Newsletter, October 14, 2006

[Divided We Fall]

Hello to all of you on the Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath newsletter list. And a special welcome to all of you new members! We hope to be a ray of sunshine in the dismal world of email that clouds your daily productivity. Enjoy!

 

THE END IS THE BEGINNING
Full story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2006/09/end-is-beginning-phoenix.html

 

Yes, it's true – Divided We Fall is actually out in the world. After five years, two stages of production, and nearly ten months of editing, DWF finally made its World Premiere in September, followed by premieres in New York and Boston! Here's the scoop:

 

First to Phoenix, Arizona. On September 14, the Phoenix Sikh community hosted the film's premiere as part of the five-year memorial for Balbir Singh Sodhi, the first person killed in hate violence after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Balbir Sodhi's story was the impetus for Valarie Kaur to begin the journey that would eventually become DWF. The premiere was a moving and memorable experience, both for our film team and the people who joined us – 450 people who came from as far as St. Louis just to be part of the World Premiere.

 

Complete with a red carpet lined by Sikhs greeting people, Indian food for all, and a carpenters' union hall donated by the Phoenix Police Department, it was a night filled with an uncommon energy. Law enforcement, city officials, news cameras, reporters, and other members of the greater Phoenix community joined us in an event wonderfully planned by our friend, advisor, and inspiration GuruRoop Kaur Khalsa (who also appears in DWF).

 

Most importantly, we were joined by the Sodhi Family – who have shared their lives, their grief, and their stories with us over the years – including Herjinder Kaur Sodhi, Balbir's widow, whom Valarie finally meets in India at the end of her journey and the end of our film. They sat in the audience alongside Gary Gietz, Director of the Arizona Interfaith Movement, and hundreds of others who were part of what happened in Phoenix and Mesa five years earlier, watching their stories unfold on the screen for the first time.

 

After the screening, Valarie and Director Sharat Raju – joined by crew members Editor Scott Rosenblatt , Composer Eric Santiestevan, and DWF Dialogue Project Co-Leader Irene Yeh – received a standing ovation. The Sodhi Family expressed their warm gratitude that the film kept alive the memory of Balbir Sodhi and what he stood for. There were tears, hugs, laughter, and hope.

 

The premiere was a singularly unique moment in the life of a film that has been lifted up and supported by so many people's voices, struggles, and hopes. We are more than honored to have shown the film in Phoenix first, before anywhere else. Thanks to Jaswant Singh Sachdev and family and all our friends in the Phoenix community for a humbling and inspiring evening and an auspicious sendoff for DWF into the world.

 

And, the next stop in the world… New York City!

 

I SEE NO STRANGER

Full story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2006/09/i-see-no-stranger-nyc.html

 

As part of the Spinning Wheel Film Festival 2006 – New York, DWF made its NYC premiere at the beautiful Rubin Museum of Art in the Chelsea part of town.   Alongside a new groundbreaking exhibit on early Sikh devotional art called "I See No Stranger" (read its glowing review in the New York Times in September), DWF screened before an audience of nearly 200 friends, family and others – including Manpreet Singh and Amardeep Singh Bhalla who appear in the film. Amardeep has been one of our heroes as he fights the good fight for civil rights everyday in his job as Legal Director of the Sikh Coalition.

 

Also joining us were Jas, Chitranjan, and Anika Brar, Valarie's family who opened their home to us during both stages of NYC production. Associate producers ( a.k.a. Sharat's family) Tonse, Vidya, and Manu Raju made the drive from Maryland with friends Rachana and Archana Mehta to check on their investment (read: supporting Sharat's independent film habit). We were treated to a surprise visit from our West Coast sound production man Tim Forrest as well as DWF Dialogue Project Co-Leaders Jessica Jenkins and Chris Byrnes who made the trip down from Boston. We were honored to have the support of fellow filmmakers Tami Yeager and Kevin Lee, who donated important footage to the film, and so many of our friends from college and even high school (that's you Brynn Saito and Wyeth Hansen !).

 

And what would a New York premiere be without a few celebrities? Namely Sakina Jaffrey and Kal Penn – both stars of Sharat's previous film American Made who went on to descend into obscurity or something… (Actually, catch Kal as star of the movie The Namesake this fall and Sakina on the new show "Heroes" on NBC!)

 

In a unique theater that could have come out of a Pottery Barn catalogue, our New York premiere was full of energy and liveliness. Once the lights came on after the screening, there was a rousing standing ovation once again as Sharat and Valarie came to the stage for a Q&A. Thanks to all who joined us in Manhattan, and a special thanks to the wonderful Rubin Museum staff and Harmeet Bharara, festival organizer, for an unforgettable New York premiere.

 

The DWF train kept a-rollin' up north for our third screening in less than two weeks. Onward to … Boston!

 

PERHAPS A MOSAIC

Full story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2006/10/perhaps-mosaic-boston.html

 

This documentary, as most of you know, captures the complex issues of a post-9/11 world and discrimination, religion, identity, pluralism, security, all wrapped up in the perennial questions: Who counts as American?   Are we a melting pot or perhaps a mosaic? And what better place to discuss these issues than in a college classroom?

 

To that end, DWF officially begins its college tour. What better place to start than in the biggest college town in America: Boston. Our first stop on the tour was Tufts University, hosted by Linell Yugawa, Director of the Asian American Center.

 

With more than 200 people, mostly students and professors, DWF screened in a lecture hall packed to the gills. We noticed many in rapt attention, taking notes in spiral bound ledgers. We didn't have the heart to tell them that there would be no test at the end.

 

Joining us was DWF story consultant and personal life consultant to Valarie (read: her roommate) Deonnie Moodie, as well as close advisors to the production, Michelle Goldhaber, M. Christian Green, and Kathyrn Lohre representing the Harvard Pluralism Project. And of course there was family too -  Cinematographer Matthew R. Blute's father John Blute surprised us!

 

Afterwards, Valarie and Sharat answered questions from the students, who were thoughtful and bright, eager to discuss issues beyond the scope of the film. At the end, the students rose and applauded the film.

 

A third screening, a third standing ovation. We're trying very hard not to let it get to our heads… oh, what the heck – let's enjoy it while it lasts…

 

After our premiere, the campus was buzzing with reactions to the film.  So, a few weeks later, we were invited back to Tufts for a follow-up discussion with the students – a moving night where students shared their own stories.   As always, you can read all the juicy details on Valarie's film blog "Into the Whirlwind": http://valariekaur.blogspot.com

 

Thanks again to Linell Yugawa for inviting us to be part of the conversation at Tufts and all the thoughtful students who opened a space for real dialogue.   And a special welcome to the scores of you at Tufts who have joined the newsletter list! You have set a high standard for our expectations for future college audiences.   Speaking of which – here is our upcoming schedule for October, complete with a college tour in Illinois, including our Chicago premiere!

 

UPCOMING SCREENINGS

For the complete film tour schedule: http://dwf-film.com/tour.html

 

New York City
Tuesday, October 17 at 8:30 p.m.

Women in Religion Conference
The Interchurch Center
475 Riverside Drive
New York, NY

Site: http://www.womeninreligion2006.org
Filmmakers present for Q&A
Admission: $10 at the door

Illinois –University Tour
October 27-31
 
Friday, October 27 at 7 p.m. - Illinois Premiere
Illinois Wesleyan University
1312 Park Street
Bloomington, Illinois 61701
 
Monday, October 30 at 7 p.m. (time tentative)
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois
 
Tuesday, October 31 at 5 p.m. - Chicago Premiere
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
 
Filmmakers present for Q&A after each screening
Free Admission
More details forthcoming. Keep checking in at http://dwf-film.com/tour.html

 

ONWARD

Please join us somewhere this year – New York, Illinois, Florida, Washington, DC, California or maybe across the ocean in the UK! We're excited to share this film with you, whether you've recently joined or have been with us since the beginning. If you would like to host the film in your home town or college, contact us directly and we can make it happen: in...@dwf-film.com

 

Thanks for being a part of the growing DWF family! More tales from the road to come…

 

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.

 

(End of the road for you? Respond with REMOVE in the subject and we will do so.)