DWF Newsletter, July 9, 2005

[Divided We Fall The Film]

Greetings one and all! This is the first newsletter devoted to the film, Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath. We hope you enjoy reading about the progress of this true story, a project that has been four years in the making. This summer (this week, actually) we begin the final stages of production and will complete this feature documentary film by Fall 2005.

On the Road Again

If you're on this list, you probably know at least a little bit about Divided We Fall. But here's a brief retelling. On Sept. 15, 2001, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a turbaned Sikh man in Arizona, was killed in front of his gas station in retribution for the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, DC a few days earlier. Countless others, also innocent victims, were abused both verbally and physically in the aftermath of Sept. 11. But very little made its way onto the nightly news, which was flooded by hysteria, impending wars, anthrax scares and global unrest.

These voices would have gone unheard – if it wasn't for Valarie Kaur and her camera.

Valarie, instead of succumbing to the fear of the time, plunged into a chaotic America with only a camera, her eighteen-year-old turbaned cousin, and a relentless curiosity.

What did she find? Well… you'll just have to see the final film!

Without revealing too much, her findings and footage were powerful. Director Sharat Raju saw a rough cut from the 100 hours of interviews at a film festival in Toronto late 2003. Still on tour with his award-winning short film American Made, a fictional narrative about a Sikh American family stranded in the desert, Sharat knew he had to help make Valarie's project into something much larger. He envisioned a feature documentary featuring new footage on film to complement and enhance the original footage shot on video.

Fast forward to July 2005. And here we are. Sharat reunited the original American Made team – producer Marucs Cano, cinematographer Matthew Blute, editor Scott Rosenblatt and composer Sagar Jethani – and joined New Moon Productions to make Divided We Fall a one-of-a-kind film that will be unlike any other on the subject of hate crimes, prejudice and diversity in America.

And this week we begin production. The crew returns to the road and will follow Valarie as she retraces her journey, interviewing people four years later to see how their lives have changed or have been affected since Sept. 11. We will be in Los Angeles, San Diego, Fresno, San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, New York, and Washington, DC over the next six weeks. Keep your eye out for a black van with a single red stripe encircling it, fighting crime … (anyone catch that reference?)

We're not sure what we'll find. But we're excited to find out.

How in the World Are You Going to Make This Movie Happen?

Good question. Two big factors have helped us: Panavision and Eastman Kodak. Ric Halpern at Panavision generously donated the use of a movie camera and lenses for the duration of the production. (Thanks Ric!) This is an incredible honor, and without it we'd just be sitting around with a bunch of unused film and nothing to put it in.

Giving us that bunch of film is Eastman Kodak, the second big factor. Candace Chapman and Lorette Bayle have provided us with a sizable donation of motion picture film stock. Film (as opposed to video), for those of you who might not know, is an expensive medium. We're so very glad Kodak continues to contribute to low-budget independent filmmaking like ours. Their support is invaluable.

Oh, and there's a third big factor: Dr. Tonse Raju and Mrs. Vidya Raju. Both have been supporting the arts for years, including financial assistance to underemployed film school graduates. They Executive Produced American Made and they are now Associate Producers on Divided We Fall for their sizable investment into the film. Without their support (in many more ways than just financial), this documentary would never even have been a glimmer in the eyes of the crew. Thank you, and we will do our best.

Others who've helped contributors so far also include Rajinder S. Sungu and his family's business RSE Incorporated (http://www.royalsungu.com/). They've donated a van for our crew to use as the production vehicle. We're also using it to solve mysteries in our spare time. And we're still looking for a talking dog to help us, though. If you know any, give us a call.

And, of course, we have a staff that continues to grow despite working purely out of the goodness of their hearts. Tracy Wells is our Director of Communications and has been a blessing for the production team. Our production assistants are invaluable as well: Andrea Gill, Jodi Elliott, and Ayala Tamir. They are running the engines, keeping the machine movie. (Rekha Radhakrishnan has helped us out, too, with lots of research.) Thanks, everyone.

What We Still Need

Although we're beginning Production Reloaded this week, we still need many many things. First and foremost, we don't have enough money to totally complete the film yet. Enough to get started, but we need more. So we're still looking for investors. If you are interested, or if you know someone who is, please write us back or call Sharat at 310-562-8779 or Valarie at 650-269-2792. If you can't afford an investment, consider a contribution of $50 or more to help keep us going. Here's the link:

Second, we need stuff. "In-kind" donations are great and easier for many people – like the van donated to us by Rajinder. Here's a brief list:

TV footage donations (news outlets, newsreel contacts for use in the film)

Frequent flier mileage donations (to ease travel costs).

GPS Navigation system (so we don't get lost on the road).

Sikh images, either footage or still photography or graphics (for use in the film).

Catering/Craft services (turns out we have to feed our crew every day – who knew?).

Lodging (in Phoenix, in New York City).

Gasoline gift cards (for mystery van).

Any other goods or services that can be donated will be greatly appreciated (email us at dwf...@gmail.com). This is a real grassroots community effort – please join in if you can.

In that regard: We need more volunteers! If you can spare 5-10 hours per week, we could use you wherever you are. Much of our help can be done from home, so please let us know if you are able to contribute some time, especially if you're on summer vacation! (Email dwf...@gmail.com).

 

On the Horizon

After our first week of production, Valarie and Sharat will make a brief appearance in Livingston, Montana on July 22 and 23 where they will show American Made (shameless plug: DVD now available at www.AmericanMadeTheMovie.com !) and speak to the crowd about Divided We Fall. This is all being organized by our wonderful friend and guardian angel Penny Ronning, hosted at her art gallery (www.houseoffineart.com). Pass it along…

And, also very exciting is a new feature we're trying out: Valarie will keep a personal blog (that's "web log" to those of you not up on your Net terminology) throughout production as we travel around the country. You can, from the comfort of your own home, experience the production through a first-hand account from the person who started it all. And add in your two cents along the way. This should be a fun feature to keep up with, so we'll keep you posted on how to follow along with Valarie on the road.

To Our Friends Across the Pond

Just a days ago we all heard the sobering news from London about the apparent terrorist attack that killed at least thirty-eight, injured hundreds, and will doubtless affect millions. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and our friends in England. The cycle of violence and hatred continues to rise from the smoldering ruins of lives lost on that day in September 2001 here in America. Even though our distance from that date increases, the pain we felt fades yet can never be forgotten. Nor should it – but that pain can be eased through understanding and education. Divided We Fall strives to inject intelligent and astute discourse into the dialogue about what has continued in our country and abroad since then. The world is smaller than ever; international conflicts create a spike in prejudice at home. We must not allow ourselves to fall victim to the same hatred that causes terrorism and make sure our neighbors never act on the same impulse upon which Balbir Singh Sodhi's murderer acted. We must help to eradicate ignorance, intolerance, and injustice in any way we personally can, small or large.

We hope Divided We Fall can help, in a large way. Join us.

 

Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath

Produced and Directed by Sharat Raju (Sha...@SharatRaju.com)
Produced, Written and Created by Valarie Kaur (Val...@Stanfordalumni.org)

Visit www.dwf-film.com

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Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath
A Film by New Moon Productions
www.dwf-film.com