Sikh News Spinning Wheel Film Festival - Canada

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WELCOME
http://www.spinningwheelfestival.com/

Stories build communities, and become part of their legacy through the ages. Stories come in different forms, and different are the ways we enjoy and share them.
The Spinning Wheel Film Festival celebrates the stories of Sikhs worldwide, and brings diverse interpretations of their traditions and their 500 year history to the screen.

The Spinning Wheel Film Festival will present films by, about, and for Sikhs and the wider public. Taking place at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, November 5th, 6th and 7th, the festival will bring together filmmakers from across the globe to discuss their work, and screen films; ranging from documentaries to major feature films; that touch on the Sikh experience.

In earlier times, as villagers gathered around a spinning wheel - the charkha - to spin and weave, it also became a focal point where they shared their joys, their sorrows and their stories. So too is the Spinning Wheel Film Festival a gathering place for filmmakers and their audience to explore the life experiences of Sikhs in the global village.

 

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FILMS

The 2nd Annual Spinning Wheel Film Festival is proud to be presenting the following films:

Note: All films are either in English or have English subtitles.

Continuous Journey - A beautiful essay by Candian filmmaker, Ali Kazimi, that unravels the complex and neglected story of the Komagata Maru and how a ship with 376 mostly Sikh immigrants from India was turned away by Canada in 1914. (FRIDAY NIGHT GALA FILM)

Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters) - Pakistani filmmaker, Sabiha Sumar, tells the tragic story of a Sikh women left behind in Pakistan after the partition of India in 1947. (SUNDAY NIGHT FEATURE FILM)

Kaya Taran (Chrysalis) - Journalist turned filmmaker, Shashi Kumar, uses the national ghosts of the 1984 massacre of Sikhs to reflect on the Gujarat riots of 2002. The film is an adaptation of a Malayalam short story by N S Madhavan 'When Big Trees Fall'. (SATURDAY NIGHT FEATURE FILM)

Bhang Goes Da Green Revolution - Navdeep Singh Kandola presents a novel solution to the social and agricultural woes afflicting modern-day Punjab.

Blade Battle - A stylistic rendition of the Sikh martial art, Gatka, in this short film by Canadian Pardeep Singh.

Divided We Fall (Work In Progress) - Valarie Kaur will present on her project to document the impact of 9/11 on the lives of ordinary Sikh-Americans.

Final Solution - This film by Rakesh Sharma is a study of the politics of hate. Set in Gujarat during 2002 and 2003, the film examines the phenomenon of organized violence against minorities in India.

India: Who Killed the Sikhs? - An Australian documentary investigating the extra-judicial killings of Sikhs in Punjab during the 1980's and early 1990's.

Legend of Malerkotla: A Tale from the Punjab - Filmmakers Iqbal and Anu Malhotra examine a small town in Punjab, Malerkotla, where Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs have lived in harmony for over five centuries.

Naam - Canadian filmmaker Pardeep Singh takes us on a spiritual journey to connect with the concept of Naam in this short film.

Punjabi Cab - Filmmaker Liam Dalzell looks at the harassment that Bay Area Sikh taxi drivers have endured since 9/11 and their resilience in overcoming these hardships.

Sewa: From Paris To Tapovan - Filmmaker Reema Anand tells the inspiring story of Sardar Bhagwant Singh Dalawari who has spent the last 25 years caring for leprosy patients in small village called Tapovan after a career as a Indian Foreign Diplomat serving across Europe and Africa.

Sikh, Rattle & Roll - For Jas a big day is approaching which marks his passage into adult life, but his friend's jibes and remarks have made him fearful and apprehensive about his new identity. How will Jas relate this new look to his friends and his love for Elvis? A short film by Ekta Walia.

Sikh Street - Documentary charting the cultural impact on a typical English street over time as more Sikh residents move in over a half-century.

Sikhs And The City - This BBC documentary offers a rare and entertaining portrait of one of Britain's biggest, but least understood, faith communities. It's actually a day-in-the-life snapshot of Britain's Sikhs, as they celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib.

Turning Points: Storming The Temple - This piece by Christine Nielsen is a poignant study of the events that led up to the infamous massacre of thousands of innocent Sikhs in 1984. The documentary examines the cultural tensions that existed in India in the early 1980s and it probes the concept of violence cycles.

Unheard Voices of Punjab - Filmmaker Harpreet Kaur presents a documentary about the victims of Punjab who share personal encounters that they faced during the years of turmoil in Punjab

Where NOT to do Bhangra - A hilarious short film by the founders of CurryComedy.com where the title says it all.

http://www.spinningwheelfestival.com/films.html