Surrey hosts 13th annual Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival

Local film lovers were treated to a fresh selection of South Asian films at the 13th annual Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival hosted at Surrey City Hall and the Civic Hotel, which ran from Nov. 11 to 14.

Many short and feature films were screened in segments, including Surrey-based film director Tarun Keram’s film Tadwim, which he also co-wrote, produced, and acted in. “Tadwim” translates to “whirl” in Arabic, which is featured as a visual art motif in the film. The film also includes beautiful shots from North Vancouver and Maple Ridge, and focuses on themes of spirituality and connection. 

Tadwim follows the story of Marina, a concept artist played by Allison Klause, who struggles with artist’s block while she deals with a divorce and worries about the custody of her daughter. Marina meets Tariuq, a refugee from Syria played by Shaun Omaid, who works as a custodian in her office, and he tells her about his struggles and how he lost his family while fleeing from the Syrian civil war. He also tells Marina about his passion for art and helps her to connect to her soul again. 

“The landscapes and night shots from the city were my favourite part of the film,” says Tarun Keram, director of Tadwim. 

“It’s a lot of work. You have to be the director, producer, and everything on the set…. Otherwise, it won’t get done.”

Keram says he appreciated being able to work as a co-writer with Shaun Omaid on Tadwim, and the experience helped him improve his written dialogue.

“I loved it. I think he is so good at writing dialogue especially, and that’s my weakness. So it was great that he came in and we just worked together,” Keram says. 

“My strength was seeing it as a director.”

For future projects, Keram says he wants to look into making coming-of-age stories with “hints of comedy.” He was able to chase his passion for filmmaking after his father supported his decision to switch his studies in school.

“I dropped out of sociology, and I just pursued it. My dad said, ‘If you want to do it, just do it.’ Then I just went straight to Vancouver Film School,” says Keram.

“I always see doctors and people who really want to be an artist not follow their passion, and I think they would be so much happier if they had a bit of artistry in their life — to come home from work and start painting and crafting and it would be more fulfilling in their life,” he adds.

“I think doing this, just acting, writing, poetry — all of it — it literally feeds my soul, and it makes me so happy.”