Gurbir Singh Grewal’s new film Parvaaz The Journey premiered last weekend at the Oliver Theatre and will showcase many familiar landscapes and local landmarks, having been shot between Osoyoos and Oliver last year.
The filmmakers came from Surrey last year in the spring to shoot this feature that follows the story of a young man struggling to find his individuality while dealing with the changing relationship with his immigrant father.
As the immigrant experience is a theme that’s being explored more and more in recent movies, the filmmakers of Parvaaz The Journey wanted to highlight the side of this story which looks at the more nuanced struggles of an immigrant child.
From being bullied in their younger years, to grappling with their identity as a person between two worlds, growing up as a second generation immigrant is a whirlwind of emotions.
Navjot Barney, associate producer of the film, explains that sometimes immigrant parents don’t even realize that their kids are going through that process; they just want their children to preserve their own culture.
The production was quite a family affair as the screenwriter was in fact Barney’s husband, Barney Thomson, and their two sons also helped out on set with production design, and one of them even played a small role in the film.
The movie has won the royal reel award in feature film competition in Canada International Film Festival and was the semi-finalist in best cast and best cinematography categories in alternative film festival.
The movie, which is in both English, Hindi, and Punjabi (with subtitles) also deals with themes like being in an interracial relationship, and how that changes the dynamic in the protagonist’s family.
The crew chose the Osoyoos and Oliver location to shoot because they primarily thought it would be a beautiful setting for their story, but also to show that the protagonist’s father has built up an empire for himself, shown to be Kismet Estate Winery.
Barney also expressed her gratitude to the town of Osoyoos and Oliver, and local businesses which let the crew shoot in many locations including the Venables Theatre, Rattlesnake Canyon, Jojo’s Cafe, Kismet Winery, and the Oliver hospital.
“We just came there and people showed such support and such help; we were amazed,” said Barney. “We are so thankful to everybody in Osoyoos and Oliver, the people are amazing.”
