Newsletter, March 9, 2007
Divided We Fall
ON THE BBC
Writer and Co-Producer Valarie Kaur can add yet another title to her name: International Radio Star. Okay, so that might be a bit of a stretch. But Valarie recently gave two interviews on BBC radio in England. To hear them, check out the links on the
DWF website: http://www.dwf-film.com/inthenews.html
OUR FAYERWEATHER FRIENDS – CAMBRIDGE, MA
Full story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2007/01/night-at-fayerweather-cambridge-ma.html
And: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2007/01/teacher-for-day-cambridge-ma.html
Everything was possible because of the school's dedicated diversity committee, especially Valerie Courville (yes, you read it right – we took it as a sign) and her wonderful son Dylan, a student at the progressive Fayerweather School. (Thanks also to Shil Sengupta for taking pictures and being our pal.)
MEANWHILE IN INDIA
While Valarie was having a blast at school in Cambridge, Director and Co-Producer Sharat Raju was having, uh… a less enjoyable time in Mumbai, India . Our first Indian screening of DWF was, unfortunately, not a memorable one. Sharat was present for the SMTV India Film Festival while visiting the Indian Subcontinent. And, although the festival was disappointing (fellow filmmakers on this list take note), Sharat was happy to have an audience. Even if it was only seven people. Thank you to Sharat's cousin Aaditya Udupa, longtime DWF friend and supporter Curran Singh, and Deepa Vaidyanathan – who, along with the director, made up more than half the audience!
STANFORD & BERKELEY HOMECOMING – SF BAY, CA
Full Story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2007/01/stanford-berkeley-homecoming-sf-bay-ca.html
Back in the States, our warm reception on the DWF tour continued, especially at Stanford University where it all began. As many of you know, Stanford was the launching point for Valarie's journey across the country in 2001. More than five years later, on January 28, we returned to show the finished film, thanks to our host Linda Hess – Valarie's professor and advisor who inspired her to "enter the whirlwind" of post 9/11 America. (Linda, who appears in the film, admitted that it's the dream of all professors to have a famous student who will put them in a movie…we're glad to have granted that wish…)
DWF was warmly received by an audience of nearly 200 students, locals, and people who were part of the making of the film both behind and in front of the camera: Joseph Brown, professor of sociology whose analysis is one of the highlights of the film; Carl Bielfeldt, chair of the Religious Studies Department when he supported Valarie's atypical projects including DWF; Rob Reich, an advisor to Valarie and close friend of the DWF production team; our friend Mandeep Dhillon, who appears in the film and has done incredible work as a Sikh community spokesperson; Valarie's Jagi Auntie and her daughter Neena Goswamy who provided an empty house (that's right: house) to the DWF production team in 2005 and have been a fixture in Valarie's life; also Sadaf Siddique , one of our research assistants spread across the country who pitched in during production.
And finally, Rachael Neumann. Rachael is one of the most memorable "stars" of DWF. On Sept. 12, 2001, she was on a train that was headed to New York from Boston . It stopped in Providence, Rhode Island when suddenly scores of SWAT officers and policemen forcibly removed Sher Singh from the train as a suspected terrorist – simply because of his appearance as a turbaned Sikh man. Rachael was sitting directly behind Sher, and the story is featured in our film. Her description of the scene is riveting, and her understanding of the event and how it changed her is one of the highlights of the film. We're honored that Rachael was able to join us in Palo Alto and see her story on the screen.
The tour continued across the Bay to Berkeley at the University of California's flagship campus. On January 31, more than 200 people packed the auditorium, taking up space in the aisles and every available corner, all thanks to Jaideep Singh, professor, Sikh community spokesperson, and long-time friend of the DWF team. The audience was incredible and the discussion afterwards was deeply moving.
Thanks also to Harpreet Sandhu, a community leader in the El Sobrante area during a spate of Sikh cab driver murders, we congratulate him on his recent election to the Richmond City Council. Also joining us was story consultant Sharon Gibson, friend and supporter Kulwinder Dol, as well as our beautiful friends Karuna Tanahashi and Sanjeev Brar (also Valarie's brother) who captured on camera essential scenes for DWF.
The evening was inspiring, and we wish it could've gone on and on. But the DWF train keeps moving…
COURAGEOUS DIALOGUE AT DELTA COLLEGE – STOCKTON, CA
Full Story: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com/2007/02/courageous-dialogue-at-delta-stockton.html
We headed east to Stockton, California. Stockton has a unique distinction in American history as the site of the first Sikh gurdwara (temple) in the United States built in 1912. One of the founders of the temple was Valarie's grandfather Kehar Singh whose story is featured in DWF.
But our Stockton premiere was not hosted by a Sikh or Indian group. In a true act of solidarity, students of the Gay-Straight Alliance at San Joaquin Delta College organized our most elegant screening yet. On February 1, the film played in an incredible auditorium complete with plush red seats and ushers with flashlights. Nearly 400 students and locals joined us for a rousing show. Thanks to the group's advisor Vicki Marie for hosting an unforgettable afternoon, including a reception with cookies and punch afterwards. Valarie had a chance to talk directly with many in the audience inspired to share their own deeply personal stories. Glimpse some of these stories on Valarie's blog (link at the top).
And while the audience was filled with people who had never seen the film before, there were two who are the current record-holders for the most viewings of DWF – Dolly and Judge Brar, Valarie's parents and Associate Producers of the film. They too felt the warmth at Delta College and were honored by the organizers for their unyielding support in the creation of DWF.
THE SLATE FOR 2007
Our calendar continues to fill up quickly. Keep checking our tour schedule online for the latest up-to-date information. Here are upcoming screenings in 2007!
Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Premiere!
Friday, March 9 at 6:30
p.m.
University of Michigan
Modern Languages Building (MLB) Auditorium 3.
812 East Washington
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Filmmakers present for Q&A
Open to the public
Admission: $2 students, $5 non-students
Urbana, IL
Sunday, March 11 at 2 p.m.
Midwest Asian Americans Students Union (MAASU) Spring Conference
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Greg Hall 112
810 S. Wright Street
Urbana, IL 61801
Filmmaker Valarie Kaur present for Q&A
Admission: Free for conference participants and UIUC students with an I-Card, $5 for the general public (non-UIUC students)
Cambridge, MA
Thursday, March 22 at 7 p.m.
Harvard Law School
1563 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
Filmmakers present for Q&A
Admission: TBA
St. Paul - Minnesota Premiere!
Tuesday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Macalester College
JBD Lecture Hall
1600 Grand Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
Filmmaker Valarie Kaur present for Q&A
Admission: TBA
Open to the public
Charlotte - North Carolina Premiere!
Monday, April 9 - TBA
University of North Carolina - Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
Filmmakers present for Q&A
Admission: TBA
Columbia - South Carolina Premiere!
Tuesday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Gambrell Hall Auditorium (Room 153)
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC
Filmmakers present for Q&A
Free admission and Open to the public
Auburn - Alabama Premiere!
Thursday, April 12 - TBA
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
Sponsored by the Auburn Asian Association
Filmmaker present for Q&A
Admission: TBA
Toronto - Canada Premiere!
Wednesday, April 11 - Sunday, April 15 - TBA
7th Annual ReelWorld Film Festival
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Site:
http://www.reelworld.ca
Filmmaker present for Q&A
Admission: TBA
Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, April 17 - Sunday, April 22 - TBA
5th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA)
ArcLight Cinemas (at Sunset and Vine in Hollywood)
Los Angeles, CA
Site:
http://www.indianfilmfestival.org/
Filmmaker present for Q&A
Admission: TBA
WELCOME TO THE TEAM
The DWF team continues to expand. With each screening, we welcome more people into our family, including three additions to our communications team. A warm welcome to communications assistants Carissa Sharp, Jessica Miller and Satvir Kaur. If you would like to join our team in any capacity, never hesitate to email us: in...@dwf-film.com.
DEEPER "INTO THE WHIRLWIND"
After Northern California, we thought it was time to head back across the country and show the film a few times on the east coast for good measure. DWF continued onto a four-stop tour in New England: Dartmouth College, University of Connecticut, Yale University and Wellesley College. Not enough? How about back to Seattle? Still not enough? Try a week-long tour through Nebraska. Yep, all that coming up in our next newsletter, including the unveiling of an exciting new dialogue program developed by mentor and friend Tommy Lee Woon and our new dialogue team. We'll tell you about it soon...
Thanks for being a part of our growing family!
Produced and Directed by Sharat Raju (sha...@dwf-film.com )
Produced, Written and Created by Valarie Kaur ( val...@dwf-film.com)
Place your vote on IMDb: http://imdb.com/title/tt0867599/
PS: Congrats to Valarie on finishing her Masters degree at Harvard Divinity School, all while she was making DWF!
(Had enough this year? Respond with REMOVE in the subject and we will.)