A short film titled ‘SINGH’ based on the real life of distinguished Indian American Gurinder Singh Khalsa has won Short of the year award at the Covellite International Film Festival in Montana, a media release issued by the organizers said on Wednesday.

Directed by Jenna Ruiz, the movie ‘SINGH’ was chosen among 100 films submitted for the award in the same category.

‘SINGH’ tells the story that occurred in May 2007 when Gurinder Singh Khalsa (a Sikh man who wears a turban) was not allowed to board an airline without the removal of his turban to be further inspected by Transportation Security Administration agents.

In this emotional roller-coaster of the short film, Gurinder is made to choose between his religious beliefs and his flight to go visit his dying mother in her last days.

The movie has also been chosen by Covellite International Film Festival as an official selection for the Indy Shorts International Film Festival, the largest film fest in the midwest.

“Indy Shorts International Film Festival, presented by Heartland Film and the organizers of the Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF), is an Academy Award-qualifying fest dedicated to the art of short film,” said a statement from the heartlandfilm.org.

The Indy Shorts will showcase storytelling from around the world from July 25-28, 2019 in Indianapolis.

By Sowmya Sangam