If you’re in the Los Angeles area, Ocean of Pearls is opening there for a week long engagement at the Laemmle Sunset 5. In his directorial debut, filmmaker Sarab Singh Neelam takes us on a tender journey; exploring lessons of family, faith and compromise. Neelam is the first Sikh director, in American Cinema, to make a film with Sikh lead actors. Ocean of Pearls is believed to be the first Sikh-American feature film and most certainly the first ever garnering theatrical release. The film offers a fascinating look balancing romance, family, ethics and spirituality in today’s complex world. Here’s a synopsis:

Amrit Singh is of two worlds, but belongs to neither. A turban-wearing Sikh, he has lived his life in North America out of sorts and out of place, cast adrift at an uneasy crossroads between East and West. But when he is offered a prestigious position as a transplant surgeon in a Detroit hospital, the young doctor sees it as a opportunity to start fresh. He struggles to be the man he believes he is and at the same time the person he wants to be. His ambitious pursuit of success, however eventually leads to tragedy and it is only in defining his singular identity that he finds peace.

There will be a Q&A with director Sarab Singh Neelam following the 7pm shows on Friday December 18th and Saturday December 19th.

Ocean of Pearls Trailer