Will Jones
Internationally acclaimed cinematographer Simran Sawhney attended the world premiere of Behind the Mask at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival earlier this month, walking the red carpet as the film’s Director of Photography.
SBIFF is an Academy Awards and BAFTA qualifying festival and is widely regarded as one of the top independent film festivals in the United States, with programming that frequently features awards season contenders and internationally recognized filmmakers. The premiere underscored her standing within an internationally competitive festival environment, reflecting recognition at an institutional level.
Behind the Mask also screened at AFI Fest and is currently available as part of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Market catalog, positioning it within one of the largest short film industry marketplaces in Europe.
Earlier in her trajectory, Sawhney’s short film Knock established her presence on the international circuit. The film was a finalist at the Oscar qualifying Bengaluru International Short Film Festival and screened across multiple international platforms, marking an early entry into competitive festival programming. The project laid groundwork for a cinematography practice that would continue to move fluidly between U.S. festival ecosystems and other competitive showcases globally.
In the years since, her work has continued to circulate widely, including screenings at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival and other Academy qualifying festivals in the United States.
Among her recent projects, Tangled has continued this international momentum. Her cinematography on the film won Best Cinematography at the Delhi Shorts International Film Festival. The film is also a nominee at the Jaipur International Film Festival, placing it within a competitive national and international slate.
Tangled is further scheduled to screen at the upcoming Sound of Silent Film Festival in Chicago, which selects twelve projects globally for its program. In addition, the film has been officially selected at the Phoenix Film Festival in the United States, expanding its North American festival presence.
Beyond her own projects, Sawhney was recently invited to serve on the jury at WorldFest Houston International Film Festival, one of North America’s longest running independent festivals.
With multiple projects underway across Los Angeles and India, Sawhney operates within a cross market cinematography practice anchored in festival driven narrative work and long form storytelling. The Santa Barbara premiere reinforces her standing within the competitive film landscape, reflecting a body of work already circulating across major international platforms.