Working in real estate for several years now, Mannu has also earned the reputation of an astute real estate agent who understands the needs of her clients; however , her love for South Asian Arts and Culture has kept her connected to VISAFF for the past eight years. The festival has grown under her leadership and been graced by several Bollywood A-listers like Gulshan Grover, Huma Qureshi, Anurag Kashyap, Iqbal Theba and Nandita Dass in this time.
Mannu has worked hard to curate a festival that has not only seen elevated interest by a growing audience, but also made it a reputed destination for South Asian filmmakers and stories. She has also built great relationships in the film industry through association with some of the top film festivals in the world like the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), and Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).
Mannu brings a fresh outlook to innovative marketing strategies paired with her excellent networking skills to increase traffic and accelerate sales. Having worked in various fields such as film production and arts, she brings with herself an array of experience to be able to deliver results in a short period of time. Her real estate career is a very personal experience for her as there is a lot at stake financially and personally for people and Mannu understands this very well having bought her very first home in Canada at the early age of 21.
Viewed as one of the Top South Asian Influential People in the community, Mannu ‘s strong voice in the community through her social media outreach has garnered much attention. But her goal is to provide a platform to diverse voices through VISAFF. This year, the festival theme is Unity in Diversity that aims to converge films with authentic and unique South Asian perspectives. San Francisco-based violinist Raaginder, who is known to blend sounds of Indian classical violin with hip-hop music, will headline the Red Carpet Gala that kicks off the festival on November 10.
Mannu’s work ethic and enthusiasm have led her to become the person that she is – one who is not only well-liked but also well respected within the community in Vancouver, BC. Since the festival is fast approaching, she says “I’m looking forward to meeting with all filmmakers, industry professionals, and key community members during this year’s festival. Our lineup of films gets larger and many more filmmakers, both known and new, want to always associate with us so this is definitely a positive sign for the future.”
“VISAFF hopes to showcase diverse communities through the festival and to continue doing good work and open up more avenues for many newcomers,” says Mannu.
