Rita Meher is the Co-Founder & Executive Director of Tasveer, a nonprofit dedicated to sparking social change through films and storytelling, a pivotal figure in promoting South Asian narratives. Founded post-9/11, Tasveer emerged as a voice for underrepresented South Asians and. Under her leadership Tasveer achieved the distinction of becoming the world’s only Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival. Rita’s efforts also led to the creation of the first South Asian Film Fund, in partnership with Netflix, along with securing distribution for South Asian films on some major platforms. Tasveer Film Festival films are now distributed on Alaska Airlines. Rita’s journey in media and storytelling began after graduating from Jawaharlal Nehru University with a BA honors in Japanese, followed by a scholarship to Japan. Working as a Coordinator for International Relations, Rita ventured into TV producing, co-producing an English language teaching program. Relocating to Seattle, Rita continued this path at Komo TV, Puget Sound Access TV, and City of Seattle Community Access as a TV Producer. Recognition for these efforts includes being named one of the Rising Stars by Northwest Asian Weekly (2015), Seattle Globalist of the Year (2015), and receiving the Excellence in Arts award from International Examiner (2016), along with a nomination for the Seattle Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Arts (2017). Rita is also a Film Producer and a former editor. She has edited the award-winning Bangladeshi documentary “Threads,” and directed the short film “Citizenship101.” Her second produced film Zewel is getting ready for Festival rounds. Her commitment is to bringing South Asian Diaspora Stories to the forefront.
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