Visions of Truth

LAUNCH OF SIKH FILM FESTIVAL DEVOTED TO 1984

The Jakara Movement is pleased to announce the launch of the Visions of Truth film festival.  Visions of Truth will be a traveling film festival taking place throughout the state of California from Yuba City to San Diego.  The goal of Visions of Truth is to spur dialogue between students and members of the community by showcasing film and music media related to the third ghallughara, or Sikh holocaust (1984).  By increasing awareness, this event will mobilize activism around these issues and move individuals and communities to be more involved in issues of injustice both locally and globally.

The third ghallughara remains to be one of the least recognized, yet most significant, events in the history of Sikhs.  In early June 1984 the Indian Army invaded one of the most historic of all Sikh Gurdwaras, the Darbar Sahib complex in Amritsar, Punjab.  The ensuing destruction and loss of life marked one of the darkest chapters of the later 20th century for Sikhs.The aim of the film festival is not only to remember the events of 1984 but also to raise awareness in the community and promote positive dialogue. Visions of Truth is open to the public and is free.

ABOUT THE FILMS

With a combination of documentaries, fiction, musical shorts and feature lengths each piece thoughtfully addresses the issue of 1984 – what it meant for individuals and what it meant for the Quam.  Storming the Temple provides a chronological look at the events leading up to 1984 and the conflict between the Indian Government and the Sikh Nation.  Reaching for Home provides a fictional account of the events through a character analysis.  The Widow Colony uses testimonies of widows who were directly impacted by the violence.  Included in this list is a last recorded speech of Sardar Jaswant Singh Khalra, a human rights activist.  The Sikh Genocide Project clips discuss the events through a lens of four different periods in history.  Amu, a critically acclaimed film by Shonali Bose, threads together 1984 by addressing issues related to identity, history, truth and justice.In addition, three musical shorts will be shown throughout the event providing a platform to promote Sikh musical artists including Humble the Poet, Sikh Knowledge, G.N.E., and Rubin Paul Singh.  Each piece addresses the impact 1984 has had on Sikhs and the artists use their role in the diaspora to promote creative dialogue in the community.

ABOUT JAKARA MOVEMENT

The Jakara Movement seeks to encourage engagement with Sikh culture through education, research, and community outreach initiatives.  Founded in 2000, the Jakara Movement began as a collegiate conference, but has evolved into an institution for the recruitment and training of volunteers and a hub for the Sikh Californian youth. With a focus on the interstices of education, health, gender, and social justice, the Jakara Movement inclusively engages large sections of the Sikh youth in various projects to strengthen their identity and consciousness as Sikhs, foster education through service-learning, and inspire activism and volunteerism within the greater Qaum.

The following are the cities and dates.

Yuba City: Sep 5th 2009 A Success!
Sacramento: TBD
Bay Area: Sep 19th, 2009
Fresno: Sep 19th, 2009
LA: October 2009
Irvine: October 2009
Riverside: October 2009
San Diego: October 10th, 2009

For more information – including venues and times – please contact the Jakara Movement through our contact page or by calling 559-677-SIKH or 1-888-JAKARA-1