Emergence: Out of the Shadows

“A beautiful heartfelt documentary with beautiful heartfelt stories”—Hollywood North Magazine

Emergence: Out of the Shadows

A Sher Vancouver Feature Documentary

A film by Vinay Giridhar

For Kayden, Jag, and Amar, awakening to and expressing their sexuality within conservative South Asian families was a lonely and terrifying experience. Denial, shame, and despair haunted their youths, even threatening their lives. Yet, they’ve emerged.

In the gripping feature documentary Emergence: Out of the Shadows, the disparate journeys of Kayden, Jag and Amar candidly converge around a shared sense of compassion and healing as they bravely convey their often heart-wrenching stories. Confronted with tradition and taboo in their Punjabi Sikh cultures, resisting silence, Jag’s parents and Amar’s mother choose love over rejection, offering courage and inspiration to individuals and communities struggling with acceptance. Tender, thoughtful and teary, Emergence: Out of the Shadows asserts a potent and transformative voice in support of marginalized queer youth and their families.

Age rating and audience advisory: 15+. Some minor discussion of suicidal ideation and sexual abuse.

This special screening is part of Pride in Surrey Shines Through, a day of celebration presented by Surrey Civic Theatres and Surrey Archives certain to overflow your rainbow cup with love! See the full schedule of Pride in Surrey Shines Through.

Attend both Emergence: Out of the Shadows and The Rainbow Flame Storytelling Event and save! Both events: $20. Use promo code RAINBOW at the online checkout when you add both events to your cart or call the box office 604-501-5566. If you are experiencing financial barriers but still wish to attend, we want you to be there! Please contact us at surreycivictheatres@surrey.ca and we will be happy to set a ticket aside for you.

Emergence Director’s Statement: Vinay Giridhar

Emergence: Out of the Shadows can help you understand the lived experiences and unique challenges faced by gay and lesbian members of the South Asian community in Metro Vancouver. I learned that society tends to alienate, marginalize, and even fetishize people of colour, especially members of the LGBTQ community. What makes Emergence: Out of the Shadows different is the fact that the film provides a rare insight and voice for the parents of gay and lesbian South Asians. The parents address how “coming out” is not only life-changing for their children but also life-altering for the parents who are left with broken dreams and unanswered questions. The film acknowledges the important and extraordinary courage of both the parents and their children in their willingness to fight the traditions and taboos of society. This includes the “shame” they feel in coming out and their very real and heartbreaking fear of rejection by their close-knit friends, family members and community.

The film focuses on the rights of these individuals to live an open and respectable life despite traditional and often strict family values and socio-cultural pressures. The parents and their children describe their struggles to understand and “emerge” together to embrace, love, and support each other, and reach a higher level of critical awareness and compassion.

Production Company –  Sher Films (A division of the Sher Vancouver LGBTQ Friends Society)

Producer – Alex Sangha

Director – Vinay Giridhar

Director of Photography – Christine Michelle Lord

Additional Cinematography – Bhavesh Chauhan

Cast – Jaspal Kaur Sangha (Parent)

Cast – Amar Sangha

Cast – Kayden Bhangu

Cast – Jag Nagra

Cast – Avtar Singh Nagra (Parent)

Cast – Rajwant Kaur Nagra (Parent)

Cast – Harv Nagra