Newsletter, January 27, 2006

[Divided We Fall]

Happy New Year to you all, our friends on the Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath newsletter! We have some resolutions ourselves, here in 2006. First on our list: Lose weight. Second: Finish the documentary. (Maybe we should switch those around…)

 

But we do have some news to share with you. Producer-Writer Valarie Kaur continues to write about all things DWF related – and more – on her "Into the Whirlwind" blog: valariekaur.blogspot.com. We'll recap the previous months below. Enjoy!

 

Sneak Previews

 

Yes, we have been actually working on the film and not putting it off until the night before. We have proof! Ivy League proof! Valarie, who is currently a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, screened a rough cut of the film for some professors and classmates. Thanks to Diana Eck, Kathryn Lohre, and the Pluralism Project for hosting the screening, and to all who offered their comments on the cut. 

Full story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2006/12/first-draft-at-harvard.html

 

We also premiered a brand new shiny preview trailer in Southern California. And it caught the eye of Lieutenant Governor and former gubernatorial candidate Cruz Bustamante, who has come on board as a big vocal supporter for DWF. Check it out. 

Full story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2005/12/sneak-preview-california.html

 

Labor of Birth

 

In between screenings for Lieutenant Governors and Ivy League students, we've been working in a tiny, dimly lit room complete with a very nice editing system, courtesy of our esteemed cinematographer/post-production guru Matthew Blute. (Who, right now, is at the Winter Olympics in Torino going for gold in, oh, let say, biathlon.)

 

As we go along and the editing process continues, we find that the news from across the globe continues to reflect the themes and stories that will be explored in Divided We Fall. Questions of what it means to belong, where is home, and who counts as a fellow citizen in a multicultural society is not unique to the United States. Australians, recently, have had their own ugly, public display of intolerance and racism. In December, race riots erupted in Sydney between whites and brown-skinned people who were perceived to be outsiders and foreigners. The images of what happened are shocking and a reminder of the need to work toward understanding each other better. 

Full Story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2005/12/labor-of-birth.html

 

Back here in the States, more news related to the events in our film. On Christmas morning, a turbaned Sikh cab driver was killed in the California Bay Area, in Richmond. We filmed in Richmond back in August and talked to cab drivers and police officials responsible for maintaining safety in a city with the highest crime rate in the state. Gurpartap Singh was the fifth Sikh cab driver shot in the Bay Area since 2002. Valarie writes about it in her most recent blog entry. 

Full story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2006/01/murder-memory-and-mourning.html

 

Hyphen-American

 

We continue to edit the film, and although it isn't finished, we continue to somehow land interesting press. Hyphen Magazine (as in Asian-American – note the hyphen) just published a feature about the film in their latest edition. The magazine is available in print in some cities (you can find where on their website: www.hyphenmagazine.com) and we believe that eventually they'll publish the stories online as well. But for now – take a look at this photo:

http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archives/2006/01/a_peak_at_issue_1.html

 

On the left is Valarie. The right, seated, is producer-director Sharat Raju. (Feel free to make fun of both. But be careful – Valarie has a blog and may resort to libel.)

 

More Limited Screenings

 

There is a tentative screening of what will perhaps be our final cut of the film, March 11, 2006 at the newly created Bay Area Spinning Wheel Film Festival at Stanford University in Palo Alto. More details to follow.

 

And, Harvard has actually asked us back! Consider it a re-write. We are going back for a higher grade with our actual Harvard premiere screening on May 7, 2006 . Again, we'll share that info with you once we're closer to the date.

 

Shameless Promotion Department

 

There have been a number of filmmakers and community activists that have been responsible for helping us with DWF or who have supported our work. The least we can do is tell you all about their inspiring work.

 

Ben Rekhi wrote and directed the feature film Waterborne. It has made quite a splash for a number of reasons. First of all, it's a great story.   Hysteria grips Los Angeles after a purported terrorist contamination of the water supply, and we see its impact on different people, including a Sikh mother and son.   So it should be seen by all.   To make it more interesting, Ben's film is one of the first to be distributed on Google Video. For a small fee, you can watch the full film on your home computer, laptop, work, bathroom – wherever you have internet access. This is a groundbreaking deal and distribution model that may one day become the standard, especially for lower budget independent film productions. Congrats, Ben!

 

Please check it out: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1607114503824678810&q=waterborne

Or info about the film: http://imdb.com/title/tt0423514/

 

If you are in the California Bay Area, check out KCRT TV in February for "Sikhs in America." The program features two excellent short documentary films: Punjabi Cab and The Sikh Next Door. For listings: http://kcrt.com/series/sikh.html

 

Punjabi Cab, directed by Liam Dalzell, is an excellent short doc about the lives of turban-wearing Sikh taxicab drivers – the same ones we talked about earlier who operate near Richmond and in the Bay Area. Liam has also been gracious enough to donate footage from his production for DWF and we're extremely grateful. Site: http://asianamericanmedia.org/shopnaata/videos/title/P/punjabicab.html

 

The Sikh Next Door is a little film that is part of a larger, very noble mission. Narrated and told by young Sikh Americans, the story explains Sikhism to an audience that may not know anything about the religion practiced by nearly 500,000 Americans. And along with the film is an educational package designed for teachers and schools in California and nation-wide. Our friend Mandeep Dhillon is one of the creative forces behind this project.  For more information: http://sikhnextdoor.org/index.html.

 

And finally, Kevin Lee's Dastaar has captured a lot of buzz and is featured at the Wing Luke Asian American Museum in Seattle. The short documentary follows one hate crime beating and two cases of employment discrimination by New York City against Sikh Americans. It's an excellent film that serves as a primer about Sikhism and examines larger questions of tolerance, understanding, and what it means to be American. Thanks again to Kevin for contributing his footage to our film, as well. The site: www.alsolikelife.com.

 

When?

 

That's what we get asked a lot. "When can we see the movie, for crying out loud?!" Or some variation of that. Sometimes with more cursing. Sometimes none. But the intensity is usually the same. No seriously, we're hoping to be done very, very soon. It means a lot to us that so many of you are eagerly awaiting its release. That makes us both excited and nervous. We understand our obligation to create a film that is meaningful, interesting, and thought-provoking. We hope we can accomplish that with you behind us.

 

So the answer is: (shoulders shrugging) soon...

 

Be well.

 

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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