Saund vs. Cochran is a documentary about a Sikh American who ran for Congress and won – in 1956. This dramatic and groundbreaking congressional campaign electrified California and sparked local debate and national conversations about ethnicity, xenophobia, gender, celebrity, political representation, and inclusion.
In 1956, Dalip Singh Saund (D), a local judge and recently naturalized U.S. citizen of Indian descent, campaigned against Jackie Cochran Odlum (R), an aviation pioneer, celebrated WWII pilot, and owner of a cosmetics empire, in a run for Congress in California’s 29th District. While Cochran had unlimited resources and Presidential support, Saund’s grassroots, family-led voter registration drive targeted a changing demographic and led to a narrow and unexpected 3,300-vote victory, making him the first-ever Asian member of the U.S. Congress.
The film is about the first Asian American, first Indian American, and first Sikh American elected to serve in the U.S. Congress. It is about a female aviation pioneer who broke barriers in the air and in the political arena. A nonpartisan perspective on this surprisingly undertold story will highlight the process by which democracy works and evolves, the power of coalition politics and voter registration, and the intersection of varied considerations of ethnicity, gender, wealth and belonging as we consider how to vote in 2024.
Status: RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Principal Credits: Directed and Produced by Mridu Chandra
HOW YOU CAN HELP
CONNECTIONS
Connect me to anyone who knew Dalip Singh Saund or Jackie Cochran Odlum, or anyone who voted in 1956 (they would be in their 80s or older today).
FUNDING
Producing a historical film is costly and requires the efforts of many. Please consider financially supporting the project by giving a tax-deductible donation or an in-kind service to the production of the film. This funding and in-kind support is critical to achieving a work sample that I can pitch to funders and broadcasters who need this work sample in order to commit to the film. ANY AMOUNT IS WELCOME!
- For tax-deductible CHECK donations, please make the check payable to my fiscal sponsor “The Center for Independent Documentary” and put “Saund vs Cochran” in the memo line. Please mail your check to: The Center for Independent Documentary PO Box 95216 Newton, MA 02495
- For tax-deductible CREDIT CARD donations, click here: https://www.documentaries.org/saund-vs-cochran
HOST AN EVENT
Consider inviting me to present the story to your personal network or to a group of colleagues (companies often double or match your tax-deductible donations).
SUPPORTED BY
ITVS Humanities Documentary Fellowship
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
FALL INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
If you would like to learn how to do archival research for a feature documentary, come join us as we dig this story out of the archives! See our Internship posting HERE for more information and how to apply.
PAST EVENTS– AUGUST 28th FILMMAKER TALK on ZOOM
