Amanda Gesine was the inspiration behind Mistaken Identity. A 22-year-old student at Georgetown University, Amanda passed away in a tragic accident on 14 June 2002.
Amanda Gesine: In Her Own Words
… the opportunity to be part of this project was a dream come true. I admit … I knew nothing about Sikhs and Sikhism. But for me personally, it has been an amazing journey of discovery. If you grew up in a sheltered town like I did … you were not exposed to different cultures.
… a number of reasons why I am so committed to this project. We need to educate all members of American society about Sikhs and look beyond physical appearances and not judge people by the turban. We have to come together as a country again - to celebrate the values that we took for granted: national security, our safety, our homes, our morals, our very ways of life, are being threatened.
This project really took off on 19th of September - 4 days earlier - on 15 September, I read about Sodhi on the Internet because he was wearing a turban. I am very angry at the media. They flashed pictures of terrorism and equated a style of dress: the turban and beard with mass murderers.
Imagine growing up in a country and all of a sudden, you are scared of your neighbors … catcalls … murderers … You can't judge a book by its cover - there are too many tragedies because people just assume and take out their hatred on innocent by-standers. Imagine all of a sudden, you are looked at differently and being accused of things you never done. It is really amazing how much Sikhs suffered.
Film and television are key to getting beyond the prejudices that so many of us hold. I know prejudices and bigotry are results of ignorance and fear. And I don't mean that in a negative way - Ignorance is all over the place. I hope people will view my personal discovery with the same joy … and move beyond intolerance and hostility.
Cultural Diversity in America - Cultural diversity is very important to me. It is one of the major reasons why I switched schools. I transferred to Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Americans are so stereotyped - we know nothing about the world. I set out … not to be the typical American.
So many of us are born and raised in one town and never leave it. Especially in the mid-West … and I feel this is a huge loss. I have learned so many things from other cultures and people. It has made my life more fulfilled - listening to other people's views. It has been a fascinating educational experience.
Family Values - "Family values are very important to me. I feel very lucky to be very close to my own family. It is where I get a lot of my source of strength and confidence. My mother and grandmother, who I am very proud to say, were teachers. I don't know where I would be without the support of my family. I feel a lot of American teenagers miss out on that nowadays. So many teens are lost without family guidance. Education is important to bring about change, contrary to what the media is telling children."
CELEBRATE
CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN AMERICA
Digital TV Program (56 MIN.46 SEC)
"MISTAKEN IDENTITY"
WINS FIRST PRIZE
GOLDEN LION AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
At
George Lindsey UNA Film Festival, Florence, AL
Winning first prize with the Golden Lion Award is awesome, young Amanda would have cheerfully said. Just the name of the award "golden lion" pays tribute to the Sikhs. We are most grateful to the 6th annual George Lindsey UNA Film Festival for recognizing Mistaken Identity production with this unique honor of being listed for the first place Documentary award. Thank you."
Three months ago, Producer & Director Vinanti Sarkar entered the film in the George Lindsey/UNA Film Festival in Florence, North Alabama, a remote southern State festival. She wondered whether the TV documentary, projecting the charismatic personality of 22-year-old Amanda Gesine, and produced exclusively for mainstream America's "family and youth genre," would be accepted in small town America ?
If this remotely isolated part of America accepted Mistaken Identity - which the Golden Lion Award proves it did - then the door is open to take the TV documentary into mainstream. The folks in Florence recognized Amanda's concerns of her youth generation and that the film stands for a fine TV example of "cultural diversity in America." More specifically, this snug, little town appreciated her discovery of Sikh Americans after 9/11.
At the festival, Dr. George S. Lindsey, the cofounder, congratulated the winners who rose from a field of 111 submissions produced in 2001-2002, across the United States and several foreign countries
"It is absolutely remarkable how professional the films that have been entered in this festival. It is also amazing how much talent there is among the young filmmakers of today. It is awesome," said Lindsey, who is an Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame member.
Mistaken Identity was entered in the name of Amanda Gesine who conceived the idea and worked on the film for nine months, as the host/narrator and investigative journalist, working on R & D on the Internet from day one. As the months went by, she grew more interested and spoke often about producing a TV series demanding more understanding and tolerance for the different ethnic groups, which make up America's "global" population.
Vinanti Sarkar
The production crew consists of international producers from Taiwan, Pakistani, Chinese and the U.K. The director Vinanti Sarkar is a woman filmmaker from India (President of WLWD 2000, Inc. a boutique digital TV company in New York City). The 4-time Emmy award winning editor, Philip Marshall whose ancestry hailed from Ireland ; while Director of Photography, Marek Majowics from Poland, second camera Masbaul Talukder from Bangladesh . The "kirtan" music score and songs are sung by the highly acclaimed singer Dya Singh and his international group of musicians from Australia.
This film "celebrating cultures diversity in America", spotlighting the aftermath of September 11, 2001, and victimization of Sikh Americans who were mistaken for Arab terrorists, because of their beards and turbans, worn for religious reasons. The story is told through the eyes of 22-year-old "white" final year student from Georgetown University, Williams College, (Washington, D.C.).
For location shooting, she flew over weekends and holidays and lived with her parents in Greenwich, Connecticut. After completing the documentary, she had a tragic accident on 14 June 2002 and the film is a tribute to her loving memory, making it her inspiring legacy to the world.
The George Lindsey/UNA Film Festival in Florence, North Alabama was the brain child of Actor/comedian George Lindsey, after achieving success on Broadway and in Hollywood. The famed actor's repertoire includes, "The Andy Griffith Show, " "Mayberry R.F.D.", "Hee Haw" and numerous other serials, such as "Gunsmoke," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "M.A.S.H.," etc.
Lindsey is a true example of "giving back", when he returned to his home state and his alma mater - the University of North Alabama. His dream was to "give back a film & TV legacy," which will inspire future generations of young actors, filmmakers, students and professors of film, television, theatre and new media technology, etc., to showcase their talents and work.
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