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

WHY PRODUCE MISTAKEN IDENTITY: SIKHS IN AMERICA ?

WHO WAS AMANDA GESINE, ACHORWOMAN & PRODUCER ?

"MISTAKEN IDENTITY ... Discovering SIKH AMERICANS" (Color made-for-TV 56 min) opens with full portait faced 21-year old Amanda Gesine WINKLEVOSS saying: "I knew nothing about ... about Sikhs ..." and represents mainstream America living behind the white picket fence ... apart from the influx of recent ethnic immigrant majority.of the 60s She represented America that stood stunned after 9/11, wondering ... questioning ... demanding to know - how anyone in the world could hate their country so much !

She was from Greenwich, CT, and had stood stunned on New York's Park Avenue watching the smokey, horrific terrorist attack in a distance on that day. What had America done that was so terrible, that strangers attacked her country so mercilessly ... leaving so many innocent people to die. On TV networks people were filmed jumping out from the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center.

National and international TV networks and media filled the screens and front pages with highlights of the attacks in New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

From Day 1, there were attacks on Sikhs began, mistaken for terrorists, simply because they wore turbans and beards for religious reasons . Scenes of young American men throwing beer bottles at turbaned taxi drivers (estimated 32% of South Asians who drive NY cabs), including beating up old men in turbans with baseball bats.

On Day 3, the film crew attended the candle light vigilance at Union Square where Amanda met and discussed what was happening with three to four Sikh men and women. The young girl, born in America, shared her story. She learned how Sikhs of different ages were being singled out because Americans blamed them for their resemblance to the suspected Arab perpetrators.

Hate crimes were being committed daily, as Amanda read of how turbaned Swaran Kaur Bhullar, 51-year-old mother of three, stopped at a red light. Two men on motorcycles yanked open her door and shouted, "We're going to slash your throat" and stabbed her head twice, leaving her for dead in San Diego, CA, one of the first 36 suspected "hate" crimes reported by the police.

Within days of 9/11, 290 crimes and other assaults on Sikh Americans were documented nationwide - a trend towards racial distrimination, verbal abuse and physical assaults and killings on people who wore turbans and beards - a misguided media portrayal which hit the Sikh community as the mistaken identities.

Amanda recalled the story of how as the first twin tower collapsed on 11 September, surgical resident, Dr. Nijher Singh, from Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn rushed to the scene, scavenging supplies from abandoned ambulances. He set up the first triage center at Ground Zero and organized the makeshift morgue.

Next day, American citizen Nijher ran his first public survival errand in Manhattan. Everyone stared at his turban and whispered: "There goes one of them now ." Someone yelled, "Go home to your country." He stood numb, because the day before he had worked a 24 hours shift and not a single word was uttered.

It became Amanda's mission to explain to Americans who Sikhs really were. It was her goal to make the film and have it broadcast on PBS throughout the USA. But at this point, she herself knew nothing about Sikhs and Sikhism and the film shows her fascinating journey into discovering her Sikh neighbors.

More information check out website: http://www.cultural-diversity.co.uk