Filming "Two Homes, One Heart"
Joyce Middlebrook received a grant of $2,500 from the Fund for Folk Culture in partnership with the James Irvine Foundation to make this 26-minute film. Thanks to generous donations of time and materials from the Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium, Yuba-Sutter Regional Arts Council, Yuba College, and editor Duane Tyler,the film was completed for $3,500 with Middlebrook financing the additional $1,000. The completed film was presented before an audience at the South Sacramento Sikh Gurdwara with most of the film participants present. The president of the Gurdwara board then surprised Middlebrook by presenting a check for $1,000 to reimburse her for out-of-pocket expenses.
Footage for the dance performance segments was recorded on 3/4" video tape. Interviews and other material were recorded on 8mm video tape.
All women interviewed are Sikhs who were born in Punjab, India and most of them came to California after their marriages. These women also appear in the dance performance segments. Short narrations are scripted and presented by Jann Taber, a professional speaker. All others speak in their own words, without a script.
Interviews and recordings were done in the participants' homes or work environments. Additional scenes were recorded at the Sacramento and Yuba City Gurdwara, a Punjabi retail store, and community centers where rehearsals and performances took place.
The dances shown were videotaped during a staged production. These songs and dances are usually done more informally in the women's homes during wedding preparations and to celebrate other events.
