FINDING AFFECTION
DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT SNEH THEATRE
Awards and International Recognition
ACHRH’s documentary, Finding Affection, has received international recognition through film festivals in India, the United States and beyond.
The documentary has been recognised for its powerful storytelling and its innovative use of community-led narratives to explore issues of family violence, mental health, connection and respectful relationships.
🏆 Best Short Documentary — Indian Independent Film Festival, India
In February 2025, Finding Affection was selected as the Award Winner for Best Short Documentary at the Indian Independent Film Festival.
The documentary competed against films from around the world, including entries from the United States and Uzbekistan. This award marked an important milestone in the film’s international journey and recognition of ACHRH’s approach to using storytelling and the arts to address complex social issues.
🏆 Outstanding Excellence — WRPN Women’s International Film Festival, USA
Finding Affection was awarded Outstanding Excellence in Documentary at the WRPN Women’s International Film Festival in the United States in its Summer 2025 awards.
The festival’s official results list Finding Affection among the Outstanding Excellence award recipients in the Documentary category.
The film was also an official selection in the festival’s Documentary category, alongside documentary productions from Australia and around the world.
🏆 Best Documentary Film — Durgapur International Film Festival, India
Finding Affection subsequently won Best Documentary Film in the Foreign Film Category at the Durgapur International Film Festival in Kolkata, India.
The film competed internationally against entries from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, Iran, Greece, Turkey and Thailand.
A growing international audience
These awards reflect the growing international reach of Finding Affection and the capacity of ACHRH’s community-led creative work to engage audiences beyond Australia.
The documentary forms part of ACHRH’s broader commitment to using art, storytelling, research and community participation as tools for human rights, family violence prevention and social change.
To date, Finding Affection has had 25 national and international screenings, reaching audiences through film festivals and community engagement activities.
Through these screenings and awards, Finding Affection is helping bring the experiences and voices of South Asian communities into wider conversations about relationships, family violence, mental health, belonging and prevention.
Find out more about SNEH THEATRE here.
The Sneh Theatre project has been created by Professor Manjula Datta O’Connor, Directed by Namrata Sharma and Produced by AustralAsian Centre for Human Rights and Health with the kind support of the Victorian Government and with touring support from The University of New South Wales.
