MISTAKE IDENTITY: DISCOVER SIKH AMERICAN NEIGHBORS

Seol Times, South Korea (Review)

Friday, January 15, 2010

Have you heard or seen the digital film: "MISTAKEN IDENTITY: Discovering Sikh Neighbors" - A 9/11 Story? Have you seen the DVD film — winner of three first prize awards for documentary, directing and acting?

It is the first film produced for mainstream North America, UK and EU and part of a series of "getting to know the cultural and religious backgrounds of multicultural ethnic minority neighbors" in today's pluralistic society worldwide.

Since its official distribution release, filmmaker Vinanti Sarkar has been organizing joint fundraising screenings of MISTAKEN IDENTITY across the USA, Canada, UK and EU and India as part of a global media event, inviting partners to promote cultural and religious diversity in America.

The demand has been incredible !!! regular demand from university libraries, college and school screenings. She is now working on JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT — A Way of Life" to introduce Ahimsa (Non-Violence), compassion, forgiveness and peace.

When PBS requested that we give the one hour TV program for "free," we moved across the USA and Canada successfully selling DVDs at the institutional Library Distribution rate of $250.00. for the classroom and auditorium teaching ethnic media, multicultural communications, divinity and comparative religions, modern and Asian anthropology, South Asian studies, human rights, tolerance, racial equality, etc., and strongly recommended for the attention of the Librarian. Most partners held fundraisers for their departments as a celebration of cultural diversity !

We have had great demand for screenings of MISTAKEN IDENTITY as "A Celebration of Cultural Diversity" from mainstream British viewers, across the UK and EU. Especially, in places where there are large communities of British Sikhs.

It is a documentary film anchored by 22-year old Amanda Gesine, from Greenwich, CT, who discovers her Sikh neighbors after 9/11 for the first time. She never had a Sikh friend in school or college and strongly felt that racial profiling starts with ignorance and fear.

The film has had a strong impact on informing and educating the non-Sikh population in North America (US and Canada) where screenings demanded Q & A, making the event into a social and cultural ethnic study on South Asia and Sikhs.

We won three first prize awards at American Film Festivals and had the honor of being screened at the National Arts Club, Harvard University's Centre for World Religions and Wharton School at PENN University, to mention a few. It was successfully screened at the House of Commons in Ottawa, Canada to commemorate the 5th anniversary of 9/11.

We received a request for its India premiere to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11 in New Delhi, India with a private screening in Parliament House and on the national TV DOORDARSHAN (estimated over 600 million daily viewers during prime time) on 11 September 2008.

Kathy Phillips, Student at California State University, Chico: "I was so glad to receive your film. I was preparing a presentation for one of my college courses for future school teachers entitled Equity in Education and my topic was on the Sikhs in Yuba City (I live nearby) and was surprised that there was very little video available regarding the Sikhs.

"I could only find two videos and they were lackluster and dated (1980s). Your film not only gave wonderful information regarding immigration and the Sikh religion, it also gave insight to the backlash of 9/11. My teacher was also impressed with the film and is ordering a copy for herself to use in future classes. This film is a valuable investment for me to use in the years to come as teacher for my Sikh and non-Sikh students"

Buy a copy of the DVD as your personal collection -- Visit our website:www.globalfilmlinks.com for more information where you can review 3 min of the film via streaming video. We are inviting organizations who believe in the celebration of cultural diversity to organize joint-fundraisers in their countries as part of our "global media event." We are available 24/7 at globalfilmlinks@earthlink.net or Phone : 212-759-4568 (New York, USA)

Filmmaker "Vinanti Sarkar" can be Google and Yahoo websites including MISTAKEN IDENTITY: Sikhs in America, but it does not emphasize her academic qualifications: two MA degrees in Communications and Instructional Technology from Columbia University in New York and an ABD (All But the Defense) for the doctoral thesis, having developed a unique film techniques in teaching large illiterate populations by adapting the scripts with their life-skills and producing dramatic TV programs.

Contact: Ms Vinanti Sarkar, Producer & Director MISTAKEN IDENTITY TV Series @ Global Cultural Diversity Films, (GCDF) Inc., 425 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 Tel: 212-759-4568 Email: vsarkar1@earthlink.net Visit our website: www.globalfilmlinks.com