Short Films Session II

Short Films Session II 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

All films in this cluster are under 15 minutes.  Each one displays great discipline in creating entertaining stories with a minimal amount of screen time.  The result is some very startling and even stunning tales that, even though they’re over in a few minutes, continue to stay with you.  

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The Harvest

Gurwinder comes from Punjab, he’s been working for years as a farm hand in Agro Pontino, not far from Rome.  Since he first came in Italy, he’s been living with the rest of the Sikh community in Latina province.  Hardeep is also Indian, but her stress is Roman, and she works as a cultural mediator. She, born and raised in Italy, is trying to free herself from the memories of a family that emigrated in another age, while he is forced, against his faith, to take methamphetamine and doping to bear the heavy work pace, to be able to send money in India. Gurwinder’s story represents a vast universe of exploitation: a silent army of men bent over the fields working, with no breaks, all around Italy. Manually harvesting vegetables, sowing and planting 12 hours a day under the sun; they call their employer “Lord”, undergo oppression and any kind of violence.  4 euros per hour if they’re lucky, paid after months or sometimes never, violence and blows, work-related injuries which are never reported and easy “dismissals” for who tries to react. That’s what The Harvest tells: the life inside the Sikh communities living permanently in the Pontine and their relationship with labor market. A docu-musical that, for the first time, combines the documentary and the traditional Punjabi choreographies, to show the humiliation of the workers in the fields exploited by the gang-masters.  Two stories intertwining, during one day, from the work in the fields from the first hours of the morning to the evening prayer in the temple.  

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Amreeka

A comedic look at the cultural and generational gap between a young Punjabi boy and his father.  

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Pagg

In the aftermath of a hate crime, a Sikh American man grapples with his fears and anxieties as he attempts to celebrate the 4th of July with his wife and infant son. As tensions rise through various micro aggressions and racially charged encounters, he makes a tragic decision that drastically changes his identity.  

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Rooh

“Rooh” is a story about a young man and his religious conscience. It highlights the process of making difficult decisions in life that ultimately must consent with your soul. The film shows Karamjit, a single parent, who faces a moral dilemma he must combat in order to stay true to his conscience. It portrays his journey where he must make the right choice in order to settle the unrest in his mind. The film essentially underlines the importance of ‘Kesh’ in a Sikh’s life – which is an important component of the 5 Kakaars of Sikhism.