105 minutes – Drama
Language: English
Release date: February 2, 2007
Canadian distributor: Seville Pictures

Partition is set in that time when Great Britain gave up its rule of the subcontinent. Specifically, “partition” refers to the creation of the Dominion of Pakistan (later the Islamic Republic of Pakistan) on August 14, 1947 and the creation of the Union of India (later the Republic of India) one day later on August 15, 1947. To many who lived there at the time they experienced the end of a way of life they had almost always known. As partition divides a nation, two lives are brought together in a story that director Vic Sarin has been trying to make for more than two decades. Gian (Jimi Mistry) and Naseem (Kristin Kruek) are a latter-day Romeo and Juliet. With the partition of India and Pakistan sparking bloodshed between Sikhs and Muslims, their respective people might be mortal enemies but Gian and Naseem are determined to follow their hearts. Gian refuses to abandon his pledge to leave war and its atrocities behind, and Naseem can’t forget his courage and kindness in saving her from his countrymen`s swords. As their love flourishes and eventually finds acceptance in Gian`s village, the search for Naseem`s family goes on. But when it proves successful, their delicate world is shattered. A brief visit to see her family in Pakistan becomes a kind of imprisonment for Naseem, as her brothers and mother remain bitter about their fate and refuse to let her return to India. Gian sets off on a journey across a land whose wounds are still raw, hoping against hope that he can bring home peace and harmony. Shot in British Columbia and India, Partition is a Canada/South Africa/UK coproduction.

Also see: Northernstars.ca reviews Partition
Photo and poster courtesy of Seville Pictures