"Thank you for making a film that will change people's lives (be it 150 people at a time). Good luck with everything. You are already great."

"I found this film to be very educational, as a member of the Indian community I missed this part of history. I found this film to be a great summary of the hate crimes in America and sends an important message to society."

"Congratulations. I'm sure that this documentary will be very successful. Clearly there is a lot of you in this film -- you should be proud.

Jai Gum!"

"Very minor side point - even looking like the face of the victims can have its price. I've heard a lot about how the Jews on Wall Street brought violence upon Manhattan. How depressing is it that what unites us all is experiencing ignorance and hate?"

"A movie every American needs to see."

"Congratulations on the film, it was quite enlightening."

"This incredible movie opens your eyes to everything that happened before and after 9/11. This movie also is hard to watch because of the immense amount of hatred towards everyone who 'looked like a terrorist.' This movie explained to me and, I’m pretty sure, everyone else in my classes about the stereotypes that formed after the bombings of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. The movie was excellent."

"Wow, that movie was phenomenal!  I never knew that side to September 11th.  I only knew what my parents told me.   It is so sad how both brothers died.  It was surprising how many people turned out to see his funeral and pay their respects.  It was really eye opening to see Valerie talk to the man's wife who lives in India at the end of the movie.   I liked hearing what she had to say to Americans.  Valerie asked her if there was any thing she would like to tell the U.S.  She wanted to say thank you.  Thank you for taking such good care of my husband and for coming to his funeral.  She did not have any anger, or hatred.  She only had love."

"Something that stood out to me in the movie was when a Sikh family had two of its members killed, within the span of one year. This part, and really the entire film, reminded of everything that we have been studying recently. For example, the U.S. was in shambles after the attacks, so they started to blame innocent Muslims. It was just like what was going on in Germany when Hitler and the Nazis were in power. The country still hadn’t quite recovered from WWI and they did not to take responsibility for their actions. Instead, just like the U.S., they blamed it on a religious minority, except then it was the Jews. These anti-Semitic views are what led to the Holocaust. Thankfully, this country did not head in the same direction, but it still doesn’t excuse killing off many innocent people just because of cowardliness and irresponsibility."

"We never really heard about what happened to people after 9/11. After seeing this movie I never really noticed that people would kill a innocent person just because they thought they were a terrorist because of the way they looked. I think that is horrible. I never saw anything like this movie before. I thought the director did an awesome job on this movie even though it was sad movie because it brought [back] all of the sad memories of all the people who were killed on 9/11."

"I thought the movie was very well made and I enjoyed watching it. Valerie is very nice and she did a great job making the movie. I didn’t know about most of the information she told us about and how Sikhs were targeted as terrorists after 9/11. I learned a bunch about their culture and how people think they’re terrorists just because they wear turbans. I think it was a great learning experience to meet Valerie and learn about the Sikhs and what happened to them after the terrorist attack on the twin towers."

"The movie Divided We Fall was a very moving and powerful film. I thought that it was very well put together and the actual journey that [Valarie] took was unbelievable. I mean going across the country to places were riots and killings have just happened... The question of this is if the people who are doing this are doing it out of patriotism, fear, or rage. I think it could be that the attakers are crazy and have a mix of fear and rage. If some are actully patriotic than they nead to stop. The movie tells you the other sides story. The ones that are arrested and the ones that are attacked. I thought that the movie was amazing and well done. I give it four and a half stars and if it were in theaters it would give people an important message."

"Divided We Fall is a remarkable film precisely because it treats America’s real disease - apathy. By humanizing both the victims and the perpetrators of hate crimes in the United States, Divided We Fall invites all Americans to take a fresh look at the boundaries of the American community and encourages us to seek the knowledge that would help us redefine those borders.

The film is timely not only because of its subject matter, which deals directly with the nation’s recent history of violence, but also because it persuades in a language that the current culture understands: the language of emotion. By describing the stories of hate crime victims using a narrative voice that speaks with genuine confusion and shock, Valarie Kaur avoids the principal pitfall of liberal political discourse: the temptation to make an argument. Instead, she opens questions and leaves viewers to form their own answers. Obviously, not all viewers will walk away from the film with a deep sense of obligation. But nobody who watches should be capable of hurling a racial epithet, or of conflating Sikhs, Muslims, and other minorities with terrorists.

Of course, few people sincerely believe that American minorities are actually associated in any meaningful way with terrorism. The point of a racial slur is not to strike a blow at the heart of terrorism. It is, instead, to reaffirm one’s status as a 'normal' American by lashing out at an Other; to do what feels good at the moment. Racial slurs and hate crimes are the street equivalent of Guantanamo Bay, currently home to hundreds of harmless 'unlawful combatants' who the government detains only because to release them would be to admit that we have rounded up a prison’s worth of children and men who pose no threat. Just as Guantanamo relies on its walls to shield Americans from the knowledge of what happens within, street encounters rarely, if ever, allow the perpetrator to see the damage he does; the victim will either hide it or the encounter ends too quickly for anybody to convey a feeling other than anger.

Divided We Fall shows what happens behind closed doors, in the quiet moments where America’s minorities share their shame and frustration with their families and their communities. It brings the viewer in to that hallowed place, and lets him linger there to experience the feelings that compose the minority experience. By taking the viewer across the border between mainstream America and its embattled minorities, Divided We Fall lets the mainstream in on the minority’s secret pain. That gesture of trust sows the seeds for empathy, which may be the only potential cure for the apathy that tears at America’s social fabric."

"Dear Valarie,

I would like to thank you and also commend you on all that you have brought into light in your movie. Because of what you have shown, people in this room have had their eyes opened to the different cultures and religions around them. Because of gatherings like these, us Sikhs are now being recognized, which is a very good thing. I was not going to write anything but when I got up and went around to the back of the seats looking for a pencil, this five-year-old girl looked at me and gave me a smile of RECOGNITION. And that is thanks to your movie. Because I was the only turban in the room. Good luck and God bless."

"An extremely important film. If everyone who sees this film can pass on its message a change would be made in the world. Thank you, DWF filmmakers."

"I was very impressed with the way you kept talking with the two white Christian brothers to draw them out -- even when they were dissing you and spewing their ignorant message. You are very patient! Wonderful film. Keep spreading the world! Thank you."

"The power of storytelling... it is the true story of 9/11 that I want to remember and revisit and learn from."

"I'm glad you caught Daniel Pierce and his brother on film. I hope it will help someone feel that knee-jerk reaction - that retrenchment in to the religious justification that was lightning fast -- here we can observe it, feel it, hopefully help someone to question it. Thank you."

"The courage you had to make this film, to make this journey, is profound. Thank you for sharing it."

"A well-made film. Nice timing. In the UK, where the fraction of people of South Asian origin is higher, it is probably fair to say that understanding of the differences between these communities is greater -- though hate crimes still occur. It is important for people to understand a bit more about cultures other than their own, to make more informed judgments. A film with the Sikh community as its focus is long overdue. Discrimination has, we feel, fallen due to the media and the educational system. Hopefully this film will get a wider distribution. A powerful argument for the rule of law."

"I think your film is brilliant and very moving. I am not an American, but British and I come from an Indian family and I felt that a lot of your message resonated with me. I admire your bravery, courage and persistence. Bravo!"

"Valarie,

I think you have done a fantastic job with your movie. It is done very creatively and definitely made me see things in a new light. I am an immigrant Indian, here in the U.S. for the past 10 years. 9/11 was undescribable - the first time I realized my American identity (something I didn't see developing), it was the first time I felt the loss as my own. I have experienced discrimination first-hand -- in high school when I was told to go back and stay in my country -- this was a long time before 9/11. That prevented me from ever feeling at home.

Post 9/11, I heard stories about hate crimes and discrimination, but your movie made me feel those stories. It was a very strange time where I felt a sense of loss and yet hearing about these hate crimes - I was forced to question who really was 'us' - was I a part of the grieving nation or was I a part of the community who was being targeted. I am really glad I had the opportunity to view your film and hear from you in person - it enabled me to articulate many deep felt thoughts and feelings. I wish you all the best in the future and look forward to more interesting work from you."

"Thank you - the question for me becomes what is constructive at horrible times -- I was struck by all the preventative curbing forces that were filmed - the love was the clear force for life - but what would work to weave people together quickly in response to trauma. Trauma makes people angry -- anger has to have an 'object' (the nature of it as an emotion) or a direction. Love must too. How can we quickly, forcefully (good force) direct ourselves, our children, our communities. Thank you."

"The film has a wonderful sense of generosity and is a gift. Thank you."

"I am an American Sikh, my parents converted in the 70s, they are both of European descent. I was raised as a Sikh, I was raised not cutting my hair, not eating meat, and wearing a turban. I went to school in Amritsar [India] for 8 years. Since moving back to America I have found it difficult to maintain my practice. I cut my hair last summer, since I have struggled with the idea that I am no longer separate, I have been different my whole life, and now I look the same as everybody else. Watching this film has made me miss my long hair and my turban. When I miss being different, I miss looking like a Sikh. Thank you."

"Wonderful film - a perspective I have not had many opportunities to share in or be a part of. Thank you for bringing it to us. It can help heal the world."

"I hope that your contribution, wonderful contribution, will help one day to the world to be one with us."

"GREAT JOB. Very courageous, incredible vision. Keep showing it for the government of the country for as many people as can see it."

"This was one of the stories of 9/11 that needed to be told. I really liked the solidarity with Muslims (none of the 'we're not Muslim' responses, I've always found that response profoundly unsatisfactory, because it does not challenge the ubiquitous identification of Islam with terrorism.) The humanity and particularity of the stories is what lends this film its universality."

"Beautifully edited to tell a powerful and thought-provoking story. Raised many complex issues about racial profiling and media representation. Kudos on a fabulous job!"

"The film is excellent - great universal message!"

"What was especially moving for me was learning about the details of Sodhi's life and death. I was aware of his murder, but had not thought about the interrelatedness of his death with others after 9/11 and with the history of prejudice in this country (such as the internment of Japanese Americans)."

"Thank you so much for telling this story. This is a film that can help this country become a place where we can all experience our own and each other's humanity fully. Namaste."

"I want to show this film to all my friends, family and family friends. This is a brilliant way to educate ourselves and start a dialogue and help increase awareness. Everyone should see this film and ask questions. I connected with it in so many different levels."

"While struck by many images in the film, the men who approached/accosted/provoked you in Union Station stayed with me as a symbol of hopelessness - the difficulty in breaking down prejudice - I wonder if the power of film can reach folks who are so rooted in their prejudices - how to reach those folks is a quandary. Will they ever see such a film -- did their brief encounter with you change them? Having been the recipient of aggressive proselytizing from Christians, who have never met a Jew, have no sense of my history and beliefs, I am left feeling somewhat helpless -- well hopeless to try and counter convince them. What is our response to those who feel more American than we do?"

"The film is very powerful -- as are the stories you tell so well. I agree that stories are among the best way to help us understand one another. Thank you."

"Simultaneously tragic and hopeful. Moving in so many ways. I want everyone I know to see it!"

"Is it possible that discrimination against people who looked 'foreign' began within the first few HOURS after the terror attacks in NYC on 9/11/01? Does turban = terror in the minds of Americans who are unfamiliar with the Sikh tradition? Are Sikhs part of our American "family"? All these and many more compelling issues are addressed in this film-making triumph. Beautifully written and skillfully shot and edited, it is a major contribution to our understanding of 9/11 and our own identity as Americans."

"A relevant film not so much because it shows something about Sikh American identity, but rather because it shows us something about a pattern of how Americans respond to difference in the context of fear. The end offers a glimpse of hope. A personal narrative drives it home."

"Divided We Fall probes the subtle complexities and the brutal simplicities of prejudice with devastating and illuminating candor. In a world mortally divided by hate violence so extreme that even the most seasoned diplomats find a way forward difficult to envision, the young filmmakers behind Divided We Fall not only envision that way but dare to walk it, and invite their viewers to follow."