About Mehfil
A room for the films that shaped us.
Mehfil is a discovery platform for people of Middle Eastern and South Asian heritage — and anyone who wants to understand the cinema that shaped those worlds.
Our Mission
If you grew up in the West with roots in Lahore, Tehran, Kabul, Beirut, Mumbai, Dhaka, or anywhere across the vast stretch from the Mediterranean to the Bay of Bengal, you know the feeling: the films your parents talked about, the actors whose posters hung in your grandmother's house, the songs that played at weddings — and the strange absence of all of it from the cultural conversation around you.
Mehfil exists to fill that gap. We curate the iconic cinema of South Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Arab world — not as exotic “world cinema,” but as films that speak to the human condition with as much urgency, beauty, and complexity as anything in the Criterion Collection.
“Mehfil” means gathering — a room where poetry is recited, music is played, and stories are told. That's what we're building here. Not an algorithm. Not a feed. A room.
For the Diaspora
Mehfil is built first and foremost for the diaspora — people navigating multiple cultures, languages, and identities. We believe that cinema is one of the most powerful tools for understanding where you come from and who you are becoming.
Every film we feature is placed in its full context: the political moment that produced it, the social tensions it navigates, the spiritual questions it raises, and the economic conditions that made it possible or impossible. We don't just tell you a film is great — we show you why it matters.
And because finding these films is half the battle, we provide legal viewing guides — telling you exactly where each film is streaming, in which region, and whether it's free.
How Mehfil works
Discover
Browse by region, decade, language, or follow our themed collections. Each film comes with a long-form essay that places it in its cultural moment.
Understand
Our essays explore the regional, political, economic, spiritual, and social context of each film — not just star ratings.
Stream
We tell you exactly where to watch each film legally — Netflix, Amazon Prime, Criterion Channel, MUBI, YouTube — with region info.
Connect
Join the discussion with fellow members. This is a small, thoughtful gathering — not an algorithm-driven feed.
What's in the archive
Bollywood
Hindi cinema from the 1950s to today
Lollywood
Pakistani revival cinema and Punjabi classics
Iranian Cinema
The New Wave, Kiarostami, Farhadi & beyond
Afghan Cinema
Post-Taliban, diaspora, and resistance films
Arab Cinema
Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan & more
Dollywood
Bangladesh's Liberation War and beyond
Themed Collections
Curated essays connecting films across industries
Kollywood
Tamil & Malayalam New Wave essentials
Cross-Cultural
East-West connections and global influences
Worth $4.99 a month? We think so.
That's less than a single cinema ticket in most cities, for a month of curated essays, thoughtful discussion, and an ever-growing archive of heritage cinema from across South Asia and the Middle East.