Opening Night
Friday, November 16, 2018
6:30 PM – 10:00 PM
The Sikhlens: Sikh Arts & Film Festival in Orange, CA opens on Friday, November 16th at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts’ Folino Theater. The red carpet event will screen several films and highlight their illustrious film makers.
Location (Friday Night Only):
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts – Chapman University
283 N. Cypress St.
Orange, CA 92866
Website: Dodge College – Chapman University
Some of the films to be screened on Friday include:
Benediction
Awakening of the soul
A senile non Sikh beggar comes to know the true meaning of God by the medium of Gurbani and embraces it on to his life to fulfill the true purpose of living.
Benediction is a story of how Gurbani changes the course of a senile non-Sikh beggar’s life from asking alms to earning a living. When he sinks to his knees in prayer and raises his hands in benediction, he invokes his blessings of prosperity.
Knitted Beliefs
Tapestry of Harmony
Experiencing the melting pot of diversity in Pakistan
Narayanpura is the largest minority neighborhood in Karachi where Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians live together.
Sikhlens, in collaboration with film-maker Salman Alam Khan, has produced ‘Knitted-Beliefs’. The film showcases harmony in diversity through the eyes of Deepak Singh, a Sikh resident of Narayanpura.
Jutti Kasoori
Walking into the Unknown: A History of Punjabi Women in California
The untold story of South Asian Punjabi women and their contributions to California over the last century.
California’s South Asian Punjabi women share their extraordinary life stories over the last century in dramatic eyewitness accounts and rare archival footage. Pioneer women describe their extensive contributions to peach farming, and to the revival of the religious and cultural life of the Punjabi community in the Central Valley. Younger women try to balance their professional ambitions with their family duties, culture and faith.
Ride with Pride
And without a helmet.
Fight for helmet exemptions for turbaned Sikhs.
Parampreet Singh, founder of the Sikh Motorcycle Club in Melbourne Australia, fights for helmet exemptions for turbaned Sikhs. Within the Sikh faith, the turban holds major religious significance and meaning to the wearer. Parampreet and his family struggle to find a balance between his faith, safety, and his passion.
Sardar Ji
The Coach Who Never Lost A Match
A story of a hockey legendary coach and how he made legends.
This short film explores India’s world domination of hockey from 1928 to 1960. It reveals the untold story of legend Sardar Harbail Singh who gave India its Golden Era of Hockey. He was the father of Indian Hockey who is credited for winning two Gold Medals at the Olympics in 1952 & 1956. To date this feat has never been repeated.
Shades of Green
“Letting Sikhs in the military was the most hot-button issue in the pentagon since ‘don’t ask – don’t tell ‘” – Former Secretary of the Army (Under President Obama) – Eric Fanning.
This documentary follows the issue of allowing Sikhs in the military to wear their turbans, which is against current dress code regulations in most of the military branches. It discusses when these regulations started, and their purpose. The past arguments against African-Americans and women in the military are now being used against religious minorities.
Style With Kaur
Fashion Designer and Blogger.
A young Sydney-based fashion designer and blogger fuses eastern and western cultures with her fashion.
Synopsis:Karan Kaur is the first ever turbaned Sikh fashion blogger. Despite her international following, and acclaim, she still struggles to balance eastern and western cultures. We follow Karan in her daily life and her pursuit of launching her first official fashion line for girls who value beauty and modesty.
Winner of Peace (Working Title)
A young Sikh poet must walk the line between her community and personal beliefs finding solace in spoken word.
Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa stepped into the public eye a few years ago after competing on Australia’s Got Talent with some original poems dealing with the racism she’s faced in Australia. This did not come without criticism, and not from the people she expected. Uncertainty of her place in her own community arose, but she is able to find a place of comfort on her own.
