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.
