2012 Sikh International Film Festival
Celebrate the rich Heritage, Traditions & Culture of Sikhs and the immigrant experience through a diverse mix of Documentaries, Shorts & Feature Films.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3
ASIA SOCIETY & MUSEUM
(725 Park Avenue at 70th Street, NYC)
Event Schedule
Short Films (12-2pm)
moderated by Michael Singh- Five Folds
- Humble the Poet
- Injustice 1984
- Kartiviya
- #MyTurban
- Namrata
- Sikhs @ War
- The Volunteers
Short Documentaries Session (3-5pm)
moderated by Dr. Narinder Kapany- Beyond the Garden's Wall
- Green Granth
- Hola! The Mighty Colors
- The Visionary
Documentaries Session (6-8:30pm)
moderated by Safina Uberoi- Oak Creek: In Memoriam
- Revealed: The Golden Temple
- The Sikhs of Kabul - A Forgotten Community
Scheduled Films
Five Folds
Directed by: Satdeep Singh
Five Folds is the story of a father and son's relationship. It's about how a son values a precious gift from his father and lives up to his expectations.
Humble the Poet
Directed By Brendan Nahmias
With tattoos and a turban, "Humble the Poet" is a Sikh hip-hop artist based in Toronto Canada, whose message is expressed with a twist. He harnesses the power of combining the spoken word with music, re-defining the immigrant experience in a bold fashion.
Injustice 1984
Directed by Jarnail Singh
Injustice 1984 is an effort to uncover the ugly face of the Indian constitution. This film presents the truth of the 1984 massacre in light of one individual family. The story is based on true events in a village near Delhi.
Kartiviya
Directed by Harkirat Singh
On a night like any other, Roopinder Singh, a taxi driver in New York, encounters Bernard Green, who hooks Roop with dreams of grandeur. Bernard promises to give Roop's resume to his company, promising a high salary. At the end of his shift Roop is surprised to find his crumpled resume and wallet full of money belonging to Bernard in the back seat.
#MyTurban
Directed by Jay Singh Sohal
#MyTurban is a social network based initiative to share stories of Sikhs and their Turbans. This film is a compilation of interviews conducted with prominent Sikhs. It delves into the pride and identity of individuals in order to inspire young people. Sikhs have responded to the film with their own clips, and thus we share the story of Sikhs and their Turbans with the wider world.
Namrata
Directed by Shazia Javed
For the first time in seventeen years, Namrata Gill wraps herself in her wedding sari. It doesn't bring back happy memories…Namrata is an intensely personal short film directed by Shazia Javed and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. In this film, Namrata Gill describes her six years in an abusive relationship and how difficult leaving can be when you are a part of a close-knit immigrant community.
Sikhs @ War
Directed by Jay Singh Sohal
Follow Jaspal Singh, a teenager from Coventry, as he goes on a journey to discover and narrate the forgotten history of the 100,000 Sikhs who fought and died for Great Britain during the Great War. Seeing and learning about the battlefield is all the more personal for Jaspal, who has been bullied because he looks different to other young people his age.
The Volunteers
Directed by Mark Hammett
Peter volunteered to fight alongside the Gurkhas and Sikhs in Burma during World War II and can still remember the blood and guts it took to survive, although these days he finds it hard to stand up without help. When he's confronted with the ignorance of youth, he finds it hard not to show his resentful side, especially when the youth in question happens to be Raj, a British born Indian man who really should know better.
Beyond the Garden's Wall
Directed by David R. Gray
Beyond the Garden's Wall is a new high definition documentary film telling the compelling story of the Sikh and Chinese immigrants who arrived in Canada to work in a now-vanished community near Victoria, British Columbia, in the early 1900s. Th e film vividly demonstrates the harsh impact of Canada's restrictive "Head Tax" and "Continuous Journey" immigration regulations.
Hola! The Mighty Colors
Directed by Teenaa Kaur
"Hola Mohalla," or simply "Hola," is a Sikh martial art festival celebrated on the first lunar month of Chait, which usually falls in March. This is by a tradition established by Guru Gobind Singh, and follows the Holi by one day. Together the words "Hola Mohalla" stand for "mock fight."
The Visionary
Directed by Michael Singh
Follow the rags to riches story of a Sikh immigrant business man in the United States who uses his wealth by setting up clinics in his native village to prevent blindness in a country which has about half of all blind people in the world.
Oak Creek: In Memoriam
Directed by Valarie Kaur and Sharat Raju
On August 5, 2012, a gunman opened fire inside a Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six worshippers and severely wounding a police officer and two others. The tragedy sparked a national period of mourning and culminated in a historic hearing in Washington, D.C. on how to combat domestic terrorism and hate crimes in America.
Revealed: The Golden Temple
Directed by Rajendra Srivathsa Kondapalli
Since it was first built in the early 17th century, the Sri Harmandar Sahib in Amritsar, Punjab, has stood as an enduring locus for Sikh faithful around the globe. Countless visitors have stepped through its open doors, circumambulated its divine periphery and bowed in submission to the highest spiritual authority in the Sikh religion: Waheguru.
The Sikhs of Kabul - A Forgotten Community
Directed by Bobby Singh Bansal
Sikhs have been linked with Afghanistan ever since the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Devji, stopped here on his return from Baghdad and Mecca in the 16th century. In the 19th century, trade and commerce flourished in this region; a huge influx of Sikhs and Hindus settled in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Film list is subject to change without notice.