Sher Films announced today that director Vinay Giridhar’s feature documentary debut Emergence: Out of the Shadows, a film that started its international festival run this September in the US, will be heading home to BC for its Canadian premiere at KDocsFF and to the Reelworld Film Festival for it’s Ontario debut.

Emergence: Out of the Shadows follows three queer South Asians and their journey of acceptance within their conservative Punjabi Sikh families. For Kayden, Jag, and Amar, awakening to and expressing their sexuality within their traditional South Asian communities was a lonely and terrifying experience; denial, shame and despair haunted their youths, even threatening their lives. In this gripping social justice documentary, the disparate journeys of three people candidly converge around a shared sense of compassion and healing. Topics like tradition and taboo are confronted by the cast and their families in this important film that offers comfort, compassion, and inspiration to individuals and communities struggling with acceptance. Emergence: Out of the Shadows asserts a potent and transformative voice in support of marginalized queer youth and their families.

The hometown launch of Emergence: Out of the Shadows begins at ​​Metro Vancouver’s Premier Social Justice Documentary Film Festival; KDocsFF on October 11, 2021 for a special virtual screening on National Coming Out Day before heading to Toronto for its Ontario premiere at the Reelworld Film Festival on October 20, 2021. The film is also set to premiere at The NewWest FilmFest for an in-person screening on October 23, 2021 and will screen across Greater Vancouver in high schools and the community; including an in-person screening at the North Delta Centre for the Arts which is sponsored by the City of Delta on November 20.

The Vancouver-produced documentary began it’s festival tour with its world premiere at the prestigious Cinema Diverse festival in Palm Springs on September 19, 2021 before heading to Atlanta’s Out On Film festival, Chicago’s South Asian Film Festival, qFLIX Philadelphia: The LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Tasveer South Asian Film Festival in Seattle, and back to Canada, with dates set at festivals in Vancouver, Toronto and Winnipeg. With more announcements to come, the film will be showcased around the world including dates set, but yet to be announced in India, the UK and more.

Emergence: Out of the Shadows was directed and edited by Vinay Giridhar (Love’s Age), produced by and stars Alex Sangha (My Name Was January) and features cast including Kayden Bhangu, Jag Nagra, Jaspal Sangha, Avtar Singh Nagra, Rajwant Kaur Nagra and Harv Nagra. Christine Michelle Lord was Director of Photography and additional cinematography was done by Bhavesh Chauhan. On top of its festival run the film will debut on OUTtv and is being distributed into the educational market by Moving Images Distribution.

Producer Alex Sangha and director Vinay Giridhar have qualified and are entered for the Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary, and Vinay is entered for Best Editing in Feature Length Documentary for the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards.

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SCREENINGS:

KDocsFF
Metro Vancouver’s Premier Social Justice Documentary Film Festival
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
October 11, 2021 – Special Virtual Screening for National Coming Out Day
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Live Panel & Q&A

Reelworld Film Festival
Canadian Screen Award Qualifying
Virtual Screening
October 20, 2021
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

New West Film Fest
In-Person Screening
Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 5 pm
Landmark Cinemas 10 – New Westminster
New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada

North Delta Centre for the Arts
Sponsored by the City of Delta
November 20, 2021

COMMUNITY SCREENINGS:

Douglas College
New Westminster Campus
In-Person Screening
November 9 and 18, 2021

University of British Columbia
School of Social Work
In-Person Screening
February 2022

Screenings are also planned for Simon Fraser University (Surrey Campus), University of the Fraser Valley, City Centre Library in Surrey, LA Matheson Secondary School, David Thompson Secondary School & more.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.