Kids Corner

Above: Eileen Kaur Alden. Below: Keith Knight and Vishavjit Singh.

Film/Stage

“If We Don’t Tell Our Own Stories, No One Else Will“:
Harleen Kaur Singh’s Latest Documentary Film,
‘Drawn Together’

REENA RATHORE

 

 

 

 



We are a mighty long time away from winning the battle for equality. But it’s a mammoth ongoing effort and we must strive to be optimistic and do everything we can to create a world where crude race-gender-religion-appearance based stereotyping becomes a thing of the past.

With this goal in mind, Sikh-American filmmaker Harleen Kaur Singh has taken a step towards spreading a positive message and educating people about the pitfalls of generalizations. Her documentary, “Drawn Together: Comics, Diversity and Stereotypes,” looks at the pervasive culture of stereotyping prevalent in society through the lens of comics and their dynamic creators.

With a lively backdrop of superheroes, comic books, and animated comics, the film brings together three talented artists who share their perspective of being stereotyped and how they constantly challenge this notion through their work and in their personal lives: Eileen Kaur Alden, co-creator of the comic book series, Super Sikh; Vishavjit Singh, an editorial cartoonist better known on the Internet as Sikh Captain America and for his SikhToons creations; and Keith Knight, a black cartoonist behind award-winning comic strips like the Knight Life and K Chronicles that often deal with political, social and racial issues.

‘Drawn Together” boldly encourages viewers to unlearn stereotyping, look beyond the obvious, and confront media prejudices, all through an uncommon and inherently engaging every day source,” Harleen said.

The inspiration for this film, She explained, wasn’t hard to come by.

“As a woman, I have faced a lot of stereotypes,” she added. “The color of skin adds another layer and being a mother of two toddlers added yet another layer of bias. Some people assume that you will not be able to achieve tasks that require rigor, just because you are a woman. Some of my friends and family members also faced prejudice and this bothered me.”

While the documentary highlights the extent of stereotyping, bigotry and racism prevalent in the society, it also showcases inspirational stories of real-life heroes who have risen against all odds.

And what better way than humor to not only diffuse tensions but to engage the masses without being preachy, as Knight says in the film: “Humor is the sweet syrup that makes the hard stuff go down a little bit easier.”

“Comics have been a fantastic way to educate people and help them become more socially conscious,” Harleen, the San Francisco Bay Area-based filmmaker said. “Therefore, I chose this unconventional medium for this unconventional topic in order to engage the audience and hopefully make them act.”

Drawn Together: Comics, Diversity and Stereotypes” also features analysis from cultural experts, including Dr. Arvind Singhal, a professor of communication and director of the Social Justice Initiative at the University of Texas at El Paso; Andrew Farago, curator of San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum; and cartoonist and journalist Adam Elrashidi, a producer at Al Jazeera.

Harleen, who previously worked with The History Channel and National Geographic Channel, spent three years making this film, which is now headed to various film festivals around the world. The film’s theme, she believes, will resonate with viewers all over the world since “religion is being used as an excuse to discriminate against and harm others.”

She said she vehemently believes that now more than ever a film addressing racial stereotyping needs to be showcased so that more solutions are proposed.

“It is horrifying to hear stats such as half of Asian American students being bullied or two-third of the Sikh American students being bullied in this day and age where the world is becoming more integrated and interdependent,” Harleen said. “We all need to spread education and films are one very pervasive medium to do so. If we don’t tell our own stories, no one else will.”

The goal of the film, which has been shot in the U.K., across seven cities in the U.S., including at San Diego Comic Con International, and India, Harleen said, is to stir conversations around race, bigotry and stereotyping.

The entire team, she said, is also simultaneously making a big marketing push to get this message out to as many people as possible. But for that she said she seeks the community’s support.

“If we can collectively take steps to spread awareness through whatever means we have, then we would have accomplished our goal. Through our partnership with the San Francisco Film Society, you can contribute to this cause in a tax-free manner.”

Harleen hopes that the key take-away for anyone watching the film would be to begin to stop judging people based on their looks, appearance, race, gender, etc.

“Let’s get to know each other and then make an informed opinion rather that pigeon-holing people in large groups, which are inherently not true as no two people are created equal,” she reasoned.

Harleen moved to California in 2009, made her debut as a filmmaker with “The Odd Couple: A Story of Two Triathletes.”

The young filmmaker who holds an MBA in Marketing and Strategy, and worked as a brand custodian for firms like Colgate and Bolthouse Farms, quit her cushy corporate job to follow her true calling: making documentaries.

And that desire led to the founding of Kaur Films.

Actively involved in the documentary film community, she has been a part of the United Nations Association Film Festival as a member of the jury since 2013.



Please CLICK here to watch the trailer of “Drawn Together: Comics, Diversity and Stereotypes”.

Please give your support to the film generously by CLICKING here. 

For more info on Kaur Films, please CLICK here.


[Courtesy: India West. Edited for sikhchic.com]
November 8, 2017
 

Conversation about this article

1: T. Sher Singh (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada), November 08, 2017, 10:57 AM.

I have seen the film and I must say I was very impressed by it. I believe this latest film by her signals that Harleen Kaur Singh has arrived as a film-maker on the scene. I particularly like the fact that in all her projects, Harleen steers away from the usual subjects (What is a Gurdwara, Gatka, Nihangs, Langar, etc) and focuses on revealing the values of Sikhi through people who live their lives to the fullest, guided by Sikh principles, and thus disclose what we are all about, without being preachy or embarking on a PR frolic. Congratulations, Harleen ... you are well on your way, and it is to the benefit of all of us.

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