Baywatana - Without a Home, Without a Country: A poignant documentary revealing the struggles of Afghan religious minorities.
$29,623
Raised
$50,000
Goal
75
Donors
$29,623
raised of $50,000 goal
Bhumeet Singhhas given$198.00+74 more
Choose Your Dasvandh
WHO WE ARE
We are a group of passionate high school students that are a part of the first-ever, youth-run, online TV channel Nishkam TV. Our latest documentary project Baywatana: Without a Country, under the guidance of Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Harbaldeep Singh in collaboration with the Sikh Coalition had its premiere at Parliament of The World Religions Film Festival in Chicago on August 15th.
As we shared the film, we were approached by numerous human rights organizations, institutes, and universities with invitations to screen "Baywatana". This outpouring of interest reinforces the relevance and significance of the narrative we have woven through the documentary.
This fundraiser is for a film being created entirely by the students of Nishkam TV. All funds raised through this page will go directly to NishkamTV for the development of this project; the Sikh Coalition is solely providing support, at the request of Nishkam TV.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
BAYWATANA, focuses on the journeys of religious minorities who have fled Afghanistan due to recent violence and political upheaval. Drawn from 175 hours of interview footage shot in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and India, Baywatana follows the stories of multiple families that are attempting to build new lives for themselves after experiencing discrimination, persecution, and violence in their home country. The response to the documentary at the film festival was genuinely humbling, as it shed light on the challenges faced by Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, who were compelled to leave their homeland and start anew in India, the UK, the USA, and Canada. After watching the documentary, there wasn't a single eye in the theater that remained untouched, as the plight of the Afghan Sikhs and Hindus community, once significant contributors to their countries' economies, moved every heart to tears.
Our next steps involve raising the remaining funds needed to enhance the production quality of the documentary. Currently, we are limited to digital rights usage due to our current funding. To fully release the film, we need to secure broadcast rights for the copyrighted material, hire a background music composer, and complete color grading for a polished, professional finish.
Please click the link to watch: Preview of the Baywatana documentary
Thank you for your support, and let's make a difference together!
WHY WE HAVE PICKED THIS TOPIC:
To tell the Untold Stories of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus
Afghanistan has a long history of persecution and discrimination against religious minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, and Jews.
Attacks on minority places of worship in Afghanistan include the bombing of a Hindu temple in Kabul in 2010, which killed at least one person and injured several others.
This situation reached a tragic climax on March 25, 2020, when ISIS attacked a Sikh place of worship, Gurudwara Guru Har Rai Sahib, in Kabul, killing 25 people.
The recent attack on June 18, 2022, on the Karteparwan Gurudwara - a Sikh temple in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, left several people dead and others wounded.
The team is comprised of a dedicated student body as well as advisors who are passionate about this project and are determined to bring this topic to light. The team has already completed Phase 1 of production by interviewing impacted refugee families in the U.K., U.S., Canada and India. We are in Phase 2 of interviewing the experts/policymakers around the world, followed by the post production phase. Last year Nishkam TV students produced a documentary called SEVA (Selfless, Empathetic, Virtuous, Altruistic) (Trailer) on selfless service done by Sikhs across the world during the Covid-19 pandemic. PBS selected this documentary to screen on PBS World Channel. As guidance, we will produce this documentary under Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Harbaldeep Singh, our mentor. His documentary on farmer's protest - "Declaration of a Revolution" (Official Selections and Awards), is an official selection at 21 International Film festivals and has won 10 awards for the best documentary, narration, and editing. Our hope is that everyone gets intrigued by this humane project and help young filmmakers to produce this documentary on a must needed topic. If you support us, we are confident we can address this issue and the definition of the world we would like it to be without bias, prejudice, and love for all.
Updates from Student Film on Displaced Afghan Sikhs & Hindus’s efforts, posted on a regular basis.
