Organized by non- profit Define 1497, the first ever South Asian Lodge was hosted to support and uplift talent of South Asian descent in American Films.

The two-day programming lineup, which ran on Jan. 21-22 at The Shop, featured a 20th anniversary celebration of ‘Bend It Like Beckham,’ which premiered at Sundance in 2003.

The group collaborated with filmmakers Shruti Ganguly and Tanya Selvaratnam to develop the lodge, which was housed at Park City yoga studio The Shop on Jan. 21 and 22. The two days of programming included a 20th anniversary celebration of Bend It Like Beckham, as the movie’s 2003 premiere at Sundance marked a watershed event for South Asian representation in film. The lodge also presented a panel called Black and Brown Unity and Division, On and Off Screen featuring producer Lisa Cortes, director Geeta Gandhbir, Oscar-winning producer Joseph Patel (Summer of Soul) and Hillman Grad CEO Rishi Rajani, with more events — all by invitation only.

1497 was founded two years ago by producer Adeel Ahmed, actor Lipica Shah and filmmaker and attorney Kamran Khan to support South Asian representation in the entertainment industry (the name comes from the final year before colonizers invaded the nations that comprise South Asia). “As our organization grows, we are thrilled to partner with Sundance to continue to support our South Asian filmmaker community, and elevate their perspectives and stories,” the co-founders said in a joint statement. “The South Asian population in America has increased nearly 40% over the last ten years, resulting in a hunger for authentic representation and visibility on and behind the screen. It is wonderful to work with allies like Sundance to recognize the growing footprint of South Asian talent and celebrate them at the forefront of the industry.”