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Sikh Film Festival
takes off to showcase Heritage
WSN Bureau
 The Sikh Film Festival started as part of the Heritage week last
Saturday at the Asia Society on Park Avenue, taking off with a short
documentary, “Warrior Saints,” by Kevin Lee, that profiles the Sikh
community in New York City. It centers on Richmond Hill, Queens.
The 9/11 attack spurred the community to organize after an elderly
Sikh and two teenagers were violently attacked in Richmond Hill in
“reprisal” attacks by fellow Americans. The documentary interviews a
number of younger professional Sikh New Yorkers who formed the Sikh
Coalition from the volunteer group, who explain how they came to
realize the value of protest in drawing media and political
attention to their problems. Most recently, for example, they
organized protests around attacks on Sikh schoolchildren.
The efforts resulted in a bill that would get the city to form a
contingency plan to mitigate backlash violence against Sikhs, Arabs,
Muslims and South Asians in the aftermath of events and another bill
that would ban discrimination on the basis of religious garb in New
York City uniformed agencies. They also have made a push to educate
law enforcement about Sikhism. A 2005 episode saw the police
mistakenly handcuff a group of Sikh British tourists in Midtown.
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* "It was truly a remarkable event. In fact in my 17 years of
living here - I have never attended such a grand and well
organized event put up by any community. So heartiest
congratulations. You also have a powerful outreach - as I got
more calls from all over the world over this award than even the
National Award.”
--Shonali Bose (Amu), recipient of Sikh Art & Film
Foundation’s Courage Award 2007
* “As a non-Sikh, I offer a fresh perspective that does not take
their cultural uniqueness for granted. More importantly, upon
witnessing and reflecting on the beliefs and personal struggles
of Sikh Americans, I have grown immensely through my journey
with them, not just as a filmmaker but as a human being. ”
--Kevin Lee (Dastaar) |
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Among other movies at the festival is the feature film called “Ocean
of Pearls,” directed by Dr. Sarab Singh Neelam, about the story of a
young Sikh doctor struggling with the inequities of the American
health system and ultimately his own identity. There are four
documentaries: “A Dream in Doubt,” directed by Tami Yeager, which
profiles the violent aftermath of 9/11 in which Sikhs were singled
out because of their turbans and beards; “The Sky Below,” by Sarah
Singh, which takes a contemporary look at the 1947 partition of the
Indian Sub-Continent; “Sikhs in America,” which won an Emmy, shows
how Sikhs maintain their traditions while also participating in the
American dream; and “Pahelwani,” by Navdeep Singh Kandola, which
traces the history and traditions of the dying art of Punjabi
wrestling.
8 October 2008
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