CONTINUOUS JOURNEY

US Premiere

Canada 2004 | 87mins | Video Color/B&W | English & Punjabi w/E.S.

In person: Director Ali Kazimi

Multi-award-winning Canadian filmmaker Ali Kazimi follows up such brilliant work as PASSAGE FROM INDIA and NARMADA: A VILLAGE RISES with this stunning chronicling of a long-forgotten historical moment, one that forever changed the immigration policies of the British Empire.

On May 23rd, 1914, the Japanese shipping vessel Komagata Maru, chartered by Sikh businessman Gurdit Singh, arrived in Canada's Vancouver Harbor. Aboard were 376 migrants of Indian origin, citizens of the British Empire who believed it their right to move and settle freely within its domain. Upon anchoring, however, the passengers were prevented from disembarking by local Canadian officials, whose decision reflected a growing nationwide resistance to non-white immigration. This refusal to allow the Indian passengers ashore galvanized the nascent Vancouver Indian community, fueling an outbreak of support for their countrymen trapped without provisions for over two months, aboard a ship anchored only a heartbreaking half-mile from shore.

Combining newly discovered archival footage, newsreels, poignant personal testimonials, and dramatically worked digital photography, CONTINUOUS JOURNEY critically examines how today's global events are actually reflections of the past. The film was runner-up for the audience award at Toronto's HotDocs Film Festival (North America's largest documentary film showcase), and received a special Jury Prize for Best Direction there as well.

—Prasant Nukalapati

Sponsored by the Canadian Consulate