Newsletter, September 7, 2006
Divided We Fall
The two words you've all been waiting to hear since joining the Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath newsletter: World Premiere! Read on…
WORLD PREMIERE
After five years, hundreds of hours of footage, editing, rough-cut screenings, and incessant newsletters saying the dog ate our film,
Divided We Fall will finally make its debut as a full-length documentary motion picture!
The film will make its world premiere on September 14, 2006, the eve of the five-year memorial of the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi in Phoenix, Arizona. Hosted by the Phoenix Sikh community, the evening will honor the memory of Sodhi and all hate crimes victims. Five years ago, September 15, 2001, Mr. Sodhi's death at his Phoenix-area gas station was the first of an estimated nineteen "retribution" murders in the aftermath of 9/11. When news of his death reached Valarie Kaur, she began the long journey that would eventually become the story of Divided We Fall.
The Sodhi family's story is tragic and heartbreaking – Balbir's brother Sukhpal was also killed less than a year later – but their story is an also an inspiring tale of resilience and strength. In the days after Balbir Sodhi's murder, the Phoenix community came together in the thousands to mourn a man most of them never met.
It is an honor to return to Phoenix and present a film that begins and ends with Balbir Sodhi's story. We hope his memory and legacy can live on through Divided We Fall and the audiences who see it. Check out Valarie's return to blogdom, and her thoughts on our soon-to-premiere film: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2006/09/world-premiere.html
If you are in the area, please join us for the film premiere, discussion, and dinner reception hosted by the Sodhi family. Here's the information:
World Premiere
Thursday September 14, 2006 at 6pm
Carpenter's Hall
4547 W. McDowell Road
Phoenix, AR 85035
Contact: Ms. GuruRoop Kaur Khalsa, Sikh Community Spokesperson: 602-257-0077
Dinner reception hosted by the Sodhi Family to follow.
In Honor of Balbir Singh Sodhi and All Hate Crime Victims
MORE SCREENINGS! MORE PREMIERES!
Oh, we're not finished with just one screening – we're booked through the end of the year on a whirlwind film tour! In fact, there are two more opportunities to see DWF this September on the East Coast. First in Manhattan, then Boston:
New York Premiere
Sunday September 24, 2006 at 3pm
Spinning Wheel New York Film Festival
Rubin Museum of Art
150 W. 17th Street
New York, NY 10011
Site: http://www.sikharts.com/films_ssf2006_schedule.htm#24
Admission: $12
Boston Premiere
Sunday September 24, 2006 at 7pm
Monday September 25, 2006 at 6pm
Tufts University
Barnum Hall 008 (off of Packard Ave)
Medford, MA
Free Admission
We'll soon have the complete film tour up on the website ( www.dwf-film.com)! Here's a sneak peak for now…. In October, the film returns to New York and Boston and premieres in Chicago. In November, the film premieres in Miami and makes its California debut in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. There are also rumors of a UK premiere in London at the end of November! Let us know if you want to bring DWF to your city, and we can work our magic. (Clowns and parade extra.)
THE NEW BEGINNING
After many advanced screenings, test audiences, friends and family home showcases, the film is finally ready to take on a larger world. You all know the story – from the start as a student project into the evolution as a professional independent film, the journey just to make Divided We Fall is epic in and of itself.
Now, we finally have a chance to actually show people the fruits of that long journey, to share the stories so many people have entrusted to us, and hopefully, to make you who have supported us proud for being part of bringing this story to the big screen. We will need your help to spread the word. Come see the film when we're in town.
This is still just the beginning of the journey...
Onward,
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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