December 5, 2013: The Sikh Arts & Film Festival 2013
Sikhlens’s mission to keep Sikhi, Sikh history and Sikh culture alive in the diaspora succeeded this year beyond everyone’s expectations.
“This weekend has been amazing, amazing! Every year I see this growing and the momentum it has gained, the recognition it has gained inside the community, outside the community, this event has become truly an institution in itself. And I’m so proud to be associated with it.” – Vimal Preet Singh Ghumman videotaped by our cameraman directly after the festival.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. The accolades showering down on SAFF 2013 have truly gratified all of the 100+ people doing their seva by putting together the festival.
A quick account of the four-day celebration begins at the prestigious Chapman University’s Leatherby Libraries where the Dean Charlene Baldwin and her colleagues hosted a unique exhibition honoring the valor of Sikhs during WWI and WWII. Precious photos, archival prints, and other artifacts hung on the walls, with war memorabilia displayed in glass cases for all to appreciate. This incredible evening included the unveiling of the Sikhs of the World Wars Commemorative Coin commissioned by world renowned Sikh artists, the Singh Twins, who also introduced the annual Sikhpoint.com calendar, also by the Singh Twins, titled Legacy of Valour: The Sikh Contribution to the World Wars. A six-minute excerpt from an award-winning film “Prisoner’s Song” – about a WWI Sikh soldier captured in Flanders, Belgium – piqued the audience’s curiosity enough that many said they would return for the exhibit’s grand finale in early February 2014, where the film will play in its entirety. This culminated in a Q&A session with the Singh Twins and movie producer Michael Singh, moderated by Dr. Jennifer D. Keene, Professor & Chair, Department of History, Chapman University. The wonderful evening of discovery and pleasure ended appropriately with a delicious Punjabi style feast.
On Friday at the invitation-only Patrons “6 pm sharp!” dinner, at Chapman University’s Dodge College Film and Media Arts, we were treated to an exquisite Indian cuisine created by the culinary genius, Chef Manohar from Delhi Palace. More than 200 guests, mostly sponsors, young filmmakers, and the festival organizers were served in Dodge’s huge sound stages converted into lovely dining areas with special lighting and beautifully decorated tables. Every year this exclusive event allows our generous sponsors and patrons to mingle with those directly involved in the festival, and the result is a wonderful mix of generations and personalities.
Always punctual, the Festival adjourned dinner in time to start the formal kick-off at 8 pm, with live Indian classical music by Bhai Mardana ushering people into Dodge’s magnificent Folino Theater. Under the expert guidance of MC’s Bobby Kohli and Sumita Batra, a kaleidoscope of film genres followed, including Sikh-centric narrative, documentary, and even experimental films. Hearty applause greeted every one of them, whether they were Sikh Scholarship films made by non-Sikh Chapman/Dodge students, or independent efforts by members of the Sikh community worldwide. Suddenly two hours had passed.
And the audience returned back to the sound stages, which now served as dance floors. Soon the bhangra beat by DJ Midnight brought the crowd swooping down for an all-out dance-a-thon, while more sedate guests enjoyed delicious Indian desserts. It was midnight before the happy crowds finally decided to call it a night. But the volunteers’ adrenaline kept flowing for the cleanup and post-game analyses, which stretched until 2 am.
Saturday morning opened with a most enjoyable and rare treat: Sikh-centric children’s films topped off with an enthralling reading of The Enchanted Garden of Talwandi that originates a modern spin on a janam saakhi.
On Saturday afternoon an inspiring array of male and female Sikh artists graced the stage, talking about their travails and triumphs while following their individual dreams. The evening ended with a full-length dramatic film which brought home the sobering tale of drug addiction in the Punjab; yet it was a story ending in hope.
Sunday morning started with short films recognizing Sikhs who have made significant contributions to our community, and to the world. So many of these eye-opening stories remain unknown until Sikhlens premiers them for our growing audience.
The afternoon screening showed Hollywood and other professional films done by or about people of Sikh heritage. A celebration of Sikhs who have succeeded in the mainstream, this set of films provided audiences with world-class entertainment.
The culmination of the four-day festival came Sunday night, with a riveting display of awesome Sikh musical talent ranging from classical Indian, to American folk, to hardcore rap. By the end of this concert, all the multi-genre artists gathered on stage for an unforgettable jam session together, leaving the audience exhausted from applauding, and elated at the grand finale ending on such a high note.
A regular festivalgoer Sumeeta Sethi said, “I’ve been coming to the festival for many, many years… it takes me through an emotional roller-coaster. There are some documentaries that just wrench your heart, some make you cry, some make you smile. I mean, when you see the kids, the young people, and like the concert now, the finale, that’s the culmination. We see our success as immigrants, the struggles that we did, and we see our success.”
It is a success made possible only with a unique combination that includes generous and visionary sponsors and patrons who year after year provide us with the means to make our plans a reality.
There are other factors in this success. Ours is the only organization in the world that is embedded into a film school. Non-Sikh film students, who are the Hollywood executives of tomorrow, learn about Sikhi and bring Sikh stories to the mainstream, and even to Sikhs themselves.
Also, through our program, we are also helping other organizations, like the SALDEF, Sikh Coalition, Kaur Foundation, Jakara, Ensaaf, thus creating a model of collaboration and helping them get their stories told, by being their digital voice to the world.
Last but not least, we had about 75 volunteers, stretching across three generations (yes!). Thank you to every last one of you, we could have never done it without your hard work and passion.
Next year’s dates are November 20-23, so please mark your calendar now. Every year, our films improve, praise for SAFF gets louder, and the crowds grow larger. So be prepared for another phenomenal groundbreaking event in 2014. We hope to see you there.
 About Michael Singh |