We are proud to have hosted the fifth SikhNet Youth Film Festival. We received films from all over the world including USA, Canada, UK, India, Thailand, Australia, Italy and New Zealand. We received 34 films complete with drama, comedy, documentary, and even animation. The films ranged from esoteric to political and social. Some of them pointed out hypocrisies, and some gave examples of how to be a Sikh.
Every person that submitted a film has taken their own free time to create a film that not only entertains but it educates and inspires as well. Each director is contributing to an online collection of Sikh media, and this is a tremendous Seva. In these modern times we are bombarded by all kinds of media, and there are very few places that can provide Sikh media. That is the real goal of the film festival and because of that, each director is a winner.
The judging process was difficult because it can be hard to compare a comedy to a drama for example. Some films obviously took a lot of time to create but others might have been more simple with a strong message. There is no way to decide which film is better than the other, but we had to come up with prize winners. Films were judged mostly on originality and message. Here are the ‘prize’ winners.
JUNIOR DIVISION (17 years old and under)
- First Place – "Iz yu ignant bout Sikhi?" by 16 year olds Harnek Singh and Rasna Kaur from Troy, Michigan, USA. They made an entertaining comedy documentary where they approached random people and educated them about Sikhism.
- Second Place – "The Golden Armor" by 13 and 10 year olds Ajaypal and Manpal Singh from Fremont, CA, USA. Rajbir Singh prefers playing video games to doing anything Sikhi, but through some scheme of his brother and friends he finds his way back to Sikhi.
- Third Place – "Why be Sikh?" by 17 year old Naanak Singh Sodhi from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Naanak Singh shares with us his views about Sikhi, and clears up some misconceptions with humorous interludes by "confused Sikh youth".
INTERMEDIATE DIVISION (18 – 25 years old)
- First Place – "The Forgotten Truth" by 23 year old Satdeep Singh from Ludhiana, Punjab, India. A beautiful story about a man looking for a way out of his pain, and how he learned to appreciate his blessings with the help of a Gursikh.
- Second Place – "Kiv Sachiaara…" by 24 year old Piarpreet Kaur from West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. She takes us through a personal experience of feeling empty and living our life for other people, and find our way back to the Guru.
- Third Place – "Are You Bunty?" by 25 year old Daman Preet Singh from Pune, Maharashtra, India. The story of Bunty who is looking for shortcuts, but short cuts won’t work in the spiritual life.
Also awarded in the Intermediate Division for Honorable Mention:
For Best Acting (best overall acting performances): "Rehni Rehe Soi Sikh Mera" by 25 year olds Gagandeep Kaur, Raminder Singh, and Randeep Singh (SOCH) from Hyderabad, AP, India.
SENIOR DIVISION (26 or older)
- First Place – "The Appraisal" by Sukhvinder Pal Singh (SOCH group) from Hyderabad, AP, India. ‘Garry’ always does good on his job appraisals, but how good will he do on a spiritual appraisal?
- Second Place – "Oopar Sach Achar" by Kamaljit Singh from Jagraon, Punjab, India. Sewapreet Singh finds an expensive mobile phone and wants to keep it for himself. See what happens.
- Third Place – "Everyday is a Miracle" by Dr. Savi & Rohin Arora from Middlesex, UK. Watch this peaceful film inspired by a poem about gratitude.
Thank you to all of the 2010 directors for your hard work and creativity!
