For the first time in its 37-year history, the South by Southwest – SXSW – festival in Austin, Texas, will host South Asian House, an initiative to celebrate South Asians from India as well as six other countries of Asia.
The initiative, scheduled for March 11 and 12, 2023, will include panel discussions, live music performances and an awards ceremony on Oscar Sunday, recognizing South Asian Trailblazers in Cinema. Activities will be held at Fourth and Co. in the iconic Warehouse District of downtown Austin, six blocks from SXSW event headquarters, and near the Austin Convention Center.
Panel sessions will span topics on women in film, business technology and climate change. Mentors and panelists already confirmed include actor Pooja Kumar, Milan Chakraborty, head of film at Marginal Mediaworks, and Falguni Lakhani Adams, executive producer at Vice Media.
Other South Asian House components include a ‘Reel Deal’ session, a comedy hour, industry leadership sessions, a mental health corner, queer/Dalit visual art NFTs, and a Desi Drag brunch.
The Storylounge artistic collective will present “The Reel Deal,” hosted by Gotham Comedy Club’s Vick Krishna and actor Samrat Chakrabarti (“Mr. Robot,” “Midnight’s Children”), focused on how to make effective Instagram and TikTok reels.
The event has the backing of South Asian community leaders and organizers in the U.S. including The Cumin Club, Storylounge Studios, Shelly Kapoor Collins, founder of the Shatter Foundation, and The Partnership, Inc., a nationally-recognized organization supporting the development of professionals of color.
SXSW director of global sales, Neil Minocha, said, “South Asians are one of the most accomplished minority groups living and working in the U.S. I look forward to paying tribute to the vast contributions the diaspora has made in almost every major industry through the establishment of the South Asian House.”
In 2021, Variety, parent company P-MRC made a significant investment in South by Southwest, the parent company of the SXSW festival.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
