Film Festival Board Elects Sikh

Jay Singh-Sohal joins Insight Film Festival

Television journalist and filmmaker Jay Singh-Sohal is joining the executive board of the Insight Film Festival.

The move will see Jay working on engaging with BAME communities to bring films and conversations about faith into the mainstream.

The Insight Festival has been running since 2007, and works on encouraging filmmakers worldwide to explore ‘faith’ in their creative endeavours. The film festival seeks to challenge, explore, celebrate and question this vital area of contemporary life.

Speaking of his appointment, Festival Director John Forrest said: “We’re delighted that Jay is joining the board of Directors for the Insight Film Festival. He brings his wealth of successful film making and his journalistic experience to us. We are looking forward to including his enormous experience, understanding and respect for the Sikh community in our exciting and growing mix as we increasingly promote faith in film.”

Jay has worked in broadcast media for the past eight years, with ITV BBC and currently Sky News where he is an output producer who delivers live international news from the gallery. In his independent film work he has created and engaged audiences worldwide with productions about British-Sikh identity, including the Arts Council exhibition “Turbanology”, and written four books.

In taking his first step into the boardroom he hopes to inspire filmmakers and producers from all diverse walks of life. He says: “This is an exciting time to engage with stories about faith on film. Insight has a sterling reputation for creating conversations about the role religion and belief can play in people’s lives, and I’m looking forward to developing these themes with those who might not otherwise take to the camera to share their thoughts or feelings.”

In 2014, Jay will also continue with his film and speaker engagements exploring the role of Indians who fought for Great Britain during the Great War through the “Sikhs At War” project of which he is director.

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The Insight Film Festival exists to encourage filmmakers throughout the world to make films about ‘faith’. It creates events and spaces where such films can be displayed, discussed and celebrated. It welcomes participants from all faith backgrounds and none and focuses particularly on young filmmakers. In doing so it wants to make positive contributions to understanding, respect and community cohesion.

Many questions about the Insight Film Festival are answered on our FAQ page. You can also read about our most recent award winners for Insight’s 3rd edition and 4th edition. Keep reading the News and Blog pages to keep up to date with what is happening at Insight.

The story so far

Since 2007 the Festival has been inviting and encouraging filmmakers to consider the theme of ‘faith’ in their creative endeavours. From a small beginning the idea quickly began to make international impact.

As scientific and technological developments offer increasing challenges and opportunities to the creative processes and to how we think and communicate, there has never been a more important moment to explore the phenomenon of faith.