Newsletter, July 29, 2005
Divided We Fall
Hello again! This is the second Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath newsletter. Much has happened since our first message, so read on!
Reloaded
When we last spoke, the DWF team was just on its way to beginning the final phase of production, the culmination of a project four years in the making. And we've emerged relatively unscathed. Relatively.
No seriously, we had an incredible first week, which happened to coincide with record-breaking heat here in California. Fortunately, none of the film, equipment, or crew members actually melted.
To prove it, we'd like to share with you the story of that first week. Writer, producer and creator of DWF Valarie Kaur has been chronicling the production through her own personal blog, www.valariekaur.blogspot.com, and has been doing a thorough job of it. So, we're going to briefly recap our trip, but you can link to her blog for a more detailed account. And for photos!
We started out where Director Sharat Raju and Cinematographer Matthew Blute left off from their previous film, American Made – in the Mojave desert . What better way to begin? After strapping the camera to the hood of Sharat's car (securely – with the right tools, of course…) for a few scenic driving shots, the crew continued on down to San Diego to an Indian video rental store for our first interview: valariekaur.blogspot.com/2005/07/swaran-bhullar-in-san-diego.html
But it was an old interview that inspired this trip. Valarie, four years earlier, sat in this same video store and spoke with the owner Swaran Bhullar , only weeks after Swaran was pulled out of her car on the way to the store and stabbed by two men on a motorbike in late Sept. 2001. "This is what you get for what you people have done to us, and now I'm going to slash your throat," is what they said. She barely escaped with her life, and fear gripped her for months afterwards.
Now, four years later, Swaran no longer lives in constant fear. But she told us the memories of that day repeat in her mind, especially when she passes through that same intersection. The memory is a part of her life, but she remains resilient and thankful that she lived to see her grandchildren.
It was very touching to hear her speak. And afterwards, she cajoled us into buying a couple of Bollywood DVD titles. We couldn't refuse.
We continued on up Interstate 5 to Clovis, just next to Fresno in California's Central Valley and very close to the actual center of the Sun, it seemed. One hundred eleven degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately, Matthew and our tireless camera crew (a.k.a. Don Presley) were not fazed in the slightest … okay maybe a little fazed. But determined.
But our stay was more than worth it. Thanks in part to Sharon Rye's location scouting, we filmed an incredible variety of footage from vast fields, gigantic churches, a star-spangled barn, before our interviews covering a wide breadth of topics. valariekaur.blogspot.com/2005/07/coming-home-to-clovis.html
We talked with Peg Bos at the Clovis Museum about the old farming communities and early pioneers, including Kehar Singh, Valarie's grandfather who settled there in 1913 on the land where Valarie's family still lives. And where the DWF crew stayed throughout the shoot.
But perhaps the most fascinating and moving interviews were with Aiko and Tom Uyeoka, Rev. Saburo and Marion Masada , and Toshi and Bob Sakai. All shared stories of their time spent in Japanese internment and relocation camps during World War II, taken away from their California homes and farms, and labeled as part of the enemy just by their appearance, just by their ancestry. And each echoed the sentiment, as said by Rev. Masada, "When this happened to us, nobody was there to stand up for us. But our Sikh, Muslim, and Arab brothers and sisters are experiencing the same hate and fear, so we must speak out for them." valariekaur.blogspot.com/2005/07/japanese-american-memories.html
So it was a very full trip to the Central Valley. And one we could not have completed without Valarie's parents, Judge and Dolly Brar and family confidant Kathy Jennings. Not only did they house us, feed us, and turn their garage into a makeshift studio, they let us turn the cameras on them, as well as on Valarie's maternal grandfather, Captian Gurdial Singh Gill . He shared stories of his combat duties in WWII, escaping rioting mobs in newly formed Pakistan in 1947 and evading murderous ones in Indian in 1984.
Back home in Los Angeles, our trip concluded with two interviews, first with Assemblymember Judy Chu. Assemblymember Chu has passed numerous measures in the state legislature to help identify, classify, and prevent hate crimes in California. She has been a true leader in this field. valariekaur.blogspot.com/2005/07/assemblymember-judy-chu.html
Our final interview of week one was with attorney Nitasha Sawhney who does a great deal of work in the Sikh community post Sept. 11. Her passion and enthusiasm for civil rights was an inspiring conclusion to what will be our longest week of production.
valariekaur.blogspot.com/2005/07/sikh-lawyer-nitasha-sawhney.html
Phew! It was a tough stretch, but we're on our way with more to come. This is a mere sampling of what's in store…
Relaunched
And while we were away making our little movie, a godsend not unlike the Tooth Fairy, left a gift for us. But instead, it was the Internet Fairy. (That's right…Internet Fairy…)
We have a brand new shiny wonderful website! Same name: www.dwf-film.com but much improved. Please, PLEASE click on the link and check it out. The video preview trailer actually works! The site was wonderfully redesigned (out of the goodness of his heart) by Ron Wells and managed by his NewQuest, Inc at www.newquest.net. We can't recommend Ron highly enough, or his NewQuestFaith division (newquestfaith.com) which offers largely free web services to faith communities and non-profits. And for grassroots efforts like ours. Send him a note of thanks (as we have, countless times already) at r...@newquest.net if you like what you see. Thanks, Ron!
Support from people like Ron and our friend Penny Ronning in Livingston, Montana who keep our production alive. Penny hosted Valarie and Sharat for a weekend showcase of Sharat's American Made and a preview of Divided We Fall. It was an inspiring weekend with lively discussions and pledges of support from the local active community, including legendary actress and activist, Margot Kidder (you might remember her as Lois Lane in 1978's Superman… no? What about 1987's Superman IV: Quest for Peace? Anybody?). Anyway, we have the photos to prove it: valariekaur.blogspot.com/2005/07/yellowstone-lois-lane-and-me.html. Along with Penny, whose friendship and help really started us on the road again, Margot is coming out to support our project, raising awareness and getting the word out.
And yes, we still need your help. Not only financially (which we still need, believe me!) but practically. Two things that are tangible in-kind donations: Plane tickets, and production van on the East Coast like we have here on the West for our first three weeks. Those are a couple pressing needs. But below are a few other things that would help:
TV footage donations (news media contacts, newsreel contacts for use in the film)
Frequent flier mileage donations (to ease travel costs).
Sikh images, either footage or still photography or graphics (for use in the film).
Catering/Food services.
Gasoline gift cards.
Production van for East Coast.
We've already had some generous offers to help, and we're always looking for more volunteers to assist with the production in anyway. If you're willing to give us some of your labor, please email us at dwf...@gmail.com. We promise, most of the degrading work has been doled out already…
London News
We sent out our first newsletter mere days after the first tragic bombings in London. Since then, more madness has transpired there. Another bombing plot that went awry. An innocent man, mistaken as a suspect, shot by London police at an Underground station. And now, reports of hate crimes against Asians and other minorities. The Harvard Discrimination & National Security Initiative reports on these incidents: www.dnsi.org/blog . And we here at DWF, trying to do our part in documenting what goes on, have sent a camera across the ocean to our friend on the streets there. Mandeep Singh Gill and his team in London have generously devoted their time to interviewing the Muslim, Sikh and Asian communities. Mandeep himself was subject to intense scrutiny, search, and interrogation by an alert police force wading through a climate of the very real fear that pervades in the city. We will let you know what we find, but we're thankful for the DNSI and Mandeep's help. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families of the victims of both the bombings and the aftermath. We deeply hope sense and security return to the streets of London.
On the Road Again
Only brief rest for the DWF team – we're back on the road to Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona this week and then onward to San Francisco and the conclusion of our West Coast production. In Mesa, we'll revisit the Sodhi family who lost Balbir Singh Sodhi four years ago in front of his gas station to the first hate-crime murder in the aftermath and backlash of Sept. 11. They have generously invited us into their homes for intimate conversations, once again.
The unique thing about a small independent feature film, documentary or otherwise, is the various roles each of us must undertake that we don't usually perform on a set. Our director drives the van. Our cinematographer moves all the equipment and lighting gear. Our camera assistant does the work of a gaffer, a grip, and a film loader. You would assume this all gets tiresome. But it hasn't. For us, the vision of this film and the value of it sustains us and makes it easy for us to continue.
It also helps to be friends, as we all are on the crew. Just as you all are our friends on this email newsletter list. Knowing you are following our progress and supporting us is invaluable. We hope our work makes you proud to have been a part of this. Of course, we have a lot more to do. Please continue along with us. We're glad you've chosen to so far.
Until next time,
Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath
Produced and Directed by Sharat Raju (Sha...@SharatRaju.com )
Produced, Written and Created by Valarie Kaur (vala...@gmail.com )
Visit www.dwf-film.com and valariekaur.blogspot.com.
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Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath
A Film by New Moon Productions
www.dwf-film.com