Documentary on Guru bags LA award

Tribune News Service
Bathinda, October 23

Guru Nanak documentary director Gerald Krell was declared the best director at Awareness Film Festival in Los Angeles. Over 200 persons attended the screening of the film at the festival that featured over 40 films from all over the world focusing on various social and cultural causes.

According to a press note issued today, Dr Rajwant Singh, co-founder and senior adviser, National Sikh Campaign (NSC), said, “Getting a prestigious film award for Guru Nanak documentary proves the potential this film has to reach out to the non-Sikh audience in the western world and to create a positive impact for the Sikhs.”

The NSC had supported the documentary and PBS channel would telecast it across the US early next year.

Gerald Krell is the president of Auteur Productions and a renowned filmmaker. He has produced and directed award-winning national public television interfaith documentaries.

He started exploring to make a documentary on Guru Nanak in March 2018 and spent over 3 months researching on the subject. He read many books and biographies of Guru Nanak written by various authors in the US and India, besides interviewing many articulate authors.

Krell said, “I am really humbled by the decision of the organisers of the film festival and I appreciate the confidence that the supporters of this endeavour had on me. I think the philosophy of equality and tolerance put forth by Guru Nanak 550 years ago is very relevant in today’s divided and polarised world. I urge the Sikh community worldwide to use this film to reach to the wider audience all over the world.”

Dr Lakhwinder Singh Randhawa, director of National Sikh Campaign, said, “The response of the audience was overwhelming and people appreciated how the makers of the documentary skilfully dealt with the complex subject and made Guru Nanak’s story more relatable for the common people.”