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Voting for the winners of the 2013 SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival is now OPEN. This year’s theme for the Festival, OnKAUR, resulted in a number of truly wonderful submissions.
Watch and vote on the finalists through these two Facebook Voting Pages: Cry, Think.
- You have to have a Facebook profile so you can vote
- You will also have to 'LIKE' the SikhNet facebook page
- You can vote fore each film once a day
- You have to hit the 'VOTE' button on the film, for your vote to be counted (Liking is NOT Voting)
You choose the winners. This is how:
- First, Watch all the films in one category
- Then, Vote on your favorites
- Watch all the films in the other category
- Vote on your favorites in that category
- Do this as many days as you can until Oct. 9
For comedies there was only 1 qualifying film so there will be no need to vote in that category.
The two categories you will vote on are: 'Think' (documentary) and 'Cry' (drama). Every day, for the next two weeks, you can vote on multiple films in both categories.
THAT'S A LOT OF VOTES!
That means you could vote for every single film one day, the next day you could vote for only 1 film. It's up to you. Please do pick only your favorites. If all of them are your favorite, please vote for the few that are the best. You may want to take notes as you watch the films so you can keep track of your favorites.
The Finalists
There are 8 finalists the the 'Documentary' category and 10 finalists in the 'Drama' category (read below for descriptions of each film). That's 18 films for you to watch; About 3.5 hours of video viewing.
Voting ends on October 9th
Winners announced on October 14th
Besides deciding who wins, you will also see lots of good films. In the end, this is really about encouraging talent in the community and raising awareness in the world. So really we all win. We encourage good will towards all, Sarbat Da Bhalla, so let us keep the spirit of wishing everyone the best. Feel free to send messages to the directors to tell them how you liked their film.
Spread the word! This is the first time the SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival is going to be decided by the Sangat. The more people watching and voting the better. Earlier is better than later because you can vote every day. So tell everyone you know to watch these films! You could also have a...
Movie party! We suggest you schedule a day (maybe even 2 days) or a few evenings, to watch these. What a good way to encourage young Sikh talent, have fun and be with the family! Call your friends and family so you can all enjoy together and discuss.
Watch All the Films - Not Just the Finalists! We encourage you to watch all the films. Though these will not be eligible for voting you may watch the Junior films, the Senior films and the films which did not make it into the finals. All of these are great, and just because they are not up for voting doesn’t mean they are not worth watching.
On a personal note:
We at SikhNet feel very humbled. We are humbled at how you took the idea of Kaurs, and how you used that idea. It is clear to us that many more directors have stepped up their game. A new standard is emerging and more people are introducing themselves to professional audio production, video production, interesting cuts and camera angles. In short, Sikh amateur films are becoming professional. Not only that but there is so much spirit in these films! The SikhNet team was excited to watch the submissions this year. They truly did make us laugh, cry and think.
There have been so many good films that it has been truly difficult to decide who to even put on finalist list for you to vote on. Nonetheless here are the finalists:
We have 8 finalists in this section. One of them will win $1,000. You decide who:
- “4 Vows” Directed by 21 year old Raj Angad Singh. This is an educational and inspiring film. It depicts the importance and meaning of the 4 rounds of 'Anand Karaj' done at Sikh weddings.
- “Am I Kaur?” Directed by 26 year old Gurwinder Singh. This is the story of one girl's struggle being a turbaned woman in the modern world. She gains inspiration and insight after events lead her to take a deeper look at herself.
- “Be Brave” Directed by 19 year old Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa. This short film gives a blast of inspiration by showing real Sikh women and how they overcame their challenges in life.
- “Kaur” Directed by 19 year old Rasna Kaur and Harnek Singh. Candid and unscripted interviews with several Sikh women give a real and inspirational message you will want to see.
- “Kaurcageous” Directed by 23 year old Narvir Singh. This film is a clever social commentary delivered in a very interesting way. Is the community over protecting women? What is the best way to keep your younger sister safe and give her love?
- “Kes” Directed by 23 year old Kiran Kaur. This film gives an up close, personal and very intimate message on hair. ‘Kes’ speaks directly to any woman with hair!
- “Rehnuma” Directed by 22 year old Japneet Kaur. Based on tragically true events, this film shows one woman's path to Sikhi and how her strength saves her own life and makes her a role model for others.
The other category is DRAMA (in alphabetical order). Get your tissues handy (if you haven't already!)
We have 10 finalists in this section. One of them will win $1,000. You decide who:
- “Bridge to the Soul” Directed by 25 year old Sharan Art. A new father is tested with a terrible choice: Whether or not to keep his unborn daughter! A visit from an old friend provides an unexpected twist and gives him a new perspective.
- “Chullah - Ik Boond Amrit Di” Directed by 26 year old Harjeet Singh. A young woman, Bisman, doesn’t listen to those who care for her. After she is alone and driven to the edge will her family’s faith save her?
- “Kaur - A True Identity" Directed by 24 year old Sarbjeet Singh. At first college girl, Deep, finds her new female turbaned friend to be too orthodox. Slowly she sees the value and benefit of the Sikh form and lifestyle and becomes a KAUR!
- “Kaur - The Attire of Soul” Directed by 23 year old Jot Singh Baaz. Simran Kaur shows how to live as a strong modern Sikh woman. In every field of life, career, family etc. she is an inspiring example.
- “Power of Kaur” Directed by 21 year old Jaswinder Singh. A touching drama about a strong Sikh family. The older brother starts to lose his way, at the same time his sister returns home from abroad. See how she, as a daughter of the Guru, saves her family.
- “Roar of the Kaur” Directed by 28 year old Gunveen Singh. Rabjeet Kaur has faith and strength in her bones. When faced by crude challenges like harassment, how will she and her friends create a victory against corruption? Watch and learn world!
- “Cancer Train” Directed by 23 year old Kiran Kaur. Performed by Rupi Kaur, this is a powerful, gritty and touching story of the love between a daughter and her father.
- “The Voice of a Silent Confessor” Directed by 20 year old Taranveer Singh. A mischievous youth is slowly taught to improve through the clever game of his older sister. This fun story turns very thoughtful and will make you look for simple ways you can be courageous.
- “The Warrior Empress” Directed by 23 year old Kiran Kaur who offers these words about her film: ‘In recent years, I have a new found love for gatka, especially when women perform it. There is nothing more powerful than watching a Sikh woman in her most natural attire. I want the women of the Khalsa panth to know how strong and resilient we are. I want to share the Sikh martial art with the world.’
- “Turban Girl” Directed by 21 year old Sukhmanjot Singh. This story is about a little girl who gets a glimpse of the beauty of Sikhism through the older girl in the Gurduara and her Grandmother. This dear film shows how an innocent inspiration can move hearts and change lives... Click here to vote for CRY (Drama) videos
Voting is now open!
2 weeks. 2 categories. $2,000. You decide. So go out and enjoy some films!
Remember: Voting ends on October 9th
Winners will be announced on the 14th
 Click here to see the other awesome films that were submitted, including Junior and Senior films
A hearty thanks to everyone who picked up the camera and put their thoughts and inspirations on to film. Thank you so much!
* These categorizations are flexible. We left the category of the film up to the directors for the most part. That means, if a director wanted her/his film to compete in the ‘Cry’ category we tried to honor that. Not all films in the ‘Cry’ category are dramas, and not all films in the ‘Think’ category are literal documentaries. | 
