Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

‘American Sikh’ qualified to be considered for 2024 Academy Award

The film is inspired by the life of Vishavjit Singh — the ‘Sikh Captain America'.

‘American Sikh’ qualified to be considered for 2024 Academy Award

Animated short American Sikh inspired by the life of Vishavjit Singh — the ‘Sikh Captain America’ — has qualified to be considered for a 2024 Academy Award.

The film, which had its world premiere at the Oscar-qualifying Tribeca Film Festival in June, was created to bring more Sikh representation to screens and challenge perceptions of what makes an American (and a superhero).


Vishavjit Singh is publicly known for his Captain America persona — a Sikh man equipped with his turban and beard — fighting against bigotry, intolerance, and perceptions of what an American should look like. But Singh, the only member of his family born in the U.S., didn’t always feel he could embrace his identity this way.

Not only was this incredible film featured on Good Morning America but in just over a month it won four top film awards including Best Short Animation at Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, Best Animation at San Diego International Film Festival, Grand Jury Award for Best Short Documentary at Tasveer Film Festival in Seattle and the Audience Choice Award at Tasveer Film Festival.

American Sikh also received a special mention at the Chicago International Film Festival in Best Short Documentary and an Honorable Mention at the Tallgrass Film Festival in Documentary Short Film.

The film was created in partnership with Singh as the director/producer and Los Angeles-based director Ryan Westra.

It was animated by Studio Showoff, a Melbourne-based production house founded by Ivan Dixon and Sean Zwan that has produced work for Childish Gambino, HBO, and Cartoon Network.

More For You

Kajol

Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage

Getty Images

Kajol caught in a storm of criticism for saying actors endure more stress than office workers

Highlights:

  • The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
  • She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
  • Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
  • The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
  • Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.

Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.

Kajol Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images

Keep ReadingShow less