News Release
For immediate release December
15, 2006
City of Amritsar documentary reveals
unusual history, identity of significant centre
Toronto filmmaker Joginder Kalsi
has released a new documentary about the holiest city of the world’s 30 million
Sikhs. City of Amritsar is a 45-minute tour of the city of the Golden Temple
in India’s Punjab state.
This is the fifth film produced and
directed by Joginder Kalsi; previously he has produced Two Hearts (Hindu & Sikh weddings Ceremonies), The
Khalsa (The Saint Soldiers), Guru
Granth Sahib (The Sikh Scriptures) and A
Punjabi Village. The documentary was written, produced and edited in Canada.
The documentary emphasizes that
while Amritsar is the spiritual and cultural focus of the Sikh religion, the
city also has a secular nature. Amritsar is dotted by sacred shrines:
Gurudwaras, Hindu temples, Mosques and churches.
Amritsar, which celebrated its 400th
anniversary not long ago, has rivalled and surpassed Lahore as the
pre-eminent city of Punjab.
“I have made a documentary that is
balanced. Of course, Amritsar,
with its stunning central religious Sikh architecture, is important. But I wanted to real the multifaceted
splendor and history of the city,” says Kalsi.
Segments of the documentary examine
contemporary Amritsar’s thriving commerce, education and social services.
The city’s pivotal role in the
growth and development of a national Indian identity is featured in the
documentary. It exposes both the Amritsar
Massacre of 1919, and the anxiety of the Sikh community resulting
from the open conflict of Operation Blue Star in 1984.
“This is a valuable testament and
record of a spiritually important city,” says Richard M. Landau, project
consultant and Executive Producer at CTS TV.
The production, which has gone
direct to DVD, is being distributed via the internet and to schools and
libraries world wide.
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For more information, contact:
Kalcine Enterprises Inc.
kalcine@rogers.com
416-445-5497
