In A Long Journey Home, Filmmaker Adam Wadhwani chronicles the story of his family’s immigration from India to the United States.  Kishin and Kate Wadhwani grew up in India in the 1930s and 1940s. Married in the 1960s they lived in relative affluence with their two young boys in Mumbai until a strict new regulatory regime imposed restrictions on credit that bankrupted their family business. After several months, Kishin and Kate decided to try to move to the United States to start a new life. With no family in America, nor any money for food and shelter, they knew it would be a difficult transition. So instead of the entire family going, Kishin left to create a foundation for the family in America while the rest of the family stayed in India. When he got there Kishin stayed in a friend’s attic and sold shirts for a living. Kishin did this for about two years, slowly saving a little bit of the money he made each day. After a year of living in India, Kate, who was originally from a Jewish settlement in Mumbai, decided to take the boys to Israel where she had some family and government support. Back in America, one of Kishin’s friends suggested that he apply for positions as a doctor since he had finished medical school in India before running the tile factory. Even though Kishin didn’t have an American medical license, he was able to practice temporarily because he had finished a pediatric residency in the US as a young man. He finally received a license two and a half years after he had moved to the US, and settled into a hospital position in upstate New York. Now, with a steady income, Kishin was able to bring his family to America, for an emotional reunion. Today, Kishin and Kate are still happily married and living in Sacramento California. Their children, as well as nephews and nieces, have families of their own, surrounding Kate and Kishin with joy.

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About the Filmmaker

Submitted by Adam Wadhwani

Adam began producing film when he was ten. Inspired by a class project, he started by making videos to highlight and promote his cooking. When Adam was 12, he competed as a top 4 contestant on the television show MasterChef Junior, which further exposed to the filmmaking process. After the show wrapped, he joined his middle school’s media production class, where he gained experience with both the technical and artistic aspects of video production. Along with his film partner Andrew Morrissy, Adam’s work won several regional prizes at the annual Sacramento SEVAs (Student Educational Video Awards) in the category of creative expression and has posted several videos that have gotten tens of thousands of views. Together Adam and Andrew plan to enter several more contests in the coming year.