Onir, known for making films my My Brother… Nikhil and I am, among others, is currently travelling through the festival circuit with his upcoming film We Are Faheem & Karun. At the recently held 27th edition of Reelout Queer Film Festival in Kingston, Ontario, the film won a major award for its actor Sava Javeid.
Sava, who was making her debut with the film, received the Kim Renders Memorial Award for Best Supporting Performance. We Are Faheem & Karun was in competition with 65 Narrative and Documentary feature-length and short films from Canada and 15 other countries. Talking about Sava Javeid’s win, Onir said, “I am so proud of Sana. While working with her in the first schedule, I realised how natural she was and I decided to increase her role in the film."
In the film, Sava Javeid plays the role of the mother of one of the two protagonists who silently accepts her son's sexuality and wants to protect him. Set in the Kashmir Valley, We are Faheem & Karun revolves around the love story between Karun, a young security guard from southern India posted to a remote village in Kashmir, and Faheem, a Kashmiri student. As an impossible love takes root, the two are caught between faith, borders and the suffocating masculinity of the institutions that surround them.
Earlier, the film won the Best Director award at the UK Asian Film Festival. So far, the film has been screened at more than 30 international film festivals.
Onir is reportedly planning to release his film in India in June 2026.