Here’s a brief update on the production of Saund vs Cochran as of August 2025.

We have now completed over 3 years of original research & development to unearth this untold yet extraordinary story about Dalip Singh Saund and Jackie Cochran Odlum running for Congress in 1956. We have connected with over 150 film and television archives, historical societies, and libraries to source never-before seen footage and photos of Saund and Cochran. We have found people who remember the events, and who we want to interview for the film. (Thankfully we interviewed Dr. Amarjit Singh Marwah, who was a campaign aide for Saund, before he passed away in January 2025.) And we have crafted a uniquely hybrid visual style for the film that that interweaves archival footage with scripted animated scenes.

This project has already earned support from the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Independent Television Service (ITVS), California Humanities, The Center for Asian American Media, and The Dirksen Congressional Center. Individual donors have also contributed $65,000 towards the development of this film, giving amounts from $25 – $10,000.

The film was on a promising path until this past April when the NEH unexpectedly terminated funding for media projects awarded during the previous administration. It’s an incredible stamp of approval to get the NEH grant! It’s a 50 page application and an eight-month process by which each project is carefully vetted by scholars, historians, and members of congress.

This sudden shift as well as other losses of federal funding to public media institutions has left many important projects like this one in urgent need of new partners and patrons. All rights are available. 

As we now seek production funding, we are thinking outside the box and welcome any ideas you have to finish this film.

We may collaborate with The Dirksen Congressional Center to release a “Saund Reader” – publishing the best of the archival newspapers, photos, and documents that can serve as an important resource for anyone interested to know more about Congressman Saund’s life and legacy.  [This will require a separate budget from the film budget.]

Director Mridu Chandra is tentatively scheduled to present her unique research and work in progress film clips on September 16th at the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California (CRIISC) in Riverside, CA.   Please stay tuned for more information and thank you for believing in this project as much as we do!

CALL TO ACTION: Please consider making a tax-deductible donation here to support the production of this film.  Historical documentaries are expensive in part because we have to license all of the historical news footage and photos that we use from entities such as ABC, CBS, and NBC, and others. Animation is also expensive and labor-intensive.