Newsletter, June 11, 2006

[Divided We Fall]

Hello! Here's an update on your favorite nearly-finished film, Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath.   You can catch all the delicious details on Valarie Kaur's production blog (http://valariekaur.blogspot.com), but read on for a speedy ride through all our news…!

 

BACK TO SCHOOL

Full story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2006/06/crossing-east-and-west.html

 

Before Divided We Fall officially premiers this fall, we decided to take the film back to school for a little learnin'. You know, old school. First, to the country's oldest school – Harvard University – for a screening hosted by the Harvard Film Archive and sponsored by Harvard's Pluralism Project. A packed house joined us as Professor Diana Eck, director of the Pluralism Project and long-time supporter, introduced the film and later led the Q&A with Writer-Producer Valarie Kaur and Producer-Director Sharat Raju. A very special thanks to the Pluralism Project's Kathyrn Lohre (who organized the screening) and also to Deonnie Moodie and Tracy Wells. (Deonnie and Tracy are also part of the DWF production team!)

 

And thanks to everyone who joined us for the lively discussion that followed. Your feedback has helped us shape the film for our next school screening… at Stanford University on the other side of the country. The first Bay Area Spinning Wheel Film Festival invited us to join them for a morning screening of the Director's Cut, and it was a wonderful experience.

 

But this trip to Palo Alto had additional significance. Nearly three years ago, almost to the date, Valarie presented her senior honors thesis to her Stanford professors and advisors – Linda Hess, Joseph Brown, and Rob Reich. That project evolved into Divided We Fall, and all three joined us in the audience (both Linda and Joseph appear in the film, too). Laura Selznick, who was responsible for the Stanford grant that set Valarie on the road in 2001, was also there, along with countless college friends, family and even Sean Fernandes, whose story is featured in DWF.

 

Thank you, Mandeep and Parveen Dhillon, and the Bay Area Spinning Wheel team, for pulling the event together, adding another spoke to the Spinning Wheel. Most of you on this email list know the story, but DWF wouldn't have been possible without the first Spinning Wheel Film Festival in Toronto 2003, where Sharat found Valarie's unfinished thesis project and decided to join her in making this documentary film.

 

So, this was a homecoming of sorts, a final stop before the movie graduates into the real world (to continue the metaphor)…

 

SUMMER JOB

No summer break for us – there's much to do before we premiere in the fall. DWF is in the very last stages of post-production; our editing is mostly complete, but that's only part of the job. We're now starting to edit our sound, clean up all the audio tracks, compose our music, and add special effects for the final car chase scene. Wait – no, sorry. The car chase has been cut from the picture (look for it in the "Deleted Scenes" on the DVD). Thanks to Marti Humphrey, Peter Cole, and Chris Jacobson who have joined us in becoming our post-production sound team (The Dubstage).

 

Also, go Eric! Eric Santiestevan has been slaving away creating a music score for DWF. We're very excited to unveil his music with the movie – it's an immensely important part of our film, and he has been doing an excellent job putting it together under a very tight deadline.

 

So our summer will be busy. But Valarie, who has managed to keep the project alive for nearly five years, will take her first real break from the film since setting out across America in 2001. Backpacking through India for two months, she holds her breath as she leaves the film in the hands of Sharat and the rest of the team. Sending her halfway around the world is the only way the production team could get her away from the project. (By the time she comes back, it will be a musical. A Bollywood musical.) Congrats to Valarie on a much-needed break.

 

IN THE MEANTIME

While we're busy preparing for our fall premiere, here are some exciting things to check out…

 

In May, National Public Radio began broadcasting "Crossing East," a documentary radio series on Asian American history and its impact on the making of America.  Part Four of the series (produced by Sara Kolbet ) tells the story of Valarie's grandfather Kehar Singh, who is also featured in DWF.  In 1913, Kehar Singh crossed the Pacific by steamship and arrived on the shores of California. He was one of the first South Asian immigrants to build a new life in the United States.  Nearly one hundred years later, the first public radio series on Asian American history remembers him as a Sikh American pioneer:

http://www.crossingeast.org/programfour.htm

 

In the program, Valarie and her father Judge Brar tell stories about Kehar Singh, while scholars Jaideep Singh and Bruce LaBrack (also friends!) explain the historical context of exclusion and resistance.   The segment even includes audio clips from the movie!  If that's not reason enough to check it out, the program is hosted by George Takai of "Star Trek" fame.   You can read the transcript (see Segment B) or listen to the program online:

http://www.prx.org/pieces/10271/stationinfo;jsessionid=CFCA1DF53EA09236C8342D42CEE20F3C.jvm1

 

You can also listen to the program live on your local NPR affiliate.  Find your local station to tune in:

http://www.crossingeast.org/stationslist.htm

 

And on television: Sharat's previous film American Made was seen by more than half a million people in the first week of its national broadcast on PBS's "Independent Lens" in May! Thank you to all who tuned in. PBS may re-broadcast the program within the next two years – so if you missed it, set your TiVo now: www.independentlens.org/americanmade

 

Thank you all for reading!  We will keep you updated this summer and soon announce our fall premieres. (And look out for a possible "guest blogger" on Valarie's blog while she's gone … we've been trying to hack the login code for months now and we've almost got it…)

 

Have a great summer!

 

BFF,

 

Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath

Produced and Directed by Sharat Raju (sha...@dwf-film.com)

Produced, Written and Created by Valarie Kaur (val...@dwf-film.com)

 

Visit www.dwf-film.com and valariekaur.blogspot.com .

 

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