San Diego Asian Film Festival 2008

As a Sikh man with a full beard and turban, Dr. Amrit Singh (Omid Abtahi) is often faced with the realities of racial profiling. But when he sees his dreams of becoming Chief of Surgery at a state-of-the-art transplant center dwindle because of his appearance, Amrit makes a wrenching decision. He goes against a tradition he's maintained his whole life and cuts his hair.

Despite his resolve to abandon tradition, he hides this decision from his girlfriend and family, which marks the beginning of a series of compromises as he deals with hospital politics and health care injustices. When the condition of patient Mary Stewart (Brenda Strong, “Desperate Housewives”) turns grim, Amrit begins to reexamine the value of the religious traditions he'd turned his back on. When a family secret is finally revealed, Amrit begins to understand the meaning behind the Sikh tradition.

Among the first feature-length narrative films portraying the Sikh experience, the award-winning OCEAN OF PEARLS is a powerful look at one man's balancing act between faith, family, and getting ahead.

2008 Grand Jury Award, Audience Award Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Co-presented by:
Intuit Indian Organization
San Diego Indian American Society
South Asian Bar Association of San Diego
Arthouse Movies Meetup Group