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Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath 09/13/2006
An Evening in Honor of Balbir Singh Sodhi the First 9/11 Backlash Murder, and All Hate Crimes Victims September 14, 2006, 6PM Divided We Fall makes its world premiere on the eve of the five-year memorial of the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi in Phoenix, Arizona. Hosted by the Phoenix Sikh community, the event honors the memory of Sodhi and all hate crimes victims. Q&A with filmmakers Sharat Raju and Valarie Kaur. Reception with dinner follows. Open to the public. About the film When a turbaned Sikh man is brutally murdered in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, a college student journeys across America to discover who counts as "one of us" in a world divided into "us" and "them." Armed with only a camera, Valarie Kaur encounters hundreds of stories never before told – stories of fear and unspeakable loss, but also of resilience and hope – until she finally finds the heart of America, halfway around the world, in the words of a widow. Weaving expert analysis into a personal journey and cross-country road trip, the film confronts the forces dividing a nation. Additional Info:
Production Office:
401 S. Barrington Ave. Suite 107 Los Angeles, CA 90049 www.dwf-film.com
PHOENIX--Sept. 12, 2006--Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath, an independent documentary film that chronicles a student's cross-country journey in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, will make its world premiere in Phoenix on Thursday. The premiere honors the five-year memorial of the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man who was killed in Arizona in the nation's first "retribution" murder after 9/11. The complementary premiere is hosted by the Phoenix Sikh community, the screening begins at 6 p.m. at Carpenter's Hall, 4547 W. McDowell Rd., with reception and dinner. The premiere launches the film on a national tour this fall to New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, and Sacramento, as well as London for a United Kingdom premiere. Directed by Sharat Raju, Divided We Fall follows college student Valarie Kaur in the days and months after the 2001 terrorist attacks as she drove across America with a video camera, interviewing victims of hate violence. The film examines Sodhi's life and murder as part of a wider exploration of who counts as "American" in times of national crisis. "Five years in the making, Divided We Fall invites audiences to experience the untold stories of 9/11," said Kaur. "The journey spirals into the larger question of who counts as 'one of us' in a world divided into 'us' and 'them.'" Divided We Fall features the story of Sodhi, a turbaned Sikh man who was shot and killed by Frank Silva Roque in front of Sodhi's Chevron gas station at the corner of 80th Street and University Ave in Mesa, Ariz., on Sept. 15, 2001. The killing was the first of an estimated nineteen "retribution" murders in the year after the Sept. 11 attacks. Many Sikhs who wore turbans were immediately targeted in the backlash. Half a million Americans and 23 million people worldwide belong to the Sikh religion, which requires the turban as an article of faith. This murder compelled Kaur, a third-generation Sikh American who was then a junior at Stanford University, to take action. With her turbaned 18-year-old cousin as cameraman, she took to the road, documenting stories seldom seen or heard by mainstream America. Kaur traveled through fourteen American cities, from Ground Zero in New York to Sodhi's gas station in Mesa, and captured more than one hundred hours of interview footage. People invited her into their lives to share stories of fear and unspeakable loss, but also of resilience and hope. Her journey ended in Punjab, India, where she interviewed Sodhi's widow, Harjinder Kaur. A second round of production in 2005, supported by a New Filmmaker Grant from Panavision Camera and a generous contribution from Eastman Kodak, added interviews with noted scholars, professors, lawmakers, and policy experts who provide context and analysis to the original stories Kaur gathered in 2001. Kaur currently studies ethics as a master's candidate at Harvard Divinity School, where she is the founding director of the Discrimination and National Security Initiative, an affiliate of the Harvard Pluralism Project. "Terrorism and critical moments in the war on terror trigger hate violence at home," Kaur said. "If we can recognize Sikh and Muslim faces as 'American,' we can respond to the fear that divides our nation in times of crisis and come one step closer toward a more perfect union." Raju, an award-winning filmmaker and recent graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory, teamed up with Kaur to present the first full-length documentary film addressing hate crimes in the aftermath of Sept. 11. "In the months after Sept. 11, the phrase 'United We Stand' was on bumper stickers and signs all across the country," Raju said. "But the phrase has a second part - 'Divided We Fall.' There's a bigger picture, and we must strive to bridge the divisions between us in order for those words to be more than just a slogan. We hope our film is one more step in that direction." Contact: Source: New Moon Productions DOCUMENTARY FILM ON BALBIR SINGH SODHI, FIRST BACKLASH MURDER AND HATE CRIMES IN 9/11 AFTERMATH TO MAKE WORLD PREMIERE IN PHOENIX PHOENIX – Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath, an independent film that chronicles a student’s cross-country journey in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, will make its world premiere at Carpenter’s Hall, 4547 W. McDowell Rd. in Phoenix on Thursday September 14, 2006 at 6 pm, in honor of the five-year memorial of the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi and 9/11 backlash victims. A reception / dinner will be provided at the complementary premiere, hosted by the Phoenix Sikh community. Directed by Sharat Raju, Divided We Fall follows college student Valarie Kaur in the days and months after the terrorist attacks in 2001 as she drove across America with a video camera, interviewing victims of hate violence. Weaving expert analysis into a personal journey and cross-country road trip, the film examines ‘who counts’ as American in times of crisis. “Five years in the making, Divided We Fall invites audiences on a journey across America to experience the untold stories of 9/11,” said Kaur. “The journey spirals into the larger question of who counts as ‘one of us’ in a world divided into ‘us and them.’” Divided We Fall features the story of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a turbaned Sikh man who was shot and killed by Frank Silva Roque in front of Sodhi’s Chevron gas station at the corner of 80th Street and University Ave in Mesa, Arizona on September 15, 2001. The killing was the first of an estimated nineteen “retribution” murders after the September 11 attacks. This murder and reports of hate violence compelled Kaur, a third-generation Sikh American then a junior at Stanford University, to take action. With her turbaned 18-year-old cousin as cameraman, she took to the road, documenting stories seldom seen or heard by mainstream America. Kaur traveled through fourteen American cities, from Ground Zero in New York to Sodhi’s gas station in Mesa, and captured more than one hundred hours of interview footage. People invited her into their lives to share stories of fear and unspeakable loss, but also of resilience and hope. Her journey ended in Punjab, India, where she interviewed Sodhi’s widow, Harjinder Kaur. After a second round of production in 2005, Divided We Fall returns to the Phoenix area to make its world premiere on Thursday, September 14. After Balbir Singh’s death the President of the United States, the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Prime Minister of India, the Justice Department, the US Attorney, the Mayor of Mesa and Phoenix, the Maricopa County Attorney, the Attorney General, the Governor, law enforcement, the Interfaith community, the media and most of all the neighbors, and the community sent the message to the world ‘protect the innocent people. “We honor you – you stood up at a time of extreme crises and said, ‘No gentle person, no child, no culture and no religion should be condemned, assaulted or targeted because of the unspeakable acts of others. We want to reach out to everyone, in the midst of the current times we still have a long road ahead of us to prevent bias, hate crimes and to encourage respect and understanding. ” said Phoenix Sikh community leader GuruRoop Kaur Khalsa. Supported by a New Filmmaker Grant from Panavision Camera and a generous contribution from Eastman Kodak, the film includes interviews with noted scholars, professors, lawmakers, and policy experts who provide context and analysis to the stories Kaur originally captured in 2001. Kaur currently studies ethics as a Masters’ candidate at Harvard Divinity School, where she is the founding director of the Discrimination and National Security Initiative affiliated with the Harvard Pluralism Project. It was stated in the United States Congress “That homes, places of work and places of worship have been damaged and vandalized as a result of systematic bigotry and racism and the Sikhs whose religion comes from India, have been targeted with violence because they have been incorrectly associated with those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. To this day we still have American killing Americans. Hate crimes, backlash, and backlash murders hundreds of violent incidents continue to be the Invisible causalities of September 11th, the war in Iraq and the war on extremism. Balbir Singh Sodhi of Arizona was the first such death categorized as such a hate crime.” “In the United States it is the Sikhs that wear turbans. If we can recognize Sikhs turbans and articles of faith as faces of ‘America,’ we can respond to the fear that divides our country.” Kaur said. “The war we are fighting is against hate and fear, not against each other. Working together we can reach out to others with hope and love. Hope for a land in which each man, woman and little child regardless of faith or skin color can stand straight as equals, not divided; the values that this country was founded upon.” Raju, an award-winning filmmaker and recent graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory, teamed up with Kaur to present the first full-length documentary film addressing hate crimes in the aftermath of September 11. “In the months after September 11, the phrase ‘United We Stand’ was on bumper stickers and signs all across the country,” Raju said. “But the phrase has a second part – ‘Divided We Fall.’ There’s a bigger picture, and we must strive to bridge the divisions between us in order for those words to be more than just a slogan. We hope our film is one more step in that direction.” Contact: New Moon Productions, Los Angeles Tracy Wells, 803-528-1003 [email protected] Source: New Moon Productions please join us: Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath Complementary Movie, Reception, Dinner Thursday September 14, 2006 at 6 pm Carpenter’s Hall 4547 W. McDowell Rd. Phoenix, Arizona An Invitation from the Sikh Community You stepped forward and helped the entire Sikh, Muslim and Asian community by acting quickly and decisively when Balbir Singh Sodhi was shot dead at his gas station. We feel deeply honored for your support. The entire Sikh community respectfully requests you, your family colleagues, congregation, neighbors and friends to attend this 9/11 five-year anniversary Premiere Event to help send the message of erasing hate and backlash from our American soil and to spread understanding and hope. Your representation, your presence, and your voice will make a difference. As fellow Americans we honor you and your commitment to protecting all innocent people. May we be united in one determination to preserve and protect the honor of all peoples, faiths and cultures. Thursday September 14, 2006 at 6 pm Five-year Premiere Movie Event to help send the message: Erase hate crimes & backlash from our American soil. Spread understanding & hope. DIVIDED WE FALL: AMERICANS IN THE AFTERMATH. What happened to Sikhs & many other faiths in U.S. after 9/11. Honoring Backlash Hate Crime Victims. With the actual film makers, producer, dignitaries,COMPLIMENTARY PREMIERE MOVIE, RECEPTION, DINNER Carpenter’s Hall, 4547 W. McDowell Rd. Phoenix, Arizona Sponsored by the Sikh Community For information: Call (602) 257-0077 or (602) 617-0950 Note: Comments do not represent the views of SikhNet. Comments containing profanity, provocation or slandar will be removed by the moderators.
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