On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In the wake of those attacks, vengeance overtook some Americans, leading to a number of misguided acts of violence. On September 15, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas-station owner in Mesa, Arizona, was murdered by a man who assumed that because Singh wore a turban, he was Muslim and somehow responsible for the attacks. Sodhi, a Sikh, became the first post-9/11 hate-crime victim in the United States.
Sodhi and his family emigrated from a small village in the Punjab region of India in 1985, after the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh guards led to anti-Sikh violence. They describe themselves as having come to the United States in search of religious liberty.
A Dream in Doubt is an immigrant’s story of survival as a wave of deadly hate crimes terrorize Sikh communities across the country. The film is told through the eyes of Balbir’s brother, Rana Singh Sodhi. Acting as the spokesman for his family and community, Rana seeks vindication for his brother’s murder and other incidents of hate crimes against Sikhs through education and awareness, all the while determined to uphold his belief in the American values of freedom, self-reliance, and equality.
>> Visit ITVS Community Cinema for information on upcoming screenings in the Bay Area.
>> Visit Independent Lens for more information on the film, nationwide screenings, and educational resources.
>> A Dream in Doubt will premiere Tuesday, May 20, 2008 on PBS. Check local listings.
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