a dream in doubt

I recently learned about the documentary A Dream in Doubt, "an immigrant story in a world in which patriotism has morphed into murder." The hour-long film tells the story of Rana Singh Sodhi, whose brother was killed in America's first 9/11 revenge murder—gunned down at his gas station in Arizona by a man named Frank Roque, who claimed he was "rooting out a terrorist." Balbir Singh Sodhi was a Sikh American who wore a turban and beard. For this, he was the victim of a hate crime. A Dream in Doubt focuses on Rana as he his left to pick up the pieces:

The film follows Rana as he seeks vindication for his brother's murder by working to educate fellow Phoenix-area residents about hate crimes; acting as the spokesman for his family and the Sikh community; running his gas station to support his family; and, most importantly, attempting to guard his own school-aged children--Rose, Satpreet and Navdeep--from bullying and harassment.

It sounds like a very powerful, relevant film. The film had numerous screenings and honors over the last year, including the Grand Jury's Honorable Mention Award for its World Premiere at 2007 Slamdance Film Festival, and the Special Jury Award at the 2007 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. The next screening of A Dream in Doubt is later this month, March 20, at the Jorgenson Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Connecticut. To learn more about the film, visit the website here.