HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Chapman University president James Doti and Bob
Bassett, dean of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, received the
Partners in Progress award during the recent Sikh Art and Film Festival
held Nov. 13-15 at the Egyptian theater here.
In accepting the
award for the university’s support and commitment to the festival,
Bassett said that while Chapman has opened satellite campuses in
Singapore and other parts of the world, “India is certainly a place we
would love to open a university.” 
Festival co-chair (along with Tina Kaur Anand) Ravin Kaur Kohli, who
grew up in California, explained to the opening night audience Nov. 13
that the purpose of the “Inaugural Celebration of Sikh Art, Books &
Films” festival, presented by SikhLens, was to inspire youth with the
legacy of Sikh culture.
The opening evening’s highlights
included “Nineteen Eighty-Four and the Via Dolorosa Project,” a
semi-autobiographical documentary film by the Singh Twins that seeks to
parallel the atrocities of 1984 with the Christian tradition of the Via
Dolorosa, or “path of pain," during Jesus’ walk to crucifixion.
In
a filmed interview, Sikh literary scholar Patwant Singh noted that the
tragedy of 1984 “affects every community in India,” where communal
violence claims more victims, such as in Gujarat, for example.
Another film, “Location/Situatedness through Memory,” focused on the Sikh encounter with colonial power.
The
event combined over 20 musical, shorts and feature films to showcase
filmmakers ranging from the professional to the amateur and hailing
from four different continents who presented topics ranging from
history to hope. Catering was provided by Manohar’s Delhi Palace of La
Puente.
The festival’s awards ceremony honored filmmakers and
authors as well as heritage and creative media partners, among them
veteran Bollywood producer Puneet Sira and Gurmustak Singh Khalsa, one
of the visionaries behind the Sikhnet Online Youth Film Festival.
The
opening night gala included a Bhangra performance by the award-winning
National Bhangra Association team followed by an upbeat musical
performance by Meetu Chilana, presented by Rukus Avenue and the winner
of AVS's Voice of Choice Award 2009.
A
creative panel discussion showcasing Sikhs in the visual, audio,
fashion and entertainment industries included Navjot Kaur, Gurmustuk
Singh Khalsa, Harvin Sethi, Jagmeet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Tanmit
Singh, and Puneet Sira.
The program, with actor/comedian
Harvin Sethi as co-emcee, also focused on partnerships with Chapman
University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts as well as such
non-profits as Sikhpoint, ASHT, the Kaur Foundation and Jakara.
As
part of its on-going partnership with Sikhpoint, the festival hosted
the unveiling of the 2010 Sikhpoint Calendar, “Conserving Sikh
Heritage,” by Gurmeet Rai.
