SAFF 2022 Red Carpet Night

RED CARPET NIGHT HOST: AMAN BATRA

Aman K. Batra is a Punjabi-American poet from Artesia, CA. She is a TEDx speaker, a National Poetry Slam finalist, and has toured colleges, universities, and poetry venues across the country. She graduated from UCLA with a BA in Creative Writing, and is currently obtaining her MFA in poetry from Antioch University. Aman’s poetry is heavily tied to her commitment as an educator and an activist. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, All Def Poetry, Button Poetry, Vibe, Bustle, and Fight Evil With Poetry – Anthology. For more, follow her on socials @amankbatra and her website: amankbatra.com.

WELCOME MESSAGE BY DEAN STEPHEN GALLOWAY

Stephen Galloway joined Chapman University this year as the Twyla Reed Martin Dean of Film and Media Arts at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Dean Galloway is best known for his role as executive editor and producer at The Hollywood Reporter. He created and produced series such as “The Hollywood Masters “and the “Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter,” available on Sundance TV and Hulu. Galloway graduated from Cambridge University and came to America on a Harkness Fellowship (the British version of a Rhodes Scholarship). After studying at the American Film Institute’s Conservatory, he worked in film and television both in the U.S. and France before joining The Hollywood Reporter where he has served for almost 30 years.

Over the past decade, Dean Galloway worked to bring in and support diversity in the entertainment industry. Through a partnership between The Hollywood Reporter and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, he created the award-winning Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program, which pairs high school juniors from schools in South Central Los Angeles with top-level women in film and TV. More than 250 teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds have participated in this program and gone on to college, helped by more than $10 million that Stephen has raised in scholarship money.

KAREN DOSANJH

Karen Dosanjh is a Canadian-born historian and author of Untold Stories: The South Asian Pioneer Experience in BC which captures a pivotal time in our collective history. Through her extensive research on early Sikh settlers and their families, Karen documented and preserved the forgotten voices of the first wave of migrants from Punjab, India to Canada in the early 1900s. Her book chronicles the historic milestones for Sikhs in Canada and uncovers dark times such as the racial barriers they faced as they persevered to establish their families in their new homeland. Untold Stories leaves a legacy to educate and inspire future generations about the journey of the Indian diaspora and the significant contributions they made to chart a path to Canada and the US. Karen has worked tirelessly to bring Sikh-centric stories to students who greatly benefit from culturally significant content in their classrooms.

Preserving pioneer history is in her blood as Karen’s forefather Gian Singh Johal migrated to Canada in 1906 to establish her paternal family’s longstanding roots in Canada. Her husband’s paternal grandfather Narain Singh Dosanjh migrated in 1907 and grandmother, Maha Kaur Dosanjh in 1929, becoming one of the first five Sikh families to reside in New Westminster, BC.

Karen has built an esteemed reputation as a trusted professional and expert in marketing, communications & public relations throughout her 25-year career. As Vice-President, Marketing & Communications, Karen leads the global strategy for OSI Digital, a leading provider of business and technology solutions for Fortune 500 companies around the world.

Karen collaborated on producing a documentary with Sikhlens which was filmed in British Columbia, Canada. Hidden Histories: Pioneer Sikhs in Canada will be featured at this year’s Sikhlens Arts and Film Festival.