“Studio Azad exists to document, celebrate and co-create powerful visual stories that honor the lives, cultures, and voices of South Asian and BIPOC communities.”

Studio Azad is a documentary and creative solutions studio dedicated to celebrating the richness, diversity, and resilience of South Asian communities across the United States. Founded by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Asad Faruqi - Studio Azad brings powerful storytelling and visual artistry together to honor everyday lives and shared cultural histories.

Asad Faruqi, a Pakistani-born, Brooklyn-based filmmaker/photographer has nearly two decades telling stories from around the world. His work has been recognized with some of the highest honors in documentary film including an Emmy Award for Armed with Faith (2018) and Academy Awards for Saving Face (2012) and A Girl in the River (2016). His films have appeared on HBO, Netflix, PBS, The New York Times, and screened at renowned festivals including Tribeca, IDFA, and Sheffield.

Studio Azad is committed to uplifting the voices of South Asians and communities of color by collaborating with artists, creatives, and organizers to produce visually compelling and emotionally resonant experiences. Whether through portraiture, documentary, or multimedia installations, the studio seeks to foster belonging, spark dialogue and build bridges across cultures.

For Asad, this work is deeply personal. Studio Azad was born out of the contradictions and complexities they experienced growing up in South Asia - a place rich in culture, beauty, and resilience. A region also fractured by political, religious, and social tensions. In creating this studio, there is a vision to reclaim space for the stories that have been sidelined - to honor the joy, memory, struggle and vibrancy that shape our communities.

Studio Azad is not only a platform for documentation—it is a space for co-creation, rooted in care, collaboration, and the belief that our stories deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated.