The Sikh Soldier Film

Aim

A short non-profit film that aims to truly show the sacrifice that Sikh soldiers made for the British Empire in WW1.

OVERVIEW

A high-quality WW1 short film about a Sikh soldier.

The film aims to:

• Increase awareness of the 130,000 Sikhs who fought in WW1, as well as the million other Indian soldiers that fought for the British Empire.
• Educate current and future generations about the heroic sacrifice the Sikhs and other soldiers made in the Great War.
• Promote representation in British war films by making a film that has a Sikh soldier as its lead character.

#HelpShowHistory

THE FILM'S STORY

A Sikh soldier fights through The Great War for the British Empire, only to survive and face a further hell back in India.

More than 130,000 Sikhs fought in WW1, forming 20% of the Indian Army, despite being just 2% of the Indian population.

Despite this huge contribution in WW1 for the British Empire, relatively few on-screen stories in Western cinema have been told of their heroic efforts. 

We want to change that!

REMEMBRANCE AND EDUCATION

The film will also be a brilliant education tool to teach future generations about WW1 - we've already had teachers contact us for using the film for this purpose. 

OUR PARTNERS 

The project has teamed up with organisations that want to promote Sikh and Punjabi heritage, as well as Britain and India's shared military history. 

Together, they've generously supported the project with £7,000 of their own funds, this is why:

The Sikh Soldier Organisation - "This is a wonderful project that will be a great educational tool. It will make sure future generations know the bravery and courage Sikh Soldiers had in WW1, so we can all have freedom today." 

The Gursewak Trust - "This partnership between The Sikh Soldier Film and Gursewak Trust has the aim of helping to tell a story that is very much overdue." 

Sikh Heritage Association of Warwick and Leamington (SHAWL) - "With the guiding aim of encouraging and sharing Sikh History, SHAWL wholeheartedly supports the telling of this much-needed narrative."  

OUR HISTORICAL ADVISORS

We've made sure this film is as truthful, sensitive and accurate as possible.

We're worked for the last 10 months with world-renowned experts to make sure the film's story and message is as authentic as possible - they're now happy with the script and we're at the financing stage.

THE TEAM

The team loves to make films that tell unique stories - and The Sikh Soldier is a great example of that!

WHAT WILL YOUR DONATIONS DO?

The project will make a high-quality historically accurate WW1 short film, this requires at least £30,000 in funding to carry out the project professionally. 

Thanks to our partners, and a crowdfunder we carried out last month, the project currently has just over £15,000 in secured funding. 

To complete the film to a standard that everyone can be proud of and celebrate, we need to raise at least another £15,000. We hope to do this partly through this crowdfunder, and offer you rewards in return for your generosity and passion in showing history! 

1. The creation of a unique WW1 film

We're working with a studio that specialises in making historical films and they will be building trench sets, creating period costumes and use SFX to make sure this film looks incredible!

2. An original soundtrack to go with the film

Our composer Jodie Grayer is working with Baljinder Singh Rai and Anoop Singh from Gursevak Jatha, to create an original soundtrack of The Sikh Soldier. 

Jodie will be using western orchestration to write the music, whilst Anoop and Bal have been recording sounds and musical phrases using the Dilruba and other instruments from Punjab. 

3. Claim awards for your donation

• £15 - Get copy of the film you have funded
• £50 - Get your name in the credits and a copy of the film
• £100 - Premiere and Party - You'll attend the private premiere and party of the film! This day will include a film screening, and a party afterwards where you will meet the cast and crew!
• £500 - You'd be credited as an Co-Executive Producer on the credits and IMDB, and be invited to the film's premiere and party, and meet the team
• £1000 - Be credited as an Executive Producer on the credits and IMDB, and be invited to the film's screenings, events and award parties

4. Part of your donation goes to charity

10% of the money is going to charity, including the British Legion and the National Sikh Heritage Centre & Holocaust Museum.

5. Let's help show history together!

Please feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions about the production - we really appreciate your support.

THANK YOU

Should you decide to support us, financially or even just raising awareness through Social Media, please know that not only will you receive the rewards listed in the perks section, but also that you will be directly helping us complete this untold true story.

For that, we are endlessly grateful and let's help show history together.

Social Media

Facebook - The Sikh Soldier / Twitter - @TheSikhSoldier1 / IG -  @the_sikhsoldier

This project successfully funded on 26th November 2020