Gracious Me – Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Kulvinder Ghir, and Nina Wadia – together for the first time in a decade.
Sukki Menon and Parvinder Shergill from Society O and Archana Misra Jain and Monika Sharma Abbas from Product of Culture shared: “This awards BAFTA weekend represents a moment where global storytelling converges, and this year’s nominations highlight the breadth and impact of South Asian creatives across the industry, from internationally distributed documentaries and award-winning British shorts to groundbreaking regional cinema reaching new audiences worldwide. By bringing together nominees, collaborators, and industry leaders, we aim to create a meaningful space that celebrates artistic excellence while strengthening the connections shaping the future of the screen industries.”
