Writer-director-producer R. Paul Dhillon’s feature documentary Gone Are The Days, which is a multi-award winning film that is a powerful indictment of institutional racism in Canada, will make its Vancouver debut at Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival (VISAFF), which will take place early next month. Gone Are The Days is the story of the epic struggle of Canadian-South Asian Veterinarians led by their leader Dr. Hakam Bhullar, who fought against institutional racism and abuse of power for more than decade against the very government body that regulates their profession. It is a powerful story of heartbreak, perseverance and ultimately human triumph of the human spirit and a fight for justice to realize their Canadian dream against great odds.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

SURREY – Writer-director-producer R. Paul Dhillon’s feature documentary Gone Are The Days, which is a multi-award winning film that is a powerful indictment of institutional racism in Canada, will make its Vancouver debut at Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival (VISAFF), which will take place early next month. 

Gone Are The Days is the story of the epic struggle of Canadian-South Asian Veterinarians led by their leader Dr. Hakam Bhullar, who fought against institutional racism and abuse of power for more than decade against the very government body that regulates their profession. It is a powerful story of heartbreak, perseverance and ultimately human triumph of the human spirit and a fight for justice to realize their Canadian dream against great odds.

Dhillon told DESIBUZZCanada that he’s happy that the film will finally be shown locally where the story takes place after the film has been shown around the world, winning numerous awards.

“I’ve spent over decade filming this powerful story of a real-life David Vs. Goliath struggle and I’m happy that the film will finally make its Vancouver premiere,” Dhillon said. “It’s something that the subjects of the film wanted and I think VISAFF is the right festival to show it.

The annual VISAFF will take place this year from November 9-13 and screening time for Gone Are The Days will be announced soon.

The film has previously won numerous awards at festivals around the world including at the Impact DOCS Awards, a digital film festival which is a member of the Global Film Awards (GFA) family of competitions.  

The Impact DOCS Awards recognition came after Gone Are The Days was awarded the Jaipur International Film Festival’s (JIFF) runner-up prize as Second Best Documentary film out of over 240 films selected for the festival January 2020. The film has since won awards and recognition at the Yatha Katha Film Festival in Mumbai as well as the 4th Dimension Film Festival.

By winning an Impact DOCS award, Dhillon and his company MMM Films joins the ranks of other high-profile winners of this internationally respected award including the Oscar winning director Louie Psihoyos for his 2016 Best of Show – Racing Extinction, Oscar winner Yael Melamede for (Dis)Honesty – The Truth About Lies, and Emmy Award winner Gerald Rafshoon for Endless Corridors narrated by Oscar winner Jeremy Irons, and many more.

Rick Prickett, who chairs Impact DOCS, had this to say about the latest winners, “The judges and I were simply blown away by the variety and immensely important documentaries we screened. Impact DOCS is not an easy award to win. Entries are received from around the world from powerhouse companies to remarkable new talent. Impact DOCS helps set the standard for craft and creativity as well as power catalysts for global change. The goal of Impact DOCS is to help winners achieve the recognition they deserve for their dedication and work.”

Dhillon said he is extremely honoured by these recognitions of his film which he made with limited funds raised by him as he followed the story of these abused veterinarians over a decade as they fought their professional body which showed extreme form of discrimination and abuse of process.

Dhillon says Canadian elites talk a big game about fighting racism but what Dr. Bhullar and his colleagues did in fighting this absolutely abhorrent form of extreme racism and abuse was remarkable and a testament to the human spirit and the spirit of the immigrants.  

“I believe we have been denied exposure at mainstream Canadian film festivals which is sad and a censorship and a disgraceful act,” Dhillon said. “But we are so proud to tell this story that the Canadian establishment doesn’t want the world to see. Mighty is the Pen and the Camera.”

Gone Are The Days is expected to have a small theatrical run next year to coincide with the release of the book on the Veterinarians story, co-written by Dhillon, Erin McMullin and Dr. Bhullar.