Hidden Histories: The Sikh Migration Path to Canada

Sikhs have been in Canada for well over a century, and this film recovers the history that has too often been left out of the national story. It covers the Komagata Maru incident of 1914, when a ship carrying hundreds of South Asian immigrants was turned away from Vancouver harbour by a government determined to keep Canada white. It also gives substantial attention to the women of the early Sikh community in Canada, whose stories have been even more thoroughly overlooked than those of the men who preceded them.

Hidden Histories is a film about resilience as a historical force, about what it takes to build a community when the country around you is actively hostile to your presence. The people whose stories it tells didn't have the luxury of being recognized as pioneers in their own time. They were simply trying to survive and build something lasting. The film makes clear that they succeeded, and that the Sikh community in Canada today is built on a foundation laid by people who deserve to be remembered by name.