News Release

EVENT NEWS / April 10, 2008

Boise State University's Diverse Perspectives Film Series Wraps Up With 'A Dream in Doubt'

Boise State University will screen the film “A Dream in Doubt” at 5:30 p.m. April 15 in the Student Union Lookout Room and at 10:30 a.m. April 19 at Boise State West, Room 102E. Both screenings are free and open to the public.

“A Dream in Doubt” focuses on Sikh Americans living in Phoenix, Ariz., in a close-knit community of families who experienced a wave of frightening hate crimes in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. Rana Singh Sodhi, a 36-year-old Indian immigrant, finds his life forever altered by the terror attacks, not because he knew any victims of the attack, but because his turban and beard became symbols of the terrorists who attacked America. Rana’s eldest brother, Balbir — who also was bearded and wore a turban —was America’s first post-9/11 hate crime murder victim, gunned down at his gas station by a man who claimed he was rooting out a terrorist. “A Dream in Doubt” will be presented at 10 p.m. May 13 on Idaho Public Television on the Emmy Award–winning PBS series “Independent Lens,” hosted by Terrence Howard. The Idaho screenings are sneak previews.

As if one murder was not enough, Rana’s next-eldest brother, Sukhpal, was shot and killed in mysterious circumstances less than a year later. The events captured in “A Dream in Doubt” show the almost daily horrors members of the Sikh community live with as misunderstood Americans. Yet Rana relies on his belief in the American values of freedom, self-reliance, equality and protection of the weak — values that mirror Sikh teachings — to carry him through injustices.

By following Rana’s attempts to insure that justice is served in his brothers’ murders, “A Dream in Doubt” tells a uniquely personal story of tragedy, family connection, community and an American Dream that is in danger of slipping away. In the end, this moving portrait of one man’s odyssey from persecution in India to embracing America as his homeland proves that courage and hope have the power to overcome hate.

For more information, call 426-4317.

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Contact: Julie Hahn, University Communications, (208) 426-5540, juliehahn@boisestate.edu

Boise State University’s new Finish in Four program guarantees that eligible students who follow a planned course of study can complete their degree in four years. If not, Boise State will pay for the additional required courses. More information about Boise State’s graduation guarantee can be found at www.boisestate.edu/finish4.

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Last reviewed on Thursday, April 10, 2008