Promises: Inaugural B.C. screening in Surrey on April 30 to mark close of Sikh Heritage Month

FOLLOWING its April 13 screening at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, opened by Prime Minister Mark Carney and presented by the Federal Liberal Sikh Caucus and Senator Baltej Dhillon, Promises will hold its inaugural British Columbia screening in Surrey on Thursday, April 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the Surrey Arts Centre, marking the close of Sikh Heritage Month.

Set against the shared wartime history of Sikh, Canadian, and British soldiers, Promises brings forward a chapter of history too often left at the margins of national memory: Sikh soldiers fought in their hundreds of thousands as brothers-in-arms under a common flag, alongside British and Canadian forces, in defence of the freedoms Canadians enjoy today.

Promises is a cinematic adaptation and dramatisation of a short story from that landmark book—memorialising the often overlooked service of British Indian soldiers who helped liberate the world from fascist tyranny during World War II. Set against the backdrop of the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944, Promises follows the valiant efforts of Sikh troops from the legendary 4th Indian Division—the “Red Eagles”—who served in the British Eighth Army alongside Canadian soldiers. Their battlefield accomplishments were staggering: over 150,000 enemy captured, and more than a thousand battle honours and decorations earned across the North
African and Italian campaigns. Field Marshal Archibald Wavell immortalised the Division, stating: “The Fourth Indian Division will surely go down as one of the greatest fighting formations in military history—to be spoken of with such as The Tenth Legion, The Light Division of the Peninsular War, and Napoleon’s Old Guard.”

The Surrey screening comes at a time of growing concern about anti-Sikh racism in Canada. A national Anti-Sikh Hate Report released by the World Sikh Organization drew on more than 1,600 survey responses and found that 80% of respondents believe anti-Sikh hate has increased over the past five years, 65% reported verbal harassment, 91% of visibly identifiable Sikhs reported being targeted, and 70% of victims did not report incidents.

“Promises is a moving tribute to Sikh soldiers whose courage and sacrifice helped shape our shared history. It is an important act of remembrance that ensures these long overlooked stories take their rightful place in our national memory,” said Dhillon following the Ottawa screening.

“During Sikh Heritage Month, this screening offers an opportunity to honour a history of courage, sacrifice, and service that deserves a fuller place in Canada’s public memory,” said Sukh Dhaliwal, MP for Surrey Newton.

“Promises takes history out of the archive and places it in the heart. This is not only a war story; it is a Canadian family story about sacrifice, inheritance, and belonging,” said Parm Bains, MP for Richmond East-Steveston.

“Promises was made to honour sacrifice not only through commemoration, but through restoration – restoring to public memory a chapter of service too often overlooked. It gives emotional legibility to what history has too often left in the footnotes, lifting it into a tribute worthy of a proud patriotic tradition of service in defence of the Crown,” said Steven Purewal, Managing Director, Indus Media Foundation.

Organisers say the Surrey presentation is intended not only as a film screening, but as a civic and cultural act of remembrance in British Columbia – one that speaks to history, belonging, and the need for a fuller account of Sikh and Punjabi contribution within Canada’s shared national memory. The event is being supported by community and corporate sponsors committed to remembrance, inclusion, and public education.

Admission to the Surrey screening will be free, and members of the public will be able to obtain tickets directly through the Surrey Arts Centre box office.

Event Details
What:
Inaugural B.C. Screening of Promises
When:
Thursday, April 30 at 5:30 p.m.
Where:
Surrey Arts Centre, Surrey, B.C.
Tickets:
Free; available through the Surrey Arts Centre box office

About Promises
Promises is a short film by Indus Media Foundation that honours the service and sacrifice of Sikh soldiers across two World Wars in defence of the Crown at a time before Canadian citizenship was enacted. It brings forward the story of men who fought as brothers-in-arms under one flag alongside British and Canadian forces, and seeks to restore their rightful place in the Canadian nation-building saga through cinematic storytelling.