Weapon Of Peace

We are currently developing Weapon Of Peace. It's a 1-hour doc set against the backdrop of three communities (Hindu, Muslim and Sikh) with youths divided by ethno-historical conflicts. We're looking for three Indo-Canadian youths across Canada at risk in falling into gang violence. The three youths we choose (if not already involved with some form of Martial Arts) will be introduce to the journey of Banethi, an ancient South Asian Martial Art form that has evolved into a performance art of spectacular fire works that unite and heal the people it touches. Through their common ties with Banethi, the film aims to resolve, & bring a true Weapon Of Peace to these youths who may otherwise not connect with their own culture & identity or understand what they share in common with their supposed ‘enemies’.

Attach is our 1 sheet with more details. If you know of someone who might be interested or have interesting story contacts, please put them in touch with us.

WEAPON OF PEACE (working title)

KENSINGTON MARKET, TORONTO
Andrew Suri & his students are strutting their stuff along Kensington Market towards the staging area for The Festival Of Lights at dusk. The low angle shaft of magic hour light baths the textured sidewalk & walls with their elongated shadows. With Banethi staves slung across their backs, they can easily be racially profiled for the many at risk Indo-Canadian youth gangs on their way to a rumble in the hood.

VARANASI, NORTHERN INDIA
BBC telecast, March 7,2006. The Sankat Mochan Temple of Hanuman – the temple of Andrew’s teacher, Murari Sharma. It is chaos after bomb explosions as Indian riot police push back the mob away from the scene. At least 28 people have been killed and dozens injured in three bomb explosions. The bombing motivates Andrew to reach out to his community as he contemplates anxiously for news of Murari Sharma’s survival.

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, KENSINGTON MARKET
Andrew & his students perform fire Banethi, a dazzling display of moving silhouettes within showers of sparks set against the moon lit sky. It is a representation of the ‘demon army’ Hanuman faced.

Andrew & Murari have been spreading the gospel of Banethi beyond the Hindu myth of Hanuman. Muslims trace Banethi to the crisis-point of the Sunni-Shia schism, the battle on the plains of Karbala in Iraq. Sikhs tell of the fight against the British led by Queen Lakshmi Bhai. Sahu Khalifa, a guru-pioneer developed Banethi in the ‘30s by teaching Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. Today, after sixty years of globalization and popular-Western influence since the ’47 Partition of India & Pakistan, Banethi has evolved into a dazzling performance art practiced by a handful of estranged Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs.

Set against the backdrop of three communities divided by ethno-historical conflicts, three Indo-Canadian youths are at risk in falling into gang violence. Weapon Of Peace is a 1-hour Documentary dissecting these conflicts between the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities through Banethi, an ancient South Asian Martial Art form that was once a tool to kill but has evolved into a performance art of spectacular fire works that unite and heal the people it touches. Through their common ties with Banethi, the film aims to resolve, & bring a true Weapon Of Peace to these youths who may otherwise not connect with their own culture & identity or understand what they share in common with their supposed ‘enemies’.

The film begins with Andrew reconstructing his Banethi journey back to Murari’s ancient city of Varanasi, the oldest living city on earth & the Mecca of Banethi. This ethno-historical backdrop sets the tone of the story. Through impressionistic location & performance footage & personal dialogues with similar Martial Arts practitioners from the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities, the common story threads of three at risk Indo-Canadian kids are unveiled. Their stories complement, counterpoint, and propel one another creating dramatic tension.

With Indo-Canadian gang violence escalating, Weapon Of Peace aims to include the important historical timeline of the 60th anniversary of Partition approaching Aug.15th 2007.

Producer/Co-Director/DP: kwoi t: 416.993.3906 e: kwozimodo@eyesurf.net
Director/Story Producer/Writer: A.Suri t: 416.574.0461 e: yoonsuri@sympatico.ca