Opening Night 2019
Event Details
The Sikhlens: Sikh Arts & Film Festival in Orange, CA opens on Friday, November 22nd 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.
Doors open at 6:15 PM.
Location (Friday Night Only):
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts Folino Theater – Chapman University
283 N. Cypress St.
Orange, CA 92866
Website: Dodge College – Chapman University
Dress code:
- Indian formal Maharaja and Maharani Attire
- Western Formal
- Dress to impress
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Keynote Speakers: The Singh Twins (Amrit & Rabindra Kaur Singh)
Contemporary British artists, Amrit & Rabindra Kaur Singh will discuss their recent artwork “Jallianwala: Repression and Retribution” and the film that grew out of it. They narrate the film which will be screened later in the evening. They will provide details of their research into Jallianwala, and their efforts in the creation of this amazing piece of artwork.
Amy Singh: Spoken Word Poet
Amy is a Spoken word poet, an alternative educator and a TEDx Speaker. She uses poetry as her medium of storytelling, activism, and philanthropy to promote positive change and social justice. After an introduction to her work, she will perform a piece on Jallianwala.
All filmmakers of our featured films tonight will be in attendance. There will be a Q&A session after the screening of all the films.
World Premier films, or in the case of Peerless Soul—West Coast Premier
Plus the following films to be screened:
Peering Soul
Amardeep Singh embarked on two separate extensive journeys into cities and villages in Pakistan and subsequently authored two books on the Sikh Legacy in Pakistan.
During his second visit, Salman Alam took some candid video footage of Amardeep’s field explorations, focusing on architectural feats and landmarks and capturing a sense of place and time. The film Peering Soul creates a sense of nostalgia and also highlights the breath-taking beauty of landscape and architecture by exploring the abandoned spiritual sites in remote areas of Pakistan.
Shades of Indigo
Sam Dhaliwal is a Sikh farmer who migrated to America in 1976. Starting with just ten acres of land, and overcoming white supremacist attacks, Sam today owns over 400 acres of farmland in Bellingham, Washington. However, this isn’t just an immigration story. The passion that the entire Dhaliwal family has towards agriculture can be seen in every step of their journey. Sam’s son Rob Dhaliwal continues to be involved in the farm operation after receiving a degree in horticulture. With Sam’s experience and grit coupled with Rob’s academic approach and technological awareness, the Dhaliwal’s today have broadened into verticals of processing and packaging their harvest. They even hire documented migrant labor as a way of giving back.
Climate Change and local summers that have been punctuated by record-breaking heat waves have had deleterious effects on crops. Despite all they have to contend with, the Dhaliwal’s continue to strive to give back to their adopted homeland and its people.
Jallianwala: Repression and Retribution
“Jallianwala: Repression and Retribution”, is a film based on new artwork by contemporary British artists, The Singh Twins. The artwork itself is designed in three parts as a triptych. The center panel (shown above) largely focuses on the massacre – namely, the moment on 13th April, 1919, when a solider of the British Raj, Brigadier-General Dyer, ordered his troops to open fire, on a peaceful demonstration of un-armed Indian civilians in the city of Amritsar, Punjab in northern India.
The left panel focuses on the historical context of Jallianwala. In particular, it emphasizes how the motives, methods and unremorseful attitude of Dyer towards the massacre of innocent civilians whom he described as ‘mutineers’, reflected an established mindset of Imperial superiority.
The right panel explores the impact of Jallianwala in terms of how it acted as a catalyst for India’s freedom struggle and the story of Shaheed Udham Singh – the Punjabi Sikh who made it his life’s mission to avenge the atrocity committed against his countrymen.
The Singh Twins narrate the film and discuss their research into Jallianwala, and their efforts in the creation of this artwork.
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