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The Spinning Wheel Film Festival, held annually in the US, has finally come of age. Reema Anand describes some of the films screened there The venue is Los Angeles, the dream venue for any important film festival. In the background are the fireworks of Disneyland, and in the foreground are prominent Sikhs from around the world, who have gathered to watch the Spinning Wheel L.A. chapter unfold. Sardar Dya Singh and his troupe have been flown from Melbourne, Australia, specially for a concert at the opening of the film festival. Bibi Inderjit Kaur Khalsa, wife of Harbhajan Singh Yogi and spiritual head of the Sikh community in the US is here to give a pat to the only Sikh film festival of the world. K.P. Singh the leading Sikh architect from Indianapolis is here with exceptional drawings of leading religious institutions of the world and all have put together under an Inter-Faith Calendar to be distributed to the guests on the launch. Hmm interesting concept! The originals are to be auctioned the same night. T Sher Singh, whose baby is the Spinning Wheel, and Dr. Birinder Aluwalia have flown in from Toronto. Pradeep Singh, from Chandigarh, whose animated movie Saka Sirhind is being showcased is also here. S. Harbinder Singh Rana, the founding director of Maharaja Duleep Singh Trust from UK is here too and is entrusted with the opening of the UK Chapter of Spinning Wheel in 2007. The evening is thrown open by the Sikh Heritage at Crowne Plaza, Anaheim Resort, with a bang. We have GNCA (Guru Nanak Children’s Academy ) provide us with non-stop entertainment doing bhangra and giddha. Hats off to the parents of these children, who try their best to keep the culture of Punjab and sikh traditions alive and kicking on foreign shores. Of course, the stars of the evening were Gurinder Chadha of Bend it Like Beckham, Safina Uberoi, the award-winning documentary maker from Australia, Kavi Raz the theatrist and director from London and Namrata Gujral, the only Indian actress in Hollywood. Like always, food was sumptuous at this Punjabi gathering. Bicky Singh and his team have painstakingly shortlisted documentaries and short films to be shown the day after the launch. It was marvellous to see an international community gathered to watch the documentary and feature films on Sikhs, by Sikhs and on issues concerning Punjabi Skhs. It is the only film festival of its kind in the world. A new wave of movies were made on the identity crisis which Sikhs went through after 9/11. Some of it was amateur stuff, while others were professional, but all these movies taught the Sikh community to stand up for themselves and assert their identity. Tiger, directed by Japan Prize nominee Lalita Krishna was indeed a hit with the audience. Tiger tells the story of a bad guy wrestler, and international icon, Tiger Jeet Singh. Blood thirsty maniac or benign grandfather? For Tiger is 60 today and still in the ring. The life of Tiger is traced through archival and contemporary footage. The movie celebrates ethnocultural diversity and has been recently accepted into this year’s Reel World Film Festival. Acting Our Age is a delightful movie by Gurinder Chadha, where with the filmmaker’s assistance the residents of a home for elderly Sikh Britons shoot their own video. This spirited video reveals generational attitudes, cross-cultural values and everyday problems faced by the older, often neglected, citizens.They prove with a great deal of passion that it is never too late to take matters into your own hands. Two movies were premiered at this festival, Punjab: The Enemy Within based on the drug menace in Punjab. It gave a deep insight into the consequences of the wide range of drugs being used in the state. It showed how the state was facing horrendous problems, being besieged by Rajasthan on one side, Haryana on the other and across-the-border trafficking from Afghanistan. It came up with a solution and that was to counter the drug trafficking by a grassroot movement involving counselled youth acting as volunteers. A compact and tightly knit movie with fast-moving bytes and graphics. Gold Bracelet, in which Kavi Raz and Archana Puran Singh acted was indeed the movie of the festival. Again based on 9/11 events, the drama unfolds to tell a well-emoted tale of a family, who though American citizens are left feeling that while they were neither Muslims nor from the Middle East, but still were targeted by the natural citizens of the US, thus destroying the cultural fabric which they were trying hard to keep intact. My Mother India by Safina was based on her own life after 1984. With an Indian father and Australian mother, the siblings migrated to Australia for security. It is a complex
narration on political and religious events in ’84 which tore the
family apart. It is a tale of exile and belonging, loss of identity
and return to faith.
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