FILMS AND VIDEOS ON TIBET
Last updated: 1 April 2024
This list is maintained by A. Tom Grunfeld (TOM.GRUNFELD@ESC.EDU ). It was begun many years ago (in the early 1990s?) by Sonam Dargyay and others have contributed since. I welcome ‑ and encourage ‑ any contributions of ideas, suggestions for changes, corrections and, of course, additions. All the information I have available to me is on this list so please do not ask if I have any additional information because I don’t. I have seen only a few of the films on this list and, therefore, cannot vouch for everything that is said about them. Whenever possible I have listed the source of the information. I will update this list as I receive additional information so checking it periodically would be prudent. The information was accurate when I enter it but after 20+ years no doubt some of the links may no longer be viable.
This list has no copyright; I gladly share it with whomever wants to use it. I would appreciate, however, an acknowledgment when the list, or any part, of it is used.
The following represents a resource list of films and videos on Tibet. For more information about acquiring these films, contact the distributors directly.
Office of Tibet, 241 E. 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016 (212‑213‑5010)
Wisdom Films (Wisdom Publications no longer sells these films. If anyone knows the address of the company that now sells these films, or how to get in touch with them, I would appreciate it if you could let me know. Many, but not all, of their films are sold by Meridian Trust.)
Meridian Trust, 330 Harrow Road, London W9 2HP (01‑289‑5443)http://www.meridian‑trust/.org
Mystic Fire Videos, P.O. Box 422, Prince Street Station, New York, NY 10012 (212‑941‑0999)http://www.mysticfire.com/index.html
Snow Lion, P. O. Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851 (800‑950‑0313) http://www.snowlionpub.com/
Films for the Humanities & Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, NJ 08543‑2053 (609‑275‑1400;http://www.films.com )
Robbie Barnett is the former Director of the Modern Tibet Studies Program at Columbia University, New York. You can get in touch with him through the program.
The New York Times published an article on 19 March 2000 entitled “In Current Films on Tibet, Hold the Shangri‑La” by Barbara Stewart which accurately depicts the historical and cultural distortions in films about Tibet. It also discusses the gap between the real Tibet and the Hollywood images which are accurate depictions of what Americans want Tibet to have been. The New York Times will only allow me to post the article on this web site if I pay them US$200 a year. This was an offer I could easily decline. If you want to read the article you can get it from a database or e‑mail me.
A. Tom Grunfeld
__________________________________________________________________
The National Film and Television Archive at the British Film Institute (London) has some 20 hours of films made by British diplomats in Tibet. These include films by F. M. Bailey (“Tibet circa 1928″), Charles Bell, Spencer Chapman, Basil Gould, James Guthrie, and George Sherriff.
The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford holds some films by Spencer Chapman although there is only a little from Tibet. During 6 months in Lhasa Chapman took 2500 still photographs, 13,000 feet of 35‑mm film, 6,000 feet of 16‑mm film Kodachrome color film along with 6,000 16‑mm black and white film.
Leslie Weir’s films are in private hands; probably his family, see Joanna Lumley below.
Frederick Williamson’s films are in the Cambridge University Museum of Archeology and Anthropology.
The Liverpool Museum also has some Tibet films but they are not catalogued.
In 1948 two Canadians, William Dunning and Ernest Reid, spent three months in southern Tibet; I don’t believe they got to Lhasa. Reid took still pictures and shot film footage for what were intended to be documentaries. The films seem to have been lost although Reid’s family has some 1000 photos that have been preserved.
A few films were made by Tibetans, Tsarong and Jigme Taring, in the 1940s and they survive in private collections in the US and India.
See “Tibetan Horizon: Tibet and Cinema in the Early Twentieth Century,” by Peter H. Hansen in Imagining Tibet. Perceptions, Projections, and Fantasies, edited by Thierry Dodin and Heinz Rather (Wisdom Publications, 2001).
Chinese television programs are available on the CCTV‑9 channel web site, China’s state television English language station: http://www.cctv.com/english/index.shtml
The Tibetan administration in India also has a TV channel which can be accessed at: http://www.tibetonline.tv/ .
Robbie Barnett has compiled an extraordinary list of films, plays and TV shows with reference to Tibet produced in China. I am grateful to him for sharing it with me. Films cited by date of production. Some of these titles may be duplicated in the listings.
For more details and a fuller list see: Robert Barnett, “Close Encounters of the Filmic Kind: Visualising the Chinese Arrival in Tibet,” in Conflicting Memories. Tibetan History under Mao Retold, Edited by Robert Barnett, Benno Weiner, Françoise Robin (Leiden/London: Brill, 2020). Pages 139-203.
Key:
* Films showing the early encounter of the CCP with Tibetans ** Films showing historical “precursors” of the Chinese-Tibetan encounter
Chinese title English title Director Year
Shenmi de Xizang 神秘的西藏 Mysterious Tibet [Yueming Film Co.] 1935
Huang zhuan shi fenglìng ru Zang zhi ji Dalai lama 黄专使奉令入藏致祭达赖喇嘛 Commissioner Huang is Sent to Tibet to Commemorate the Dalai Lama [Yueming Film Co.] 1935
Neimeng renmin de shengli 内蒙人民的胜利 The Victory of the Inner Mongolian People
Gan Xuewei 干学伟 1950
Jinyintan 金银滩 *Gold and Silver River Band/Gold and Silver Plains Ling Zifen 凌子峰 1953
Menghe de liming 孟河的黎明 *Dawn of the Meng River Lu Reng 鲁韧, Zhu Danxi 朱丹西 1955
Baofengyu zhong de xiongying 暴风雨中的雄鹰 *Eagles Brave the Storm Wang Yi 王逸 1957
Dujiang tanxian 渡江探 *Explorers Crossing the River Shi Daqian 史大千, Shi Wenzhi 史文炽 1958
Feiyue tian xian 飞越天险 *Flying Over Natural Dangers/Overcoming the impossible
Li Enjie 李恩杰 1959
Kunlun tieqi 昆仑铁骑 *The Kunlun Cavalry/Steel Cavalry on Kunlun Mountain
Yuan Naicheng 袁乃晨 1960
Keshan rihong (geju) 柯山日红（歌剧） *Red Sun of Ke Mountain (musical) Dong Zhaoqi 董兆琪 1960
Hongying (geju) 红鹰（歌剧） *Red Eagle (musical) Wang Shaoyan 王少岩 1960
Wucailu 五彩路 *Colourful Road Wei Rong 魏荣 1960
Caoyuan fengbao 草原风暴 *Storm on the Grassland Lin Feng林丰 1960
Kunlun shanshang yikecao 昆仑山上一棵草 *A Blade of Grass on the Kunlun Mountains
Dong Kena (f.) 董克娜 1962
Jinsha jiangpan金沙江畔 *On the Side of the Gold Sand River (Dzachu)[1]
Fu Chaowu 傅超武 1963
Nongnu 农奴 *The Serf Li Jun 李俊 1963
Bingshan xuelian冰山雪莲 *Snow Flower of the Ice Mountain Xiang Ling 向霖 1978
Xueshanlei 雪山泪 * Snow Mountain Tears/Forbidden to be Born[2]
Hua Chun 华纯, Ren Pengyuan 任鹏远 1979
Yaya *Yaya Sun Yu 孙羽 1979
Disan nüshen 第三女神 *The Third Goddess Liu Yuhe 刘玉河 1982
Qingchunji 青春祭 Sacrificed Youth/The Rite of Youth Zhang Nuanxin 张暖忻 (f.) 1985
Liechang zhasha 猎场札撒 On the Hunting Ground Tian Zhuangzhuang 田壮壮 1985
Nü huofo 女活佛 The Female Living Buddha, Rje tsun bzang mo Li Wei 李伟 1986
Daomazei 盗马贼 Horse Thief Tian Zhuangzhuang 田壮壮 1986
Songzan ganbu 松赞干布 **The King Srongtsan Gampo Yang Jiyou 杨吉友, et al 1988
Shoumuren 守墓人 *The Grave-keeper Zhuoga 卓嘎 (Drolkar, f.) 1988
Banchan dongxing 班禅东行 **The Panchen’s Journey to the East (not known) 1989
Budala gong de mishi布达拉宫的密史 **The Secret History of the Potala Palace, Po TA la’i gsang gtam
Zhang Yi 张一 1989
Shijie wuji de taiyang 世界屋脊的太阳 Sun on the Roof of the World
Wang Ping 王坪, Xie Fei 谢飞 1991
Zaina yaoyuan de difang 在那遥远的地方 *In a Land Far, Far Away[3] Teng Wenji 滕文骥 1993
Kong Fansen 孔繁森 *Kong Fansen Chen Guoxing 陈国星 1995
Honghe gu 红河谷 **Red River Valley, Grog rong dmar po Feng Xiaoning 冯小宁 1997
Yixi Zhuoma 益 *Yeshe Drolma/Song of Tibet, Ye shes sgrol ma Xie Fei谢飞 2000
Gege 哥哥 Brother/Elder Brother Yan Yan Mak 麥婉欣 2001
Wode gesang meiduo 我的格桑梅朵 *My Lucky Flower (lit. ‘My Auspicious Flower’)
Xiong Yu 熊郁 2002
Ji di yingjiu 极地营救 Red Snow Zhang Jianya 張建亞 2002
Da Tang gongzhu xiyouji 大唐公主西域记 **Legend of the Tang Dynasty Princess’s Journey to the West
Wu Fashen 吴发 深 2003
Xueshan buhui wangji 雪山不会忘记 *The Snow Mountain Will Not Forget
Zhuoga 卓嘎(Drolkar, f.) 2006
Ganglameiduo冈拉梅朵 Ganglhametog (lit. ‘Snow-pass Flower’) Dai Wei戴玮 (f.) 2007
Huidao Lasa 回到拉萨 Back to Lhasa Zhuoga 卓嘎 (Drolkar, f.) 2007
Yingdi tianyuan 鹰笛天缘 Eagle Flute Jiang Tao 江涛 2009
Xin Kangding qingge 新康定情歌 *New Kangding Qingge/A Tibetan Love Song[4]
Jiang Ping 江平 2010
Xizang wangshi 西藏往事 Once Upon a Time in Tibet Dai Wei 戴玮 (f.) 2010
Shengsi jin tian’e 生死金天鹅 *Life and Death Golden Swan Zhou Yupeng 周玉 2010
Xian qian lian 先遣连 *Heroic Advance Company Hu Xueyang 胡雪杨 2011
Geisang Meiduo 格桑梅朵 Kalzang Metog/Kelsang Metok (lit. ‘Auspicious Flower’)
Han Chifei 韩赤飞 2011
Manai de xinniang 马奈的新娘 Manai’s Bride Han Wanfeng 韩万峰 2012
Gannan manba 甘南曼巴 *A Village Doctor’s Choice Zhou Yupeng 周玉鹏 2013
Xizang tiankong 西藏天空 *Tibet Sky/Phurbu and Tenzin, Bod kyi mkha’ khyab
Fu Dongyu 傅东育 2014
Gannan qingge 甘南情歌 Gannan Love Song/The Devil Incarnate/A Blossom of Love in Gannan
Gao Liqiang 髙力强 2014
Television drama series
Tianlu 天路 *Sky Road/Heavenly Road (not known) 1984
Leiba fo chuanqi肋巴佛传奇 *The Uprising of Alag Tsugu,[5] A lags rtsib bu’i ‘os longs
Sun Zhongguang 孙重光, Liu Ren 刘刃 1989
Gubao 古堡 or 孤岛 *Watchtower,[6] Rma yul btsan rdzong Rong Demin (?) 1991
Tianlu 天路 *Sky Road/Heavenly Road,[7] Mkha’ mnyam gzhung lam Wang Wenjie 王文 杰 1994
Fansen 孔繁森 *Kong Fansen Wang Wenjie 王文杰 1995
Banchan dongxing 班禅东行 **The Panchen’s Journey to the East, PaN chen shar phyogs su bskyod pa Kan
Weiping 阚卫 1997
Xue zheng 雪震 *Snow Quake, Gangs yom Yang Tao 杨韬, Shu Chongfu 舒崇福 1998
Xizang fengyun 西藏风云 *Tibet Wind and Clouds, Bod kyi dus ’gyur[8] Zhai Qunjie 翟俊杰 1999
Wencheng gongzhu 文成公主 **Princess Wencheng, ’Un sheng kong jo Cai Xiaoqing蔡晓晴 2000
Lasa wangshi 拉萨往事 Tales of Lhasa’s Past, Lha sa’i sngon byung gtam rgyud Yang Tao 杨韬,
Cheng Lu 陈鲁 2002
Chen ai luo ding 尘埃落定 *When the Dust Settles/Red Poppies, [Bden rdzun] brdar sha chod pa
Yan Jiangang 闫 2002
Kangding qingge 康定情歌 *Love Song of Kangding/Ballad of Kangding, Dar mdo’i mdza’ gzhas
Wang Xiaolie 王小列 2004
Geda huofo 格达活佛 *Getag Trulku/Geda Living Buddha, Dge rtag sprul sku Yang Tao杨韬 2005
Cha ma gu dao 茶马古道 *Tea-horse Road,[9] Ja rta’i gna’ lam Nnnnnnn Zhang Mingzhi 张明智 2005
Jiangzi 1904 江孜1904 **Gyantse 1904 Luo Deng 罗登 2005
Wo zai tiantang deng ni 我在天堂等你 *I Wait for You in Paradise Ma Gongwei 马功伟 2006
Xueyu qing 雪域情 *Love in the Snowland Qian Xiaohong 钱晓鸿, Yang Yaozu 杨耀祖 2006
Xueyu tianlu 雪域天路 *Snowy Sky Road Yang Tao杨韬 2010
Xiangelila 香格里拉 *Shangri-la Jiang Jiayun蒋家俊 2011
Xueyu Kunlun/Ali Ali 雪域昆仑/阿里， 阿里 *Snow-capped Kunlun/Ali, Ali!
Zhou Yaojie 周耀杰 2012
Xizang mimi 西藏秘密 *Tibet’s Secret Liu Debin 刘德濒, Liu Xuesong 刘雪松 2013
Maoniu suiyue 牦牛岁月 *The Yak Years Liu Yiran 刘毅然 2013
Plays
Banchan dongxing 班禅东行 **The Panchen’s Journey to the East Sun Demin 孙德民 (writer) 1980
Sheng lü 圣旅 **Holy Journey Sun Demin 孙德民 1997
Zongshanhun 宗山魂 **The Zong Mountain Spirit
Pei Fulin 裴富林 and Nyima Dondrub 尼玛顿珠 (writers) 2004
Liushi Banchan 六世班禅 * *The Sixth Panchen Lama Cao Qijing曹其敬 (director) 2014
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Also called “The Shore of the Mekong River”.
[2] Also called “The Tearful Snowy Capped Mountain”.
[3] The film title is taken from a popular song written by Wang Luobin, a musicologist and song-collector whose life is dramatized in the film. The song’s title is variously translated as “In That Place Wholly Faraway”, “In That Faraway Place”, “In a Faraway Fairyland”, “In That Distant Place”, “In That Far-Off Land” and other forms.
[4] Literally “New Love Song of Kangding”, also called “The Noble Spirit”.
[5] Also called “The Saga of Leiba Buddha”.
[6] Literally, “Mayul Watchtower”.
[7] Literally, “Road Like the Sky”.
[8] Literally, “The Changing Times of Tibet”.
[9] Also called “the Ancient Tea Horse Trail”.
1. “1 Mile Above”
Directed by Du Jiayi
“…director Du Jiayi tries to persuade us that theres nobility in risking your life to cycle more than 1,100 miles across some of the worlds most treacherous terrain…Adopting Xie Wanglis novel Zhuan Shan merges road movie and spiritual pilgrimage to follow Shuhao (Bryon Chang) a young Taiwanese graduate on his rocky road from central China to Lhasa, Tibet….seems determined to make location the star. Filling the blanks with ice cream mountains and swoon‑inducing vistas… ” [Review by Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 7 June 2013]
In Chinese with English subtitles. 1 hour 30 minutes. 2013
2. “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama”
Film by former Lonely Planet backpacker turned cinematographer, writer and director, Rick Ray.
“Based around an interview with his Holiness the Dalai Lama, Rick Ray has created a film that explores some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together the experience of his own journey throughout India and the wisdom of this exceptional man.” [producers]
Rick Ray, 816 W. Figueroa St. #C, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, (818) 359‑4035, Fax: 805‑884‑6140, email: rick@dvarchive.com, Web site: http://rickrayfilms.com
3. “16 Barkhor South Street”
Directed by Duan Jinchuan
“The first of three documentaries that Duan Jinchuan shot in Tibet in 1995, No 16. Barkhor South Street takes obvious cues from American documentary giant Frederick Wiseman in both its focus on the innerworkings of an institution (the Barkhor Neighborhood Committee, a Communist Party-directed office in Lhasa that conducts community mediation and encourages Party registration) and in its “direct cinema” style. The film offers us a rare glimpse inside a government office of the People’s Republic. Police recruits native to Lhasa are seen in classrooms learning modern Chinese history, a sequence with parallels to the ‘re-education’ of Uyghurs in Xinjiang today. Various meetings are held to stress, with unconvincing congeniality, the paramount importance of active opposition to separatism—especially as the Committee (and Lhasa at large) prepares to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Duan demonstrates a complete understanding of the complex social dynamics in front of his camera, whether it’s the demand for assimilation from the residents, as measured against the rigorous approval-requirements for anyone to join the Party, or the overwhelmed feelings of officials as they struggle to apply modern legal rationale to familial conflicts clearly rooted in immovable, indigenous Buddhist traditions.” [Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, April 8-21 newsletter]
Grand Price Winner le prix du Cineel Cinema du Reel, 1997.
96 minutes, 1996 (Chinese with English subtitles). Available from the International Campaign for Tibet.
4. “21 TARAS: Our Journey Through Life”
Produced, directed, edited, composed by Anahata Iradah, featuring the work of Prema Dasara
“The Dance of Tara is an expression of the highest human ideals. The goal of the practice is to manifest enlightened mind‑‑to integrate all dimensions of consciousness, to see clearly the truth behind phenomena, to develop the mind, so it may function in life, empowered and inspired.
Tara is the female bodhisattva of mercy and compassion, and is the patron goddess of Tibet. Tara is a deity of Buddhist Tantra, a potentiality latent within everyone. Tara practice is designed to help us discover our own perfection.
This DVD is a must for anyone who wishes to know more about Tara, sacred dance or spiritual practice. Prema Dasara has lived and breathed Tara for many years and her wisdom radiates through the DVD. Anahata’s music and editing add tasteful elements.” [producers]
DVD includes 29 sections. US$25.00. Snow Lion.
5. ” A Brief History of Life”
Film by Tenzin Jangchup
“The film maker tells his story from growing up in exile in India to moving to Canada as a young adult.” [producers]
Canada. 2007. 6 minutes.
6.”A Buddhist Monk‑‑The Dalai Lama of Tibet: Eleven Days in England”
Directed by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam.
Personal profile of His Holiness presenting him in his various roles as Buddhist teacher, international spokesman for peace and exiled leader of the Tibetan people.
Wisdom Films , 1988, 40 minutes. US$32.00. Also Meridian Trust.
7.* “A Butter Lamp at the Foot of the Snow Mountains”
Producers: Tashi Tsering and Kungpu Dunchun
A 60 minute documentary made for China Central Television and shown on CCTV 9 in English. An overly melodramatic depiction of the Tashi Tsering’s efforts in recent years to build private schools and encourage education in Tibet. His early years (including prison during the Cultural Revolution) are glossed over or omitted. Tashi himself heaps praise on the Chinese Communist Party which, I assume, has to do with ingratiating himself with the authorities so they will continue to allow him to do what he is doing. Best seen after having read his autobiography: The Struggle for Modern Tibet. [Grunfeld]
September 2005
8. “A Commentary on the Awakening Mind by Arya Nagarjuna”
By H. H. the XIV Dalai Lama, with Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen, translated by Thupten Jinpa
“This well‑produced DVD set covers the Dalai Lama’s teachings on this key text by Nagarjuna. Beautifully filmed in Pasadena in 2006, the 4‑DVD set comes with a booklet containing Nagarjuna’s text in English. Watching this great DVD enables you to experience these wonderful teachings.” [producers]4 DVD set with booklet.
US$70. Snow Lion.
9.* “A Conversation with the Dalai Lama”
ABC‑TV Nightline, 13 September 1995. Interviewed by Ted Koppel.
Approx. 22 minutes.
10 . “A Day of the Little Living Buddha”
A film by Pema Tseden (Wanma Caidan) who was born in the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai province and studied at the Beijing Film Academy.
2003
11. “A Gesar Bards Tale”
Film by Donagh Coleman and Lharigtso
As a boy, Dawa was an illiterate Tibetan nomad, whose life revolved around herding yaks. At 13 his life changed. Through a series of visions, Dawa got the gift of telling Tibets King Gesar epic story. Thousands of verses of the worlds longest epic started pouring out of the nomad boy, who became a famous Gesar bard. Now, at 35, Dawa receives a salary from the Chinese Government as a guardian of national cultural heritage, and is regarded as a holy man by his community. Apart from his incredible gift , he is like any other 30‑something, interested in cars, music and a comfortable family life in his newly built house. Then, a devastating earthquake hits Dawas hometown Gyegu. With the old Tibetan town reduced to rubble, Chinese redevelopment of the region takes a giant leap forward. In the midst of such seismic shifts, Dawa seeks healing from King Gesar and other divine protectors of the land. [producers]
Finland 2013 82 minutes in Tibetan with Finish and English subtitles. http://vimeo.com/61600226
12 . “A Girl From China”
Directed by Sonam Tseten
The film tells the story of Que, a young Chinese girl from Shanghai, who during her holidays in India meets a young Tibetan boy who helps her discover about Tibet.
Tseten says that the relationship between the main characters of the film demonstrates the people to people contact. [https://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/1927488.html]
2014. In Tibetan.
13 .”A Guest of Life ‑ Alexander Csoma de KÖrÖs”
Directed by Tibor Szemz
Csomo was a Hungarian from Transylvania (now part of Romania) who went to central Asia in the 19th century in search of the roots of the Hungarian people. He became an expert on Tibet. He died in 1842, at the age of fifty‑eight, in the Himalayas near today’s border between India and China.
“The poor scholar was one of our century’s great, original pioneers. As a student, before he started university, together with two other fellow‑students, he solemnly vowed to devote his life to the task of penetrating Central Asia in quest of the origin of his nation. In the first thirty‑five years of his life he prepared himself for the task in Europe, and during the next twelve years he travelled around as a pilgrim in Asia or lived a life of solitude and privation in the cold of Tibet, learning from Buddhist monks. He spent the remaining eleven years of his life publishing in India parts of the material he had collected himself. […] His fate was typical of scholarly pioneers. Someone else reaped the rewards of his efforts. To the scholars of his century Csoma was an obscure, Transylvanian figure, abandoned among the Himalayan hills‑however, from the summits a giant cast its shadow on Central Asia.” (W.W. Hunter)
This Hungarian film is largely a poetic attempt to conjure up the mysteries of the “inscrutable” Himalayan region. Philosophical musing are heard in multiple languages which are rarely, if ever, translated into English. There is an English narration but it’s mostly a visual experience (unless one understands the multiple languages) dramatized by animated illustrations and scenes from present‑day India shot in a manner which reminded me of hand‑colored postcards of a century ago. You will learn very little of Csomo and nothing at all about Tibet. [Grunfeld]
79 minutes, 2006.
14.”A Guide to Walking Meditation”
By Thich Nhat Hanh
“Thich Nhat Hanh instructs a group of students in the joys of this simple practice. His underlying theme: Be happy, peaceful, and serene.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 30 minutes. Also Mystic Fire Video and Meridian Trust. US$32.00
15. “A Hundred Phoenixes Face the Sun” (Bai feng chao yang)
Chinese film directed by Chen Huaikai. 1959.
16. “A Kind Heart”
Traditional introduction to Buddhism given at Caxton Hall, London in 1982 by the Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, debate partner and assistant tutor to the Dalai Lama.
Meridian Trust, 60 minutes, color. US$35.00.
17. “A lags rtsu gu”(A lags rtsib bu’i ‘os longs)
Chinese Central TV and Gansu TV, 1980s
The history of Tibet’s “liberation;” in the 1940s. The Chinese Communist Party vs the Goumindang in Amdo.
Several episodes in Tibetan. Robbie Barnett collection.
18. “A Life for Tibet ‑ The XIV Dalai Lama”
Friedhelm BrÜckner Production,
A “docufilm” premiered in Weisbaden, Germany on 4 June 2005.
19. “A Man Called Nomad”
Alex Gabbay
“What makes a nomad? Is it his land, his herd or is it just his heart? What if his land is fenced, his movements restricted? What if he has to live in town? Can he still be a nomad? What happens to his land? His herd? His heart?
Through the story of Choegatar, a 30‑year old nomad living in North Eastern China, “A Man Called Nomad” explores the dilemmas of a modern nomad caught between traditional nomadic life and the changing world around him.” [producers]
39 min
20. “A Man of Peace”
Produced by the Meridian Trust and the Office of Information and International Relations (England/India)
“In 1989 His Holiness was awarded the Nobel Peace price and in December went to Oslo for the award ceremony. Whilst there he also visited Trondheim, Bergen and the Arctic region Samiland. This documentary is an intimate portrayal of His Holiness, capturing his warmth, wisdom, compassion and humor. Includes excerpts from the award ceremony and His Holiness’ speech and a reindeer‑drawn sled ride.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 40 minutes. US$32.00
21. “A Monk’s Voice”
Directed and produced by Montreal film maker Nathalie Ducharme with the collaboration of Sylvie Alex‑Lortie
“This film, told through the story of one very special Tibetan monk documents the firm grasp Tibetans still hold on their culture. For half of a century, Tibet has been under the shadow of Chinese rule. Despite Chinese attempts to oppress all glimpses of Tibetan culture, Tibetans have tenaciously maintained their heritage. Though banished to India, this very special monk actively and optimistically works to preserve his religion, his people and Tibet itself.” [Producers]
For more information: BIG DEAL PRODUCTIONS, Tel.: (514) 947‑9155, ‑bigdealprod@sympatico.ca
22. “A Mother’s Son”
Directed by Nawang N. Anja‑Tsang .
A Mother’s Son tells the heart‑rending tale of 16‑year old Dorjee Tsering who sets himself on fire [in Dehra Dun, India] as his way of trying to get the world to focus on the terrible situation in Tibet. The controversial tactic of self‑immolation is sensitively handled in the film, which includes interviews with Dorjee’s relatives and friends and statements from the Karmapa and the Sikyong (Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in exile) Lobsang Sangay. [producers]
2016. UK. 60 minutes.
23. “A Necklace” (Yi chuan xianglian)
Chinese film directed by Wu Can. 1966.
24. “A Nomad’s Life”
Directors: Lynn True, Nelson Walker;
Producers: Keefe Murren, Tsering Perlo, Lynn True, Nelson Walker
“A young Tibetan family questions whether their nomadic traditions can survive against the challenges of a rapidly modernizing world.” [producers]
2008, 9 min. Available at http://snagfilms.com/films/title/media_that_matters_8_a_nomads_life/
25. “A Path To Happiness: A Guide to Living a Balanced Life”
By His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama “Being happy is not only our right, the Dalai Lama teaches, but is clearly the principal force that drives our lives. Our ability to attain a lasting happiness, however, is not so clear. The path of inner transformation begins with developing an understanding of our true nature. Once this door opens, one naturally develops a feeling of compassion and acceptance for oneself and others. In these difficult times, people are looking for answers to finding inner peace and happiness and arguably the greatest teacher shares important insights to getting there.This 4‑hour DVD includes: MEDITATING WITH THE DALAI LAMA…THE POWER OF COMPASSION…COMPASSION: THE BASIS OF HUMAN HAPPINESS…”
[producers]A portion of the profits go to Tibetan Cultural Preservation
Projects.4‑hr. DVD. Snow Lion. US$ 24.99
26. “A Red Star Over Tibet”
Canadian film produced by Robert Davidson and Stephen McMillan. 1989. 60 minutes. Could be the same as “Red Flag Over Tibet;” see below.
27. “A Refugee Story In India”
Produced and distributed by the United States Information Agency.
A high‑ranking Buddhist monk Ngawang Thuthop, who has fled from Chinese persecution in Tibet, describes hardships under communism. A resume of the stand of Tibet’s people against the communists and the flight of refugees into India is given.
1965
28.* “A Review of the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet”
Central News and Documentary Films Film Productions, People’s Republic of China
Directed by Gu Jiangming and Zha Xi
Some interesting historic footage and China’s case for Tibet having been an “integral part” of China for centuries. Otherwise, a rather crude propaganda film complete with stirring background music and happy natives singing and dancing. [Grunfeld]
(1991?) 60 minutes
29. “A Shawl to Die For”
A Wildlife Trust of India film
Director: Rita Banerji
“…The film traces the ancient craft of Shahtoosh weaving in Kashmir, India and its links to the decline of the Tibetan antelope found in the Tibetan plateau. It also explores the struggle of former shahtoosh workers displaced by the ban in Shahtoosh production, and interventions brought about by the Shahtoosh Workers Rehabilitation…The film also documented, using hidden cameras, the smuggling of raw Shahtoosh from Tibet into Srinagar, and of other wildlife articles such as otter skins from India into Tibet…”The film is perhaps the first to document shahtoosh production processes in detail and make it available for public view. The filming was done around 2001, and many protagonists of this movie have since passed away. Yet, shahtoosh weaving continues in Srinagar, underground….” [Phayul, 4 November, 2009]
30. “A Singing Blade”
Film by Tenzin Phuntsog
… a fictional short written and directed by Tenzin Phuntsog, takes its inspiration from Black Yamari, a thangka in the Rubin Museums collection.
Recalling her childhood memories, a young Tibetan woman living in New York, displaced, questions if all is lost. Realizing that beauty is fleeting, she attempts to find solace in poetry, ancient texts, and art. [producers]
2014
31. “A Song for Tibet”
Produced by National Film Board of Canada & Arcady Productions. Directed by Anne Henderson
“…chronicles the struggle for Tibet’s liberation through the eyes of two Tibetan Canadians, both passionately committed to the cause. They go to North India, meet recently escaped Tibetans and hear of the horrors happening in their country, including torture, imprisonment and forced abortion…They return to Canada for the first visit by H. H. the Dalai Lama and the prevailing western attitude is encapsulated in the indifference of the Canadian government…” [producers]
1991, 56 minutes 41 seconds. Available from the National Film Board of Canada (http://www.onf.ca/cgi‑bin/sireindex?ti) Also Meridian Trust.
32. “A Stranger in my Native Land”
Produced by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, 1998
“…a vivid personal account of loss and disappointment as an exile discovers his country for the first time. Late in 1996 Tenzing Sonam, an award‑winning Tibetan film‑maker born and brought up in exile, made his first visit to his homeland. He was accompanied by his wife, Ritu Sarin, a noted Indian film maker..Together the two film‑makers travel from Kumbum…to Lhasa.” [producers]
33 minutes, video. US$195 cmil@uclink.berkeley.edu
33. “A Tibetan New Year”
Produced by Jon Jerstad
“This programme documents the Tibetan New Year celebrations carried out by the monks of the only Bonpo community outside Tibet, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. This magnificent mountain scenery provides a dramatic background as the programme shows the preparations and enactment of the annual ceremony with the monks and local villagers performing the various rituals.” [producers] Wisdom
Films, 43 minutes. US$44.00. Also Meridian Trust.
34. “A Tibetans Journey for Justice”
Produced by Jonah M. Kessel
The story of a Tibetan who tries to sue the Chinese government to enforce the Chinese Constitutions which gives Tibetans (and all minorities) the rights to use their own languages. [Grunfeld]
28 November 2015. New York Times Documentary 9:12 minutes at
http://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000004031427/a‑tibetans‑journey‑for‑justice.html?emc=eta1
35. “A Tribute to a Lama: Thubten Yeshe 1935‑1984”
“Lama Yeshe was a major influence in the transmission of Tibetan Buddhism in the West and this short tribute includes excerpts from his teachings and some informal moments.” [producers]
Wisdom Films, approx. 60 minutes
36. “A Tribute to Naropa & His Lineage: The Sight‑Liberating Naropa Ceremony in 2004”
“HH The Twelfth Gyalwang Drupka and his predecessors are revered as incarnations of the 11thcentury mystic Naropa. This video documents events around a ceremony in which His Holiness puts on the priceless Six Bone Ornaments of Naropa.” [producers]
Snow Lion, video US$24.95
37. “A Woman who paints thangkas”
Directed and Produced by Ming Xue
Lutso is one of the first female painters of Tibetan thangka art—intricate and colorful depictions of Buddhist icons painted on fabric. As a mother, wife, and daughter with responsibility to her parents, she struggles to support her family as an artist.
2019 | 25 min | China, USA
38. “A World Without Thieves”
Director: Xiaogang Feng
A huge hit in China, this fast‑paced drama follows a con man (Andy Lau) and his equally cunning girlfriend (Rene Liu), who head through western China after swiping a shiny new BMW from a gullible businessman. After a chance encounter with a carpenter (Ge You), a trusting young man who is traveling with his entire life savings on the inland bound train leaving Tibet, the couple decide to run a series of scams, with rather unintended results for everyone involved. (IMDb)
2004. 1h 53m
39. “A Year in Tibet”
“Seven Stones Media has obtained unprecedented access to film a landmark documentary series in Tibet. Commissioned by BBC 4 and distributed internationally by BBC Worldwide, A Year in Tibet follows a calendar year inside the secret confines of a Tibetan monastery and charts the lives of those living in Gyanste the small town which surrounds it and surrounding villages. The 5 x 1hr series examines the reality of life today for Tibetans living under Chinese rule.
Seven Stones’ Executive Producer, Adam Alexander said: “Getting under the skin of Tibetan society and filming for a year amongst a deeply religious community and with the people who surround the monastery has not only been a huge logistical challenge, but a unique opportunity toexplore one of the last outposts of a once medieval society and how it now has to survive as part of modern China.
A Year in Tibet was commissioned for BBC 4 by Richard Klein, and it is a co‑production between Seven Stones Media and Mosaic Films. The series is written and produced and directed in the cutting room by Peter Firstbrook with Sun Shuyun as location director. It will air on
BBC 4 in Spring 2008.” [WTN] World Tibet News ‑ February 21, 2008]
40. “Ab nach Tibet!” (Off to Tibet)
Director: Herbert Achternbusch
1994, 128 minutes. In German
41. “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls”
Directed by Steve Oedekerk
Starring Jim Carrey
“We also get a conglomeration of Tibet cliches…Ace retires to a monastery high up in the mountains of Tibet, where he is finding his peace and meditating in Tibetan monk’s robes while butterflies flutter about his head, on which he wears a Tibetan monk’s hat. In this “enlightened” state [he is asked to do something and can’t decide] he recalls the Tibetan abbot. Sinking into meditation he, or rather his aura,” rushes at great speed to Tibet. Floating in the air, Ace asks the abbot for advice; he seems to know everything, as befits a Tibetan monk.”
Martin Brauen, Dreamworld Tibet. Western Illusions, translated by Martin Willson (Trumbull, CT: Weatherhill, Inc., 2004), p. 154.
USA, 1995, 94 minutes
42. AH HO YE: Pointing Out the Nature of Mind
“A mind treasure revealed by Terton Kunzang Dechen Lingpa…Kunzang Dechen Lingpa Rinpoche (1928‑2006) was a Dzogchen master and terton, a teasure finder, recognized by HH Dudjom Rinpoche. AH HO YE is a revealed mind treasure containing profound pith instructions for the realization of the nature of mind.” [producers]
90‑min. DVD. US$29.99. Snow Lion.
43. “Aid to China via Tibet”
British Pathe
“Various shots of Tibetan Muleteers loading their mules at Kalimpong in Bengal to get aid to China through Himalayas. They set off for their trek through the Himalayas. When reaching certain level they pass through the snow and then down the mountains. Various shots of the mule caravan arriving at Yantung where they take a rest.” [producers]
2:13 minutes. 1943. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvikyciFM_4. Also at: https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/65500/
44. “Aid to Tibet: In the Land of Khampas”
Produced by the London charity, The Tibet Foundation to document its projects in education, healthcare and economic development.
2006. 35 minutes
45. “Ala Changso” (nga yi chang gsol rogs)
Directed by Sonthar Gyal.
“Ala Changso is the transliteration of a Tibetan folk song’s title meaning please drink up this cup of good wine. It tells the story of a woman who conceals her illness and the secret between her and her ex-husband and decides to go on a pilgrimage to Lhasa. The long pilgrimage reveals her inner secrets one by one. These secrets include entanglements and perplexities of love, morality, responsibility and belief between her and her ex-husband and between her and her second husband.
When young Tibetan farmer Drolma receives news she’s seriously ill, she decides to go on a pilgrimage to Lhasa. For her, this means a grueling, year-long walk over Tibetan mountain roads, during which she must prostrate herself every three steps. Drolma’s gruff, loving husband Dorje (well-known singer/actor Yungdrung Gyal) hesitates but can’t say no to her. Before she leaves, she visits the home of her parents, who have been raising her severely uncommunicative, now 10-year-old son Norbu (a mesmerizing Sechok Gyal). Drolma sets of with two female friends who, faced with miserable weather (it’s cold and raining) and the rigors of carrying her equipment and sleeping outdoors, end up abandoning her part way. But Dorje brings Norbu to join her on the road, and the family has an opportunity to relearn and build anew their emotional relationships. Secret intimate sadness and unexpected connections emerge, gently infusing this profoundly beautiful, deceptively simple family road movie and transforming it into a delicate psychological and spiritual journey.” [Palden Gyal]
Premiered at Shanghai International Film Festival, 2018. In Tibetan. 115 minuites.
46. “Alexandra David‑Neel: One Women’s Journey”
“Born in France in 1868, Alexandra David‑Neel was the first woman to be granted the title of Lama in Tibet. During her miraculous 100 years, she traveled extensively through Asia, especially in the Himalayas, where she followed an incredible spiritual path. Using spectacular archival footage, this program traces that path from her early careers as a philosopher and novelist, to her later vocation as a Buddhist monk. We also become privy to her two years as a hermit in the Himalayas, and to her secret pilgrimage to the holy city of Lhasa…” [Catalogue]
Available from Films for the Humanities & Sciences, US89.95.
47. “All of Me”
Director: Carl Reiner
Full‑ Hollywood comedy. “Rich but sick millionaire Edwina Cutwater feels her untimely death coming up. She never could enjoy life, as she was either in a wheelchair or in bed, so she decided to take a chance: Prahka Lasa, a Tibetan master of meditation, should transfer her soul into the body of Terry Hoskins, whose soul therefore will become one with the universe. Accidentally, her soul is transferred into the body of her unliked lawyer Roger Cobb, whose soul remains in his body. Now, Edwina has control about the right half of Roger’s body, his soul about only the left half. They struggle together to get her soul into the right body, but not without having some conflicts between themselves to solve.”
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086873/plotsummary USA. 1984. 93 minutes.
48. “Altruism and World Affairs”
The Dalai Lama speaks in Washington, DC in April 1999 on “…compassion in the modern world and how cultivating an altruistic attitude in oneself can effect the larger scenario.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes. US$35.00
49.* “Amanpour Reports: Buddha’s Warriors”
Christiane Amanpour, CNN Senior International Corresopondent
Documentary about Buddhist monks becoming engaged in political affairs in Burma and Tibet. Mostly about Tibet, probably because there is more video footage and the Dalai Lama is interviewed. Not terribly well‑informed. [Grunfeld]
2008, about 50 minutes
50. “Amazing Marriage Customs”
Chinese film.
51. “Amchis: The Forgotten Healers of the Himalayas”
Anoko Production , ARTE , Poise Chiche
“Zanskar is a valley tucked between the steep mountains on the border of the Himalayas, at an altitude of 3,700 meters. In each village in this remote area of the world, there is a traditional Tibetan medicine man named the “Amchi.” Since the beginning of time, the Amchi has passed his knowledge down from father to son, or from teacher to student. With the construction of a new road, however, the valley was left vulnerable to the outside world. Since then, the younger generation has rejected the age‑old wisdom and practices of the Amchi, embracing more modern, lucrative activities instead. As a result, these forgotten healers of the Himalayas are perhaps the last to practice Tibetan medicine. “[producers]
2001, 52 minutes. Filmakers Library, US$350 to buy and US$75 to rent.
52. “Amongst White Clouds‑Chinese Masters of the Zhongnan Mountains”
Directed by Edward Burger
“American director Edward A. Burger takes us on his unforgettable journey into the hidden lives of China’s forgotten Zen Buddhist hermit tradition…to look at the lives of zealot students, gaunt ascetics and wise masters living in isolated hermitages dotting the peaks and valleys of China’s Zhongnan Mountain range…It is widely thought that this tradition was all but wiped out by the twists and turns of history. “Amongst White Clouds” shows us this is not the case. One of only a few foreigners to have lived and studied with these hidden sages, Burger reveals to us their tradition, their wisdom, and the hardship and joy of their everyday lives. With both humor and compassion, these inspiring and warm‑hearted characters challenge us to join them in an exploration of our own suffering and enlightenment in this modern world.” [producers]
http://www.cosmos‑pictures.com
53. “An Address to the Tibetan Community in Britain by His Holiness the Dalai Lama”
The Dalai Lama talks about the changing role of the institution of the Dalai Lama in modern times. London, April 1988. (Tibetan language only)
Wisdom Films, 52 minutes. US$17.50. Also Meridian Trust.
54. “An Apple Tree”
An short animated film by Gentsu Gyatso a.k.a. Bin Bai
A Tibetan fable, in vivid colours, of an indomitable tree, assailed yet triumphant. [producers]
2013. 10:42 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5evWCJ0Zywo
55. “An Introduction to Buddhist Psychotherapy”
Lecture by Dr. Rabgay, in English, about the relationship between Western psychotherapy and Buddhist philosophy. London, January 1988.
Meridian Trust. 240 minutes. US$87.50.
56. “An Overview of Tibetan Buddhism with a Commentary on Bodhicharyavatara”
The Dalai Lama speaking in Methodist Central Hall, Westminister U.K. in June 1988. In three parts: an overview of Tibetan Buddhism, a commentary on Bodhicharyavatara, and a question and answer period.
Meridian Trust. 660 minutes. US$157.50.
57. “An Unholy Row”
“An interview by Swiss television with Kalsang Gyaltsen, private secretary to H.H. Dalai Lama concerning the Shugden controversy which has created tensions within the Tibetan Buddhist community.” [producers]
Available from the Tibetan Department of Information and International Relations: ‑http://tibetnews/pubs/videos.html
58. “Ancient Futures: Learning From Ladakh”
Produced by John Pope/International Society for Ecology and Culture. 1993.
Details the effects of modernization on traditional life in Ladakh. Based on a book of the same title by Helena Norbert‑Hodge, Sierra Club Books.
Video. 59 minutes. 1991. The Video Project. 5332 College Avenue, Suite 101, Oakland, CA 94612.
59. “Ancient Secrets of the Fountain of Youth”
This video “…can show you how to achieve the benefits of the famous Five Tibetan exercises…for anyone of any age to become healthier, younger‑looking, more energetic and alive in just minutes a day.” [producers]
Snow Lion. US$19.95. DVD
60. “And So Tibet”
Director: Seymour Kneitel
Animated film. 1964
61. “Angry Monk ‑ Reflections on Tibet”
(a documentary film on Amdo Gendun Choephel)
Director: Luc SchaedlerProducer: Angry Monk Productions, Luc Schaedler
“Tibet: the mystical roof of the world, peopled with enlightened monks? Only one of them wouldn’t toe the line: Gendun Choephel, the errant monk who left monastic life in 1934 in search of a new challenge. A free spirit and multifaceted individual, he was far ahead of his timeand has since become a seminal figure, a symbol of hope for a free Tibet. A rebel and voluble critic of the establishment, Gendun Choephel kindled the anger of the Tibetan authorities.This cinematic journey through time portrays the life of this unorthodox monk, revealing a face of old Tibet that goes against popular clichÉs. The film uses an abundance of unique and rare historical footage available to the general public for the first time. But it does not dwell on the past; rather it skillfully oscillates between then and now. Archival images of ancient caravans and monasteries give way to scenes of discos and multi‑lane highways in Lhasa where pilgrimsprostrate themselves as they circle the holy temple. ANGRY MONK offers a fascinating insight into a country whose eventful past is refracted in the multiplicity and contradictions of everyday life.Ultimately, this road movie also tells the story of a man who left home to search for something that could have liberated traditional Tibet from its rigidity. An outsider who was always open to new things, he eventually became a stranger in his homeland and homeless in foreign lands ‑ a wanderer between worlds.” [producers]97 minutes. Digital beta and/or 35MM in Tibetan/English with English subtitles.
Distributor: Xenix film distribution, www.xenixfilm.ch tel: +41‑44‑240 45 42, email:ampinfo@angrymonk.ch , website: www.angrymonkthefilm.ch
62. “Ani Lhacham” (also known as A Tibetan Nun)
Director: Dorje Tsering Chenaktshang
“When he was a child Lhacham was eager to learn how to read and write. For economic reasons her parents thought otherwise. She decided to run away to a nunnery in order to receive the education she was dreaming of. Dorje Tsering Chenaktshang follows her during her trip to a nearby town to get her tape recorder fixed. The recorder is her knowledge tool which she uses to learn Tibetan. The film is a tender and poetic portrait of Lhacham’s first journey into town.” [producers]
2005. 50 minutes. Tibetan with English sub‑titles.
63. “Ao jin ma“
Chinese film directed by Liu Baode and Zhang Qiming.
Takes place in a Tibetan area of Qinghai province. Class struggle wins out.
Xian Film Studio. 1977.
64. “Arising From Flames: Overcoming Anger Through Patience”
H.H. the Dalai Lama talks candidly about his own methods of controlling anger and developing patience. Recorded live in Arizona
1 hour video. US$ 29.95. Snow Lion.
65. “Arising from Flames: Overcoming Anger Through Patience”
The Dalai Lama speaks of positive and negative desires and how through training we can reduce anger and hatred and increase love and forgiveness.
Mystic Fire Video, 60 minutes, US$29.95.
66. “Art in Exile”
Produced by Nidhi Tuli and Ashraf Abbas
“Tuli and Abbas explore the efforts of the Tibetan community in India to keep their culture identity alive. The film focuses on Dharamsalas Norbulingka Art Institute, which teaches pure Tibetan art forms and hopes to achieve the seemingly impossible goal of transporting them back to Tibet one day.” [The Tribune, (India) 1 October 2006].
India. 2006. 40 minutes. English, Tibetan and Hindi with English sub‑titles.
67. “Art of dying”
Reveals modern‑day Tibet from the Tibetan perspective. Explores the approach to death as revealed in the ancient Tibetan scriptures and practiced in local customs throughout the centuries.
1994, Inner Directions Video, USA, 63 minutes
68.”Asian‑American Boy/Tibetan Monk”
American‑made film “…of a 12 year old boy who has lived since age four as a monk in a Tibetan monastery in Kathmandu and is thought to be an incarnation of a high lama.” [producers]
27 minutes, 1984.
69. “Asian Corridor in Heaven”
Part of the Insight Asia series, Asian Corridor In Heaven is a six‑episode HD documentary series co‑produced by KBS and NHK about the world’s oldest trade route, the “Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road”. Pre‑dating the Silk Road by 200 years, the Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road crossed from the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces of Southwest China over mountainous terrain into Tibet, Nepal, and India. The Caravan Road was not only an important route for the trade of tea and horses, but also a corridor connecting Chinese and Tibetan language, people, religion, and cultures. [producers]
Part 1: The Last Horse Caravan
Part 2: Road to Pilgrimage
Part 3: Tea Makes the Road Open
Part 4: The Salt in Yanjing
Part 5: Himalayan Salt Trek
Part 6: Guge, Mystery of the Lost Kingdom
In Korean. One hour each episode. 2007
70. “Asiemut”
Film by Oliver Higgins and Melanie Carrier
The film makers cycled “…a distance of 8,000 km from the plains of Mongolia, through the deserts of Eastern Turkistan into the spectacular Himalayas in Tibet and Nepal ending in Kolkata, India. The title comes from the term “azimuth”, the name given to the direction we take from the compass.” [producers]
Canada. 2006. 57 minutes. English and French with English sub‑titles.
http://www.asiemut.com/
71. “Atisha’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment”
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche”Almost like attending a retreat, this 4‑camera, live‑mix DVD provides 21 hours of great teaching on Atisha’s Lampfor the Path to Enlightenment and its commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye. These talks provide clear and engaging instructions on the 3 types of practitioners, bodhicitta, training in discipline and concentration, secret mantra and so on. Ponlop Rinpoche is known for his lucidity, humor, excellent English, and sharp intellect.”
14 talks on 7 DVD set. US$140. Snow Lion
72. “Aus Tibet ‑ Ein Heimatfilm” (In English as “From Tibet: A Film of the Homeland”)
Directors: Lottie Marsau, Katharina Rosa
1996. 105 minutes. In German.
73. “Avalokitesvara: The Dalai Lama in Europe”
Produced and directed by Ulay and Marina Abromovic and Frank Scheffer.
Documentary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s tour of West Germany and Italy in 1982.
Meridian Trust, 40 minutes, color. US$35.00.
74. “Bagdro”
Based on the experiences of Ven. Bagdro from Ganden Monastery who endured three years in a Chinese prison and wrote a book (A Hell on Earth) relating those experiences. This film is based on an interview with him.
1998, 28 minutes.
75. “Balloon”
Directed and written by Pema Tseden
The story follows a family living alone on the vast plateau surrounded by their prized sheep. It consists of an ailing grandfather (Konchok), a father named Dargye (Jinpa), a mother Drolkar (Sonam Wangmo) and their two mischievous sons who have found two of the last condoms in their parents stash and use them like balloons for playing with each other. The time period is not specified, but it can either be in the 80s or 90s, which means that One‑child Policy was still very dominant and brutally enforced even by lenient doctors. With Dargyes libido, Drolkars inability to say no to him and Tibetan religious and ethnological traditions (mainly, the belief in reincarnation of the deceased relatives in the small family circle), but also the shortages of material goods like condoms contradicted by the strictness of the state family planning policy, the problems are about to occur and to hit the family quite hard.
https://asianmoviepulse.com/2019/09/film‑review‑balloon‑2019‑by‑pema‑tseden/
China. 2019. 102 minutes. In Tibetan with English subtitles
76. “Bardo”
Produced by Institut Yeunten Ling, Belgium
Interview with the late Ven. Kalu Rinpoche on the teachings related to the period after death.
Meridian Trust, 45 minutes. US$44.00.
77. “Basang”(Pasang and her siblings)
Chongqing TV,1980s,
In Chinese, Story by Tashi Dawa. Robbie Barnett collection.
78. “Beautiful Butterflies All Around” (Cai die fen fei)
Chinese film directed by Zhu Jinming in 1964.
79. “Beauty and Beast”
By Tenzin Tseten Choklay, New Delhi
“Documentary on the first ever exile Tibetan beauty pageant held in Dharamsala in October 2002.” [Tibetan Review, June 2003, p. 20] Choklay: “There’s a huge sense of being uprooted among young people. They’re not Indian enough, they’ve never been to Tibet, they look Tibetan, they don’t have Indian accents, but they live in India.” [Deccan Herald, 28 September 2003]
12 minutes
80. “Becoming a Woman in Zanskar”
Directed by Jean-Michel Corillon
“In the remote kingdom of Zanskar, in the northern Himalayas, Becoming Woman recounts the true and moving story of a friendship shattered by destiny when two young girls have to part and leave their village and their families forever… to become women ! Palkit and Tenzin are best friends. Throughout their carefree childhoods they have never known anything other than their village surrounded by snow peaked mountains. Yet, suddenly they’re about to enter adult life. Tenzin, at 22, learns that her father has found her a husband from a neighboring village whom she has never met. Distressed and unhappy, she will nevertheless accept her fate. Her family helps her prepare for the wedding ceremony during which the grooms’ friends will symbolically kidnap her. After a final farewell to her loved ones, she will be taken away on horseback to her new life. Palkit is 25 years old. To avoid getting married with an unknown man, she has chosen to become a nun and wishes to leave her family to enter a monastery in Dharam Sala, where resides the Dalai Lama. Her father however is deeply opposed to her decision and would like her to stay and help with the chores. Palkit will have to brave her fathers’ authority, and embark on a perilous journey of 120 km by foot on a frozen river to reach the monastery. Two girls in the Himalayas: one kidnapped by her future husband, the other head shaved as she enters the convent forever. Two ordeals for the same goal… to become women!” Documentary. [producers]
France. 2007. 1:26. In French, Tibetan.
Available with English subtitles here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TTDFMa90Zs
81. “Becoming Who I Was”
Directed by: Moon Chang‑yong and Jeon Jin
In northern Indias sparsely populated and mountainous Ladakh region, an impoverished young boy is discovered to be the reincarnation of an esteemed, high‑ranking Tibetan monk. Born displaced from his original monastery in Tibet, the boy is denied his rightful place. Amid growing doubts and mounting expectations in the community, the boy and his elderly godfather embark on a gruelling, improbable trek across India to return the young monk‑to‑be to his rightful monastery before it becomes too late.
Filmed over eight years, we witness an incredibly intimate bond of friendship between a future religious leader and his godfather, whose devotion and selflessness in care for the boy is truly touching. The film has a stirring and awe‑inspiring air of serenity that befits its subject. Striking drone shots use the powerful magnitude of the natural landscape, particularly in the final moments in the snowy mountains The film is an evocative exploration of culture, tradition and identity, Becoming Who I Was artfully captures the universal truths of unconditional love, family bonds and sacrifice. [producers]
South Korea. 95 minutes. 2017. In Hindi | Ladakhi | Tibetan with English subtitles
82. “Behind the Mirror/ Ce que nous avons peut-etre perdu”
Directored by Stanzin Dorjai Gya and Christiane Mordelet
“Out of the mouths of babes comes the truth. A group of 26 Ladakhi children, living in a sheltered valley in the High Himalayas embark on a school exchange in France. From their world in a sheltered valley behind a pass at 5700 meters (often closed in winter), these children offer a sobering look at Western lifestyle. Their initial thoughts about France and the contrast to their everyday life back home is often humorous yet poignant.” [producers]
France/India, 2017, 52 mns
83. “Below the Sky ‑ On Earth/ Ploughing in Spiti”
A “Video‑Document” by Wolf Kahlen
“May 1988. Below the monastery Kye, 10 000 feet high in Tibetan Spiti in the Himalayan ranges. The valley echoes a rhythmic song and demanding outcries to helping animals. A family of old Tibetan origin ploughs the winter stiff stony earth. Biblical pictures: just below heaven, strongly attached to the ground. The men leading the plough sing a work song as usual in Tibet. Some of those songs relate to the ‘Tibetan Leonardo’ Thang‑stong rGyal‑po (see more of Wolf Kahlen’s films). Of this one we do not know. Or is this one just another mantric‑suggestively repeated bead on the rosary?!
The clod is not easy to break, has to be hacked or smashed from above head down to the ground. The high plateau between the chain of mountain ridges and slopes on both side of the valley is exposed to a strong sun and cold winds: nothing but rocks, stones and dust, all the aggregates of earth. Above all like a crown on a needle pointed rock a monastery, whose cells were added up and attached within several centuries.
Attached ones down here and unattached ones up there, tight together.” [sic, film‑maker]
1988, 21 min. For more information contact the film‑maker: ruine‑kuenste.berlin@snafu.de
84. “Beyond Self, Beyond War: Talks on Buddhism and Political Action”
By Robert Zimmerman and John Miglietta
A conference at the Buddhist meditation center in Vermont featuring Allan Ginsberg, Dave Dellinger, David Rome.
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes, US$44.00.
85 . “Beyond the Himalayas”
In 1994, soon after the break‑up of the Soviet Union, I led the Central Asia Expedition ‑ a 12,000 km journey across Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Chinese Turkestan (Xinjiang) and Tibet.
The purpose of the journey, besides adventure, was to renew India’s ancient academic and cultural links with the people of Central Asia.
The expedition was conceived and organised by Major HPS Ahluwalia, President of Youth Exploring Society.
The 5‑part serial on the expedition, commissioned by Doordarshan, was produced by Michael Haggiag and directed by Goutam Ghoshe.
The detailed account of the expedition is given in my book Silk Road on Wheels. [Akhil Bakshi, 2016].
Episode 1 (Other Side of the Mountain): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlCmxU_n7f0
Episode 2 (In Search of Buddha): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96vMCV5ltXY
Episode 3 (Tales of the Silkroad): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M64lvlD5t1M
Episode 4 (On the Roof of The World): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp2GQOyIpLk
Episode 5 (Higher Than Everest): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYA6wH2dfYc
86. “Beyond the Forbidden Border”
B/W footage by C. Suydam Cutting on his expedition to Tibet in 1935‑1937. Contains glimpses of traditional Tibetan life styles and represents some of the earliest motion picture footage of that country. Included in the film are the city of Lhasa, high government officials, Buddhist ceremonies and striking geographical features of the mountainous countryside.
1935, 1937. Newark Museum , 30 minutes, telephone: (201) 596‑6550. Also at http://tibetfilmarchive.org
87. “Bhutan”
“A colorful, informative look into many aspects of Bhutanese life and culture.” [producers]
Available from the U.N. Mission of Bhutan, New York. 40 minutes.
88. “Bhutan: Land of Peaceful Dragon”
Franz Lavi Films. Germany. 1976. 29 minutes.
89. ” Bhutan. Taking the Middle Path to Happiness”
Directed by Tom Vendetti
“This Emmy Award winning [for the score] documentary presents an intimate look at the people who value Gross National Happiness over Groos National product.” [producers]
2007. 56 minutes. Http://findingutopia.com
90.* “Bhutan: The Last Shangri‑la”
ABC/Kane Productions, 1997, Reader’s Digest World: “The Living Edens”
Produced and written by Harry Marshall, Narrated by Donald Sutherland
Superficial travelogue almost exclusively about the land, flora and fauna; Bhutan as perfection on earth. The film is stunningly beautiful with some excellent time‑lapse photography. More a nature film than anything else. [Grunfeld]
PBS video. 50 minutes. Available for US$19.95 from http://www.pbs.org .
91. “Big Dazhai Flowers on the Tibet Plateau”
A Chinese documentary film of the Dongkar Commune west of Lhasa. During the Cultural Revolution all communes were instructed to learn from the model Dazhai Commune in Shanxi province. Apparently Dongkar was considered the model commune for the Tibertan Autonomus Region.
The only citation I have seen for this film is from Tsering Woeser’s book Forbidden Memory, p. 289.
China. 1976.
92. “Big Treasure Chest for Future Kids‑Tibet:
White Crane Films Co‑Production with Faust Film + Projekt, Muenchen‑Berlin with the support of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, Germany. Produced and directed by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam.
“A magnificent treasure chest appears at the Tibetan Children’s Village in the Himalayan foothills of northern India. The “spirit” of the chest tells the children to think of special gifts and messages to offer to the kids of the future. The children work on their presents. Some make drawings, carve objects, or simply put in everyday items like clothes and books while others record video messages and songs. The film focuses on four children, each of whom has a different story to tell. At the end, the children gather to give their presents to the “spirit” who places them inside the chest. Before disappearing, he tells them that the chest will be reopened only in the year 2050 and invites them to be present at the occasion.” [producers]
1999, 26 minutes, Beta SP. http://www.whitecranefilms.com
93. “Bing Shan Xue Lian” (Ice Mountain Snow Lions)
Director: Xiang Liang
The Red Army on the Long March through the Tibetan areas
Emei Film Studio. 1978. In Chinese.
94.* “Biography: The Dalai Lama. The Soul of Tibet”
Produced by CBS News Productions for the Arts and Entertainment Network. Shown 12/26/97.
Nothing unusual; totally favorable. Right out of the Dalai lama’s biographies and John Avedon’s book. Some historical errors such as saying Gregory Craig, the US Special Coordinator for Tibet, visited Tibet and reported on human rights abuses. In fact, he visited India. No mention of the CIA’s involvement, etc. People interviewed include Orville Schell, Robert Thurman, John Avedon, Richard Gere, Alexander Norton, Jonathan Spence, Jeffery Hopkins, Lodi Gyari and Tom Lantos. [Grunfeld]
About 45 minutes. Available for US$19.95 plus shipping and handling; call 1‑800‑423‑1212.
95. “Black Narcissus”
Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Major UK cinema film starring Deborah Kerr, Sabu, Jean Simmons. Anglican nuns attempt to establish a religious community in the Himalayas, and must battle not only suspicious locals and the elements, but their own demons as well.
“Breathtakingly beautiful adaption of the Rumer Godden drama depicting the travails, both physical and emotional, of nuns founding a mission in the Himalayas. The striking color cinematography won the year’s Oscar.” [producers]
101 minutes, 1947.
96. “Blessings. The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet”
Compiled by Victress Hitchcock, Jampa Kalden, Cynthia Kneen
“In the summer of 2005, renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche III led a group of Western women students to Nangchen, a remote nomadic region of Eastern Tibet. They journeyed to meet the Tsoknyi Nangchen nuns‑‑3000 women who practice the ancient yogic traditions initiated in the 1800s by the first Tsoknyi Rinpoche, who envisioned a time when these women would become some of the most accomplished spiritual practitioners in the world. Despite all 40 nunneries being destroyed during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, a handful of survivors kept their practices alive, and emerged to rebuild their sanctuaries by hand… stone by stone. Now the wisdom tradition of the nuns is once again vital and growing. Blessings is the compelling story of these remarkable female practitioners.
Narrated by Richard Gere, this feature‑length video explores the unique world of the nuns who study under Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s guidance…The film explores the lives of the growing numbers of nuns who have come together and are now living and practicing together in nunneries, large and small, across Nangchen.” [producers]
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Blessings goes to Nangchen Nuns Endowment Fund.
2009. 104 minutes. Snow Lion. US$39.95.
97. “Blindsight”
Drected by Lucy Walker
Produced by Sybil Robson Orr
“Blindsight follows the gripping adventure of six Tibetan teenagers who set out to climb the 23,000 foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest. A dangerous journey soon becomes a seemingly impossible challenge made all the more remarkable by the fact that the teenagers are blind.” [producers]
2007; http://www.blindsightthemovie.com/
98. “Blonde Justice” (also known as Sworn to Justice)
Director: Paul Maslak
Kung fu action adventure. Starring Cynthia Rothrock. The basic plot is a Cantonese take on The Golden Child, with La Rothrock playing a Tibetan Buddhist monkette sent to retrieve the reincarnation of an important lama. An evil force has taken over her temple, and Cyndy must do battle against her kung fu fighting fellow monks. ..The Most striking sequences are those actually filmed on location in Tibet . It’s unusual to see the blonde American woman in martial arts sequences staged amid ancient stone monuments. [producers]
1996, Canada? Hong Kong?
99. “Blood Over Nanga Pass”
“This short documentary (25min long) shows footage of the 2006 Nangpa la shootings and the global protests held in response. It places this tragic incident in the context of China’s invasion and occupation of Tibet for viewers who may not be as familiar with the Tibet situation, and includes original footage from the Cultural Revolution.
On September 30, 2006 Chinese forces opened fire on a group of 73 Tibetan refugees attempting to escape Tibet through the Nangpa Pass into Nepal. Mountaineers at a nearby Everest base camp witnessed the Chinese border patrol guards taking careful aim and firing at the line of defenseless Tibetans seeking freedom from Chinese repression. Kelsang Namtso, a seventeen year old nun, was shot dead, and many others, including young children, were detained for several months before being released to their families.” [producers]
2008. To order a copy, please email kala@studentsforafreetibet.org or call 1‑212‑358‑0071.
Canada. 2005. 45 minutes. See it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orVH_RwGJe0
100. “Bodhisattva’s Way of Life and Stages of Meditation”
by H.H. the Dalai Lama
“The two key teachings covered in this 4‑DVD set are ones that His Holiness gives talks on most frequently and considers the most important. Here he brilliantly weaves together the classic treatise Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life with Kamalasila’s Middle Stages of Meditation. With 14 hours of programs, listening this set is almost like attending the teachings.” [producers]
4 DVD set. English translation, with selectable Chinese and Spanish.US$50.00. Snow Lion.
101. “Bon: Mustang to Menri”
Directed by Tad Fettig
This film is about a boys journey from Mustang to Menri and how, now, as an educated Geshe, he will give back to his village. Interwoven with ancient Bon and life at Menri Monastery, it shows Bons unique place in Tibetan history and how and why the work monks, lamas and Geshes do is important. [producers]
52 minutes. 2011.
102. “Bonningtons Secret Mountain”
At a youthful 64, Sir Chris Bonington feels in his heart as young as he always has done. His philosophy has always been to climb new routes, ideally on unclimbed peaks in remote and unknown regions. Sepu Kangri, unclimbed and hidden in central Tibet fits the bill. Chris is joined by Charlie Clarke, Scott Muir, Elliot Robinson and Graham Little to attempt this difficult peak. Filmed by Jim Curran this 1999 film captures beautifully what expedition life is like for a small, close knit group of friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obzi‑v4CmFo. 2 hours
103. “Born Again Buddhas”
“Born Again Buddhas is a film by Bhutanese filmmaker and journalist Siok Sian Pek‑Dorji that follows a disturbing phenomenon arising in her country. A number of boys are being brought forward as reincarnations of a single tulku or lama, and they are forced to jockey for the status that comes with that title.” [producers]
2008
104. “Breaking The Wall of Silence”
Directed by Oystein F Rakkenes,.
Breaking the Wall of Silence is a documentary that portrays the courageous struggle of a peaceful, vulnerable culture against domination by an aggressive neighbour, a story of personal sacrifice and spiritual fortitude. Breaking the Wall of Silence will take you behind the scenes of the Tibetan struggle. It will present monks and nuns willing to risk their lives in trying to march across the Himalayas back home to Tibet. It will also portray icons such as the Dalai Lama and the writer Tsering Woeser. [producers]
2008. Norway. In English. 51 minutes. Distributed by Alexander Street Press
105. “Bridges to Understanding”
At the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala a photographic project was established as part of the Bridges to Understanding project (based in Seattle, WA) which connects young people worldwide through digital storytelling. These short films are views of the Tibetan community in India as seen through the eyes of their children.
“Butter Lamp,” 2008. 5 minutes
“The Dark Corridor,” 2008. 2 minutes.
“Garbages,” 2007. 5 minutes.
“A Journey to Happiness,” 2007. 6 minutes.
“Kitchen Duty,” 2007. 5 minutes.
“What Courage Means to Me,” 2008. 4 minutes (about courage from a young man who recently escaped into exile).
106. “Brilliant Moon: Glimpses of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche”
Directed and produced by Neten Chokling,
Narrated by Richard Gere and Lou Reed,
“Brilliant Moon: Glimpses of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche chronicles the life of the writer, poet, and meditation master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of Tibet’s most revered 20th‑century Buddhist teachers. Known as the teacher of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Royal Family of Bhutan, his life and teachings were an inspiration to all who encountered him. Two of his admirers are Richard Gere and Lou Reed, who provide the narration for his dangerous journey out of China and the subsequent spread of his influence around the world.
Brilliant Moon was filmed in Tibet, India, Bhutan, the United States and Nepal, and uses animation, rare archival footage, and photos, along with new interviews with some of Tibet’s great teachers, to tell Khyentse Rinpoche’s moving life story, from birth to death to rebirth.” [producers]
56 min. US$24.95. Snow Lion.
107.”Bringing Buddhism to the West”
“A dialogue with FPMT Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Answers questions concerning problems commonly faced by Western Buddhist centers.” (Wisdom) Lama Tsong Khapa Institute, Italy, 1982.
Wisdom Films, approx. 60 minutes.
108. “Bringing Tibet Home”
Directed by Tenzin Tsetan Choklay
A young artist sets out on a mission to bring Tibet home to its people through an art project that involves smuggling 20,000 kilos of native Tibetan soil across the Himalayas from Tibet into India, while spanning the borders of three countries…Bringing Tibet Home is a documentary film currently in production. It tells the story of artist Tenzing Rigdol, as he sets out on a mission to bring Tibet closer to Tibetan exiles through an unprecedented art project titled, Our Land, Our People.
The installation involves the artist, bringing 20,000 kilos of native Tibetan soil from Tibet to India. This soil is laid out on a platform set up in Dharamsala, India where he will give a chance to thousands of exiled Tibetans to walk on their home soil…In June 2011, after months of deliberation and preparation, Tenzing flew halfway across the globe from New York to Nepal, to set up base for the next two months to work on the new and secret (because of its highly political implications) project…
The film quietly follows Tenzing for many months as he travels from New York to Nepal and to India by air, road and train in order to make this unusual art installation project happen…
On October 26, 2011, the art installation titled, Our Land, Our People, opened to the public in Dharamsala, North India. The exhibition remained open for three days. Thousands of Tibetans, young and old, got a chance to walk on the smuggled Tibetan soil… [producers]
In Tibetan and English with English subtitles. 82 minutes http://www.:bringingtibethome.com
109. “Bu norbu”
Tibet TV
Tibetan Contemporary household drama. In Tibetan. Robbie Barnett collection.
110. “Budala gong mishi” (Po ta lai gsang gtam; Secret History of the Potala Palace)
Zhang Yi, Tibetan Regional Theatre Troupe and Emei Films, 1989
A Chinese historic epic of the17th century about the 5th Dalai Lama, the Mongol overlords and his Regent Sangye Gyatso. Banned before release and never shown in Tibet, or anywhere else for that matter.
In Chinese and Tibetan with English subtitles. Robbie Barnett collection.
111. “Buddha From Brooklyn”
Producer: Denise Di Novi, Film‑makers: Kristin Hahn, Byron Pickett
Currently in production. “A ‘dramady’ on the life of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, a Jewish‑Italian mother, Alyce Zeoli‑Jones, from Brooklyn, who discovers she is a tulku ‑ a reincarnation of a 17th century saint ‑ and goes on to finance her Maryland monastery with the proceeds of a hair‑conditioning cap she invents and sells on TV commercials. [Reuters/Variety]
112. “Buddhism in Focus”
“In a video editing studio, a child and a video editor embarks on a journey in sound and pictures which explores Buddhist experience and practice in Britain. (For ages 11 to 15)
Video One: “Buddha’s Life and Teaching” contains dramatized explanations of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path and includes a visit to the London Buddhist Learning Center Co‑operative.
Video Two: “Buddhist View of Life” visits Theravadin, Tibetan and Western‑style centers and investigates Buddhist ceremonies, practices in daily life and traditional ways of teaching. Buddhist Meditation Geshe Namgyal Wangchen, the resident teacher of Manjushri London Center, gives an explanation of the basic techniques involved in meditation, particularly focusing on the practice of samatha, or calm abiding.” [Producers]
Meridian Trust/Buddhist Film and Video Archive/Wisdom Publications & PEP. Each video 35 minutes. US$44.00 each or US$70.00 for both.
113. “Buddhist Meditation”
Geshe Namgyak Wangchen, the resident teacher of Manjushri London Center gives an explanation of the basic techniques involved in meditation, particularly focusing on the practice of samatha, or calm abiding. [producers]
Meridian Trust, 60 minutes, color. 1984. US$35.00.
114. “Buddhist Philosophy”
Extensive teachings given by the Dalai Lama at the Camden Centre, London, over three days covering the whole scope of Buddhist philosophy. Translated by Jeffrey Hopkins.
Meridian Trust, 10 hours. color. 1984. US$170.00
115. “Buddhism, Wheel Of Time: Storyville”
“A beautifully shot film by the German director Werner Herzog, which captures the atmosphere of a pilgrimage, as he explores the Buddhist Kalachakra. The film moves from the Nepalese/Indian frontier, on pilgrimage to the holy Mount Kailash in Tibet, to Austria. The Dalai Lama is shown praying with the faithful.” [producers]
80 minutes, Heritage Buddhist Trust, http://members.aol.com/yeshiuk/index.html
116. “Bulletproof Monk”
Produced by MGM, Hollywood and action director John Woo’s company
“…the movie is a turkey. Chow Yun‑Fat, the handsome Hong Kong star of many of Woo’s HK blockbusters of the ’80s and ’90s, is a Tibetan monk entrusted with protecting a sacred scroll that can deliver ultimate power for good or evil. He receives the scroll in an isolated monastery in 1943, just as the Nazis come looking for it. They kill all the monks except our hero, who has no name. He falls over a cliff. Struker, the head Nazi (Karel Roden), vows to keep searching.
The movie is loosely adapted from a comic and the scroll is basically the old fountain of youth/infinite power device found in countless movies, notably Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and The Mummy.
Sixty years after the Nazi incident, Mr No Name (looking younger than ever) is in a US city when he meets an American who’s probably the next incarnation of the scroll protector. Kar is a pickpocket who learned kung‑fu from watching old HK movies. The film’s one grace note is the scene where we see him dancing on the roof of the fleapit cinema where he’s the projectionist, in perfect unison with a scratchy old kung‑fu movie.” [By Paul Byrnes, 12 June 2003: ‑pbyrnes@attglobal.net]
104 minutes. In English with some German and Tibetan.
117. “Cai Se De Ye” (Colorful Night)
Director: Zhang Youngshou
Drama about the Tibetan Transportation Bureau and political activities therein.
August First Film Studio. 1982. In Chinese.
118. “Call it Karma: The Journey of a Lifetime”
Director, Producer, Writer: Geoff Browne; Producer, Writer: Michael Parker; Producer Shan Tam
“Call it Karma is the inspiring true story about a young Tibetan Monk named Gyalten Rinpoche who in 1995 was sent on a spiritual pilgrimage by his Master to walk 1,000 miles from his remote mountain village. Through the Holy City of Lhasa, starving and exhausted, he makes his way across the rooftop of the world to the impoverished Nepalese villages and into the sacred lands of India.
Nearly six years later, he establishes a Buddhist center in the West and befriends filmmaker Geoff Browne on the streets of Vancouver. Together, they travel back to the Rinpoches home village where Geoff witnesses an emotional reunion between the Rinpoche, his Master and family. Full circle for the Rinpoche, but just the beginning for Geoff ‑‑ as he is now inspired to retell his friends remarkable life story.” [producers]
Boundless Light Productions, Geoff Browne (tel:310‑503‑4663 and email: boundlesslight@gmail.com)
119. “Cancer and AIDS: The View of Tibetan Medicine”
Dr. Choedak speaks about the historical development of medicine in Tibet and how it is practiced today. “He then discusses how the scriptures prophetically pointed towards the fracturing of society and family relationships as prime causes of modern illness.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 120 minutes. US$52.50
120. “Caravan” (also released as “Himalaya ‑ l’enfance d’un chef” )
Directed and written by Eric Valli
Filmed in the Dolpo region of Nepal, French director Valli spent 32 weeks trekking over 1400 km and crossing passes as high as 5,000 meters to realistic trace the route of trading caravans. Using no professional actors, this fictional story depicts “village elder Tinle is enraged when his eldest son dies in an accident and holds the caravan’s new leader Karma, responsible. Another caravan is due to set out before winter, but Tinle refuses to let Karma lead it. Karma sets out anyway, well before the shaman’s auspicious date. Tinle, determined to assert his authority, enlists his second son Norbu, a Buddhist monk, and sets out at a furious pace to overtake Karma’s caravan, choosing some dangerously precipitous shortcuts.”[Japan Times, 31 October 20000]. “Himalaya is impressive. And beautiful,. It isn’t romantic…[it uses] a subjective camera to convey documentary realism…If Hollywood has created myths about Tibetans, then a movie like Himalaya breaks them down, while keeping the story universal.” [News24‑South Africa, 1 December 2000]
121. “Cave In The Snow”
Liz Thompson & Ellenor Cox
“In 1976 after battling with blatant sexism within the monastic order, British born Tenzin Palmo isolated herself in a remote Himalayan cave engaging in twelve years of Buddhist meditation. Here she faced unimaginable cold, wild animals, near‑starvation and avalanches; grew her own food and slept in a traditional wooden meditation box, three‑feet‑square ‑ she never lay down. Her goal ‑ to gain enlightenment as a woman…Now a globe‑trotting fun8raiser she is battling to build a nunnery in India…dedicated to helping women achieve spiritual excellence.” [producers]
52 min. More info at: www.firelight.com.au
122. “Tea‑Horse Road Series: Delamu” (“Cha ma gu dao xi lie”)
Director: Zhuangzhuang Tian
Since ancient times, China’s two primary land routes connecting it to the outside world have been the Silk Road in the north, and Tea Horse‑Road in the south. The mountain village of Bingzhongluo‑Tibetan for “Village of Tibetans” is located on the high plateau of western Yunnan Province, at the foot of Gaoligong Mountain. Traveling along the Nujiang River, one can reach the southern Tibetan border town of Chawalong‑Tibetan for “Valley of Dry Heat.” But with no roads connecting the two places, since ancient times the transport of all goods and supplies has relied entirely on horse caravans. The journey of more than 90 kilometers zigzags through high mountain slopes, dense forests, gorges and wastelands. Year‑round caravans have plied the Tea‑Horse Road, traversing the Hengduan Mountains, packing tea, salt, grains and other provisions. Traveling upstream along the Three Rivers, the route reaches Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Western Asia, ultimately linking to Europe. Traveling downstream along the Three Rivers, the route reaches Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Created more than two thousand years ago, the Tea‑Horse Road is the highest and most perilous of the world’s ancient routes, and to this day still show vibrant signs of life. This film is a record of the Tea‑Horse Road, the caravans of the Nujiang River Valley, and the aboriginal peoples who live there ‑‑ Mm. Ding who has a family with 15 members speaking 6 languages, a pastor who was jailed for 15 years for his believing, a 104 years old lady who walks through 3 centuries, a village head whose wife run away, a caravan who shares one wife with his elder brother, a young lama in the Buddhist temple who feels lonely sometimes, a 82 years old caravan leader whose story is a legend of the Tibetan caravans [producers]
2004. USA. 110 min
123. “Chaksampa: The Yogi Who Built Iron Bridges”
A documentary film about the Tibetan Opera Group of Kathmandu creating a new opera based on the life of Thangtong Gyalpo (the 14th Century Tibetan Yogi who founded the tradition of Tibetan Opera) and then practicing and then finally performing in the Shoton Opera Festival in Dharamsala in front of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. [producers]
124. “Champion of Compassion: Kalachakra”
“…documentary focus on many aspects of the Kalachakra initiation…and is filled with beautiful footage of HH the Dalai Lama in Toronto. Special features include a history of Tibet and its struggle, as well as a glimpse at what it takes to organize such an event! Narrated by His Holiness’ translator.” [producers]
65 minutes, Snow Lion, US$14.95. http://www.endlessknotfilms.com/ekf/coc.html
125. “Chants Encounter & Ganden Jangste Monks: Sacred Music and Dance”
“This is a great film about overtone chanting ‑Tibetan monks, Gregorian Chanters and Mongolian overtone singers demonstrate the powerful healing and meditative qualities of ritual chanting and overtone harmonics.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 50 minutes, US$29.
126. “Chanting Lama”
Ritual music and dances of Tibetan monks from northern India.
UK. 1980. 27 minutes.
127. “Chen ai luo ding” ([bden rdzun] brdar sha chod pa; Red Poppies)
Chinese TV, 2002/3
Pre‑liberation family drama of powerful, decadent, Tibetan local rulers in 1940s Amdo
In Chinese and Tibetan; story by Alai (“Red Poppies”).
Robbie Barnett collection.
128. “Chickenshit & Ash ‑ A Visit to Paradise”
Karl Prossliner, Peter Freisz & Gabriele Tautscher
“The Tibeto‑Burmese Culture meets the high industrialized civilization of Western Europe. The shaman and the mayor of Chayarsaba, Nepal, visit the “other world” in Vienna. This Austrian “village” is not the termination of heaven and earth, they claim to see paradise here, where everything gleams like a mirror, where one can eat one’s fill, where the source of all food is invisible, where one can sit while working and traveling, and where machines do all the work. At the same time they are confused by the stored bones of the dead, the statues in the windows which wear clothes but do not breathe, and by the overweight people who use machines to squeeze out their sweat and fat.
Two different cultures are contrasted on the level of personal experience and reaction ‑ directly, spontaneously and immediately.” [producers]
68 min. More info at: www.extrafilm.at
129. “Children of Tibet”
Director: Melinda Wearne
“Documentary that follows the journey to India that many Tibetan children make each year, in order to be able to be educated in their own language about their own customs. Focuses on three young children who recently made the journey, as well as an older Tibetan man who is completing his education.”
2003. 53 minutes. Australia. In English and Tibetan
130. “China and Human Rights,”
Rights and Wrongs Series
“Footage from inside a Chinese “slave ship” bringing immigrants to New York leads to a discussion of US Immigration policy; plus the resistance of Tibetan nuns abused by their Chinese occupiers.” [producers]
1999, 30 min. Chip Taylor Communications.
131. “China and Tibet”
Charles Suydam Cutting, American ethnologist and botanist, visited Tibet in 1930, 1935 and 1937. In 1928 he traveled in Tibetans areas of China. See also his To Lhasa and Shigatse.
Available at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
132. “China’s Gulag in Tibet”
“This startling documentary traces developments in the largest growth industry in Tibet ‑ prisons to house an ever increasing number of political prisoners” [producers]
27 minutes. Available from the Tibetan Government in Exile.
(http://tibetnews.com/pubs/videos.html )
133. “Choboi, 87, Monk, Choed‑pa”
A “video document” by Wolf Kahlen, in German.
“A handful of (very) old surviving monks of Mongolia are accumulators of the secret spiritual traditions and lineages…they may use their knowledge for the secular as well as for profane interests. And they do so. Choboi Lama, 87 years old, practices Choed, a ritual of Sacrificing the Ego…[this video] presents the entire ritual in its shortest version…It quotes the essential text passages, but does not show the secret practices on [sic] cemeteries. These I saw but would never show.” [Kahlen]
1996/7, 53 minutes. See http://www..snafu.de/~ruine‑kuenste.berlin/video8.htm
134. “Chod”
By Wangdu Lama
Lama Tsering Wangdu Rinpoche studied at Nadrag Monastery, a Nyingma monastery, and then completed the traditional sadhana of practicing Chod in 108 cremation grounds.” [producers]
45 minutes, available on CD and video. Snow Lion, US$45.00
135. “Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s A Symphony Of Great Bliss: An Experiential Song of Luminous Mahamudra”
“Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, comm. by Ven. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, with trans. by David Karma Choephel “Trungpa composed A Symphony of Great Bliss at the age of nineteen while he was fleeing from Tibet. This delightful and profound doha presents the view, path and fruition of Mahamudra in language that is both colorful and instructive. Thrangu Rinpoche’s commentary on this text provides insight into the circumstances surrounding this doha and teaches the meaning of the doha with clarity and precision.” [producer]
3‑disc, 6.5‑hr. DVD set. Snow Lion. US$ 60.00
136. “Cis rGung” (Mad Lama, blla ma smyon pa)
Made for Chinese TV.
Translation of Chinese period comedy. Robbie Barnett collection
137. “Climbing Mount Everest”
1922 silent film made by Captain John Noel (film‑maker, photographer, and entrepreneur) about the first expedition to attempt the climb of Mt. Everest. The film “…is less about climbing than the climber’s encounter with Tibet…most of this film is an anthropological travelogue of Tibetan life.”
Can be seen at the National Film and Television Archive, British Film Institute, London.
For a perceptive and informative discussion of this film and many other issues see Peter H. Hansen, “The Dancing Lamas of Everest: Cinema, Orientalism, and Anglo‑Tibetan Relations in the 1920s,” The American Historical Review 101:3 (June 1996): 712‑747.
138. “Clouds of Red Flowers Face the Sun” (Duoduo hong hua xiang taiyang)
Chinese film directed by Zhang Hui in 1965.
139. “Commentary on Atisha’s Lamp for the Path of Liberation”
By. H. H. The Dalai Lama”Atishas concise and comprehensive text brings together the essential points of the three turnings of the Wheel of Dharma…commentary was given in Italy in 2001.” [producers]
3 DVDs, 4.5 hours, Snow Lion
140.”Commentary on the Thirty‑Seven Practices of the Bodhisattva”
By. H. H. the Dalai Lama; translated by Thubten Jinpa and Jeffrey Hopkins.
“This video is based on teachings by the Dalai Lama in July of 1989 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium prior to the Kalachakra Empowerment…[based] on the popular short text written by Sakya scholar Togme Zangpo in the fourteenth century.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 6 videos, 12 hours, USUS$79.95.
141.”Compassion and Non‑violence”
This film records the Dalai Lama’s visit to Norway in December 1989 when he went there to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
Meridian Trust. 38 minutes. US$35.00.
142. “Compassion and Wisdom: A Guide to the Bodhisattvas Way of Life”
By James Zito
“This primer of compassionate living combines interviews with many of the worlds greatest Buddhist teachers…with rare footage of Buddhist art and architecture.” [producers]
Approx. 2.5 hours Snow Lion
143.* “Compassion in Exile”
Directed by Mickey Lemle
“Compassion in Exile is an intimate portrait of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, whose thirty‑year nonviolent struggle on behalf of his people earned him the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize. It is also a moving look at the brutal treatment endured by the Tibetan people at the hands of the Communist Chinese, who since 1950 have sought to eradicate the Tibetans’ culture and religion. Speaking with unprecedented candor, the Dalai Lama describes his upbringing and key moments in his life, while his countrymen bear witness to their personal ordeals. Featuring never‑before‑seen footage and beauty of Tibet, Compassion in Exile is at once a testament to the humility and gentle wisdom of a great spiritual leader and a heartfelt plea for the salvation of a people.” [producers]
1992, 16mm color, 60 minutes.
Produced by Lemle Pictures Inc. in association with Central Productions Ltd. UK. Distributed by Direct Cinema Limited, P.O. Box 10003, Santa Monica, CA 90410. Phone: (310) 396‑4774.
144. “Compassion of Compassion: Kalachakra”
By Tashi Eugyal
“…focuses on many aspects of the Kalachakra initiation ‑ its purpose…the sand mandala, sacred dance ‑ and is filled with beautiful footage of H.H. the Dalai Lama.” [producers]
65 minutes. US$14.95. Snow Lion
145. “Compassion: The Basis for Human Happiness”
The Dalai Lama talking about cultivating compassion for ourselves and others.
Talk sponsored by the Tibet Society of the U.K.
Meridian Trust. 90 minutes. US$35.00
146. “Compassion: The Source of Happiness”
By HH the XIV Dalai Lama, with Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen “This is a very well‑filmed DVD of His Holiness talking on compassion. A rich, full, and accessible talk that conveys the wisdom, humor, and power of the Dalai Lama. Filmed ‘live from the Gibson Amphitheatre.'” [producers]
September 2006 US$19.95
147. “Compassion Without Limit: The Courageous Heart and Lojong Practice”
By The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
“Limitless compassion for oneself and others can be cultivated using these simple, easy‑to‑remember mind‑training practices as taught originally by Gampopa. With humor and insight, Rinpoche explains the process in detail and shows how to apply the teachings in real‑world situations. These five talks are taught in English.” [producers]
3‑DVD set. Snow Lion. US$ 60.00
148. “Conflicts: Tibet”
BBC documentary. Directed by Oliver Clark
“…The programme combines archive footage with the views of both the Tibetans and the Chinese. Personal stories from Tibetans in exile tell of the Chinese policy of patriotic re‑education under which monks have been persecuted and have had to renounce the Dalai Lama. Yet the Chinese honestly believe that China has saved the Tibetans from feudalism, They say that they have built schools, hospitals and roads, and that 50 years after it ‘liberated’ Tibet, there has been ‘great social progress’ in the region, a view contested by the Tibetans in exile.” [producers]
30 minutes.
149. “Contribution of the Individual to World Peace”
The Dalai Lama speaking to 2000 people at Coventry Cathedral, U.K. on “…how individuals can contribute to a peaceful world.” [producers] Translated by Jeffrey Hopkins.
Meridian Trust.1984. 75 minutes. US$40.00
150. “Crazy Wisdom”
Directed by Johanna Demetrakas
Produced by Johanna Demetrakas and Lisa Leeman
Documentary about the controversial Chogyam Trungpa (1939‑1987) one of the earliest missionary for Tibetan Buddhism in the West. But the movie goes mushy when it should be critical, and leaves you with questions thats its not prepared to answer…It would have helped to hear from people critical of Trungpa and from traditional Tibetan Buddhists, who might put his teachings, his crazy wisdom and his followers in perspective. [Rachel Saltz, Film Review, [New York Times, 25 November 2011]
1 hour 29 minutes
151. “Creating Buddhas: The Making and Meaning of Fabric Thangkas”
By Isadora Gabrielle Leidenfrost
“Featuring Robert Thurman, Glenn Mullin, and China Galland, this film documents the art of fabric thangkas‑‑‑here told through the story of Leslie Rinchen Wangmo, who masters a “male” art to create a fabric thangka of Tara. Made of embroidered silk and applique, these thangkas are rare, and exquisitely beautiful.Creating Buddhas is a documentary about a woman who makes Buddhas out of silk. Trained in Dharamsala, India, for nine years, Leslie Rinchen‑Wongmo is one of the few female fabric thangka makers in the world. A fabric thangka is a silk embroidered and appliqued art form in Tibetan Buddhism that is so rare that in some places it is only seen once a year, and then only for a few hours.This film explores Leslie’s life changing journey from her initial discovery of fabric thankas through her mastery of the art, and reveals the history and spiritual significance of fabric thangka in Buddhism. Throughout this film, we see Leslie produce a thangka of the female Buddha Tara. In a sense, Leslie is like Tara. Leslie mastered a male tradition and we see fabric thangka through feminine eyes.” [producers]
1 hour. US$25.00. Snow Lion.
152. “Creating the Sacred Space: Kalachakra Mandala in Rikon, Switzerland”
Edited by Robyn Brentano.
“Creating the Sacred Space: Kalachakra Mandala in Rikon, Switzerland 01/01/85 Throughout the history of Kalachakra practice, the elaborate preparation of a mandala for the ritual initiation has been of prime importance. This sacred diagram is meticulously created from coloured sand and forms an essential part of the consecration of the whole event, together with offerings of tormas, ritual objects and lama dances. The precision of the physical preparations is reflected in the meditations and teachings. The combined perfection of the master, H.H. the Dalai Lama, and the auspicious elements of time, place and disciples combine with the mandala and create the sacred space for Kalachakra.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes. US$35.00
153. “Cutting Down Tibet”
Filmed clandestinely in southern Tibet (Kongpo) and Kham (Dawu); shows trucks from state‑owned enterprises taken the logs toward Golmud, Qinghai and Sichuan provinces. Filmed by “anonymous Tibetans who slept in the mountains and filmed from hiding places.” [producers]
Shown on BBC‑TV, 2 May 1996.
154. “Daily Life in a Tibetan Bonpo Monastery”
Directed by Jon Jerstad.
Unique look at the pre‑Buddhist religion (Bon) of Tibet.
Wisdom Films, 30 minutes. US$31.50. Also Meridian Trust.
155. “Dakini in Yurts: Women Choed Masters of Mongolia”
A “video document” by Wolf Kahlen.
“Choed is a Buddhist Vajrayana ritual which has been practiced, intensively and perpetually, especially by women in Mongolia, who could not live a life as ordained nuns, since ordination had been refused to them by the monks of the leading Gelugpa lineage…Just a few of them, now in their eighties have survived. ..This film is the portrait of two extraordinary old women, masters of Choed, reborn dakinis (goddesses of the sky) of one reborn male dakini, and of a younger nun, who teaches the ritual…[they] live in the far east of Mongolia.” [Kahlen]
In German. 1994/95, 108 minutes. See
http://snafu.de/~ruine‑kuenste.berlin/video7.htm
156. “Dakini Wisdom”
By Lama Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche
“Understanding emptiness and dependent‑arising is the key to experiencing the dakini wisdom and becoming a ‘sky‑goer.'” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 93 minutes
157. “Dalai Lama”
Produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Company for “Man Alive” 1980.
“This video features an extensive interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the 1959 rare footage of his visit to Ganden monastery, the third largest monastery in Tibet, to take his final examination for the Geshe Lharampa degree (the Highest Order of Doctor of Divinity degree).” [producers]
Office of Tibet, 30 minutes, color, 3/4″ video.
158.* “Dalai Lama”
Produced by China Central Television (CCTV), 1997
Producer: Sonampnuntsog; Director: Paldon
“A 90‑minute TV documentary featuring major historical incidents in China’s Tibet from the 1930s to the 1950s. The documentary features more than 20 eyewitnesses of historical incidents, including fellow villagers, relatives, cooks and serfs of the 14th Dalai Lama (Dainzin Gyaco), as well as officials of the former Tibetan local government, religious figures, historians and elderly men who worked with the Dalai Lama.
The eyewitnesses provide narrations of personal experiences and stories about the 14th Dalai Lama, including how Dainzin Gyaco, son of a farmer, was selected as one of the candidates for the soul boy of the 13th Dalai Lama.
Other accounts depict enthronement ceremonies, and how the 14 Dalai Lama became the leader of old Tibet’s feudal serf system which integrated religion with politics under a meticulous and strict system based onto Tibetan Buddhism. In addition, the documentary explains how the Dalai Lama ratified the agreement signed with the central government on peacefully liberating Tibet; how he maintained close cooperative relations with the central government from 1954 to 1956; and how he later embarked on the path of “splitting the motherland.”
The documentary provides a detailed explanation of the origins of the title of the Dalai Lama and reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism, as well as relevant historical conventions and religious protocols. “[ Xinhua (New China News Agency)]
90 minutes. Available in Chinese and English versions.
159.* “Dalai Lama: At Home in Exile”
Correspondent, photographer and cameraman David Turnley for CNN Perspective
Turnley is a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist for the Detroit Free Press who was given permission to spend a week with the Dalai Lama in order to document a typical day. It starts at 3:30AM with the Dalai Lama conducting his meditations, exercising in his bathroom and drying off (half‑naked) after a bath. It appears that Turnley knows little about Tibet and cares less. This film owes much to the National Geographic and People magazine‑style of reporting that borders on hagiography. A must for Tibet groupies. [Grunfeld]
Approx. 39 minutes, 1‑800‑201‑8844, US$24.97
160. “Dalai Lama at St. Patrick’s Cathedral”
The Dalai Lama attends an interfaith service at New York, St. Patrick’s Cathedral hosted by Cardinal Terence Cooke in 1979.
In color. Restored and digitalized by the Tibet Film Archive at the Rubin Museum, New York City. http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org/
161. “Dalai Lama ‑ Columbia”
Film by Lina Dorado
Documentary about the Dalai Lama’s 2007 visit to the country of Columbia.
2009. 68 minutes.
162. “Dalai Lama: derriÉre le sourire” (Dalai Lama: behind the Smile)
Film by Jean‑Marc Duchesne. Shown at a Brussels film festival in 2006.
Contact BUREAU DU TIBET, 84 bd Adolphe Pinard, 75014 PARIS
Tel. 0146565453 Fax 0146560818. http://www.tibet.net
163. “Dalai Lama in India”
British Pathe film of the Dalai Lama’s arrival in Tezpur in northeast India in 1959.
2:22 minutes. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lounJuTaiSc
164. “Dalai Lama Interview”
Produced by Lesea Broadcasting T.V. in 1981. Interviewed by Dr. Lester Sumrall.
“Set in the Buddhist Lamaist Monastery of America in Washington, N.J. His Holiness the Dalai Lama talks about Buddhism, the current situation in Tibet, Tibetan exile life and so forth. The interview was done during his 1981 visit to the United States.” [producers]
Office of Tibet, 50 minutes, color, 3/4″ video.
165. “Dalai Lama Interview”
Produced by Lemra Associates
Features interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and some footage of Tibetan exile communities in Dharamsala, India.
Office of Tibet, 1978, 30 minutes, color, 3/4″ video.
166. “Dalai Lama Renaissance”
Produced and Directed by Khashyar Darvich
Documentary on the Dalai Lamas meeting with philosophers in 1999. Narrated by Harrison Ford. According to the film‑maker, “One of the main messages expressed in this story and characters of the film is that the most effective way to create positive change in the world is to first transform and change yourself…”
167. “Dalai Lama: The Soul of Tibet”
“This compelling overview intertwines Tibet’s modern history with the life story of the country’s spiritual and political leader. Alternating between vintage news footage and perceptive commentary by scholars, the program helps viewers witness and understand: the boy monk’s traditional Tibetan education; how China’s invasion and occupation changed Tibet; the teenaged leader’s naive attempts to negotiate with the Chinese; his formation of a government in exile; and his tireless campaign to focus international efforts in support of the Tibetan people.” [producers]
Color and black‑and‑white. 50 minutes. A&E Biography. 1997. Purchase Price: US$19.95
168. “Dalai Lama USC”
Filmed in 1979 during His Holiness’s visit to the United States. The subject of his talk at the University of Southern California was “Bodhisattva Motivation: Giving and Taking” followed by questions and answers.
Office of Tibet, 50 minutes, color, 3/4″ video.
169. “Damming the Angry River”
Producer, Reporter, Editor : Xiaoli Zhou, Co‑Producer: Brent E. Huffman
“Damming the Angry River was a part of the Emmy Winning Season of Natural Heroes ‑ the first national television series of independent films on the environment.
The Nu River is one of the last free‑flowing rivers in China and Asia, but about two years ago, the Chinese government proposed 13 dams over the Nu River. China needs enormous hydroelectric power to keep up with its soaring economic growth.
However, nobody builds dams like China. For the past 50 years, the country has already built over 86,000 dams. Among those, more than 22,000 are big dams that account for almost 50% of its kind in the world.
As plans of damming the Nu River continue, the anger against the dams among Chinese environmentalists is growing. Many individuals are taking risks to voice against government projects that are threatening the country’s deteriorating environment.
“No matter what it takes, I would fight for saving this river,” says Wang Yongchen, a national radio reporter.
Unexpectedly, a year ago, Chinese Prime Minister ordered to suspend the Nu River dam project, and urged for careful consideration about such hydro‑power projects.
Many Chinese environmentalists such as Wang called such a decision unprecedented.” [producers]
170. “Dance Meditations of Medicine Buddha”
Produced and directed by Anahata Iradah
” This sacred dance practice invokes the power of Medicine Buddha for healing afflictions of body and mind…Prema Dasara leads the viewer through the intricacies of this sacred movement meditation” [producers]
Snow Lion, 61 minutes, video, US$24.95
171. “Dance the Goddess: Rainbow Essence of Tara”
By Anahata Iradah, Prema Dasara and Tara Dhatu
“Guides the viewer through the complete practice of Tara ‑ through chant, movement and meditation…Prema leads dancing women and men through the ritual of the dance.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 31 minutes, video, US$25.00
172. “Dances of Buddhist Pilgrims”
1920. 16 mm http://tibetfilmarchive.org
173. “Dancing In Amdo”
Produced and directed by Carl Cimini
Wobblimind Media
“Dancing in Amdo takes you further inside the Tibet story than ever before. Interviews with both sides of this super‑charged issue meet for the first time in Dancing In Amdo, the most important and urgent documentary ever made on the subject… is a simple appeal for resolution that speaks directly to the hearts of every human being.” [producers]
Producers call it “The most complete report ever produced concerning the Tibet/China crisis.” Tibetologist Melvyn C. Goldstein played a role in this film.
Soundtrack by a Tibetan group called “JJI Exile Brothers.”
http://www.dancinginamdo.com , 2008, 106 minutes
174. “Dark Red Forest”
Directed by Jin Huaqing
“A work of visual awe and matter-of-fact spiritual inquiry, Dark Red Forest is a majestic documentary portrait that details the annual retreat of thousands of Tibetan nuns to small wooden houses on the vast Tibetan Plateau. With extraordinary intimacy, the camera nestles in with the women of the Yarchen Monastery, who, during the 100 coldest days of the year, learn about-and in some cases experience-profound matters of life and death, suffering and healing, karma and consequence. A document of the experiences of a group of increasingly politically embattled people, Jin Huaqing’s film is also a clarifying work of faith and philosophical inquiry, set against a forbidding landscape.” [producers]
China. 2021. 85 minutes, Tibetan with English subtitles
175. “Das Verlorene Gesicht”
“The enigmatic story of a young woman who for some time takes on a second personality…that of a Tibetan woman. In Stuttgart, an apparently white woman with Asiatic physical features is picked up and admitted to a psychiatric clinic.
There she recovers the power of speech, but nobody can understand her. The Theosophical Society is involved and decides she is Tibetan. Involves alleged superhuman powers of Tibetans.”
See Martin Brauen, Dreamworld Tibet. Western Illusions , translated by Martin Willson (Trumbull, CT: Weatherhill, Inc., 2004), pp. 142‑144.
In German. 1948.
176. “Daughtr of the Light”
Directed by Khashem Gyal
“In Tibet, divorce is becoming a social problem. As a new wave of technology, such as dating on smartphones, is sweeping through the area, traditional life starts to collapse. Especially the phenomenon of parents abandoning her children for remarriage is prevalent.
Although 13-year-old Metok Karpo lives in a boarding school for orphans, her divorced parents are alive and well, leaving her to be raised by her maternal grandparents, who make her school holidays hell by continually denouncing her father. While her mother unsuccessfully remarries, Metok embarks on a journey to find her father in her native grassland. Discovering his happy life with a new family, she is troubled by complex feelings she can only express through her imaginative drawings.
The film’s title Daughter of the Light, refers to Tibetan children who live on the plateau, a place closest to the sun on earth, in the hope that they will have a bright future.” [producers]
Documentary | Tibetan with English Subtitles. 2020 | Tibet | 100 mins
177. “Daughters of Wisdom”
Film by Bari Pearlman
“This documentary views contemporary Tibet through the eyes of some of the country’s most extraordinary women: the nuns of the Kala Rongo monastery of Nangchen, Kham. Founded in 1990, the Kala Rongo monastery offers women choices they’ve never had before, challenging traditional attitudes about gender and hierarchy.” [producers]
In Tibetan and English with English subtitles. 2007, 68 minutes (56-minute classroom version available)
178. “Dawn on the Meng River” (Meng he de liming)
Chinese film directed by Lu Ren, Zhu Danxi in 1955.
179. “De Lan”
Director: Jie Liu
On his trip to the village, Wong meets a Tibetan girl, De Lan. He later finds that De Lan is married to Rigchin. One day, a young Tibetan man arrives with a woman, and De Lan starts crying. How many lovers does De Lan have? When Rigchin hints Wong that he doesn’t mind he joining them, Wong is lost… [sic] [producers]
China. 90 minutes. 2015
180. “Death and Transference of Consciousness”
Lama Thubten Yeshe explains the Buddhist view of death and the path that consciousness follows as it moves from one lifetime to the next at St. John Smith Square, London, 1982. “Picture quality is fair, sound is good.” [producers]
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes. US$35.00. Also Meridian Trust.
181. “Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth”
Five lectures by Lama Thubten Yeshe giving an extensive explanation of the inner process of death and how it can be used in the path to enlightenment. Manjushri Institute, Cumbria.
Wisdom Films, approx. 8 hours.
182. “Debate in the Tibetan Tradition”
Directed by Greta Jensen.
Documentary on the practice of debate and logic in Buddhist education. India, 1985.
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes. US$35.00. Also Meridian Trust.
183. “Decoding The Past: Tibetan Book of the Dead”
“The Tibetan book of the Dead is an important document that has stood the test of time and attempts to provide answers to one of mankind’s greatest questions: What happens when we die? Experts ranging from the Dalai Lama to Columbia University’s Robert Thurman will discuss the books importance. State‑of‑the‑art computer generated graphics will recreate this mysterious and exotic world. Follow the dramatized journey of a soul from death…to re‑birth. In Tibet, the “art of dying” is nothing less than the art of living.” [producers]
184. “Defenders of the Earth: Season 1, Episode 13: The Lost Jewels of Tibet”
Writer: Arthur Byron Cover
Mandrake and Lothar join forces with the beautiful Atascadero to find The Lost Jewels of Tibet. They discover, along with Ming, the wrath of a prehistoric dragon.
1986. 21 minutes, animated adventure sci-fi.
185. “Deforestation in Tibet: A Journey Through Kham”
“This film explores the devastating consequences of deforestation on the delicate ecostructure in Tibet. The images of vast scarred hillsides, soil erosion and miles of trucks carrying Tibet’s wood into China speak for themselves. The narration highlights the effects of policy applied regardless of consequence, and shows that despite China’s official endorsement of replanting very little is actually done. Perhaps the most tragic pictures of all are the huge tree trunks left rotting in the rivers that were supposed to carry them away, but that have themselves become clogged up with top soil, whilst the barren hillsides loom forlorn in the background.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 25 minutes. US$26.25.
186. “Democracy in Exile”
Produced by Tashi Wangchuk and Tsultrim Dorjee (Tibetan Motion Pictures and Arts)
“An exciting look at the progress of democratic institutions in the exile Tibetan Community. Contains interviews of important Tibetan officials and their insight and hopes for a free and democratic Tibet. A detailed interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama adds to the value of this enormously insightful survey of Tibetans’ march toward democracy.” [producers]
45 minutes, in Tibetan. Available from the Tibetan Government in Exile:
http://tibetnews/pubs/videos.html
187. “Demon in the Rock”
A “video document” by Wolf Kahlen.
Kahlen believes the 14/15 century Tibetan mahasiddha Thang‑stong rGyal‑po, the founder of Tibetan theater, was “a Leonardo of Tibet.” Filmed in 1988 in Spiti this is the “Breaking of the Stone [ritual] which incorporates …pre‑Buddhist (Bon) rituals…to set the demon free, the rock is placed on the chest of an “acting” initiated one in trance, and smashed by boulder.” [Kahlen]
Part 2 of this film is: “Thang‑stong rygal‑po. The Leonardo of Tibet”
In German. 1988‑90, 100 minutes. See http://www.snafu.de/~ruine‑kuenste.berlin/video4_1.htm
188.* “Demons on the Roof of the World”
Film by Hajo Bergman for the Discovery Channel
A New Age, superficial, touristy introduction to Tibetan religion from Bon to Buddhism. The film makers travel from Dharamsala to Derge to the Yarlung Valley to Samye Monastery to Tashilhunpo. At the latter site they film a religious ceremony which the narrator says included human sacrifices at one time. [Grunfeld]
Approx. 22 minutes
189. “Der Damon Des Himalaya” (The Demon of the Himalayas)
Gunner Oskar Dyhrenfurth, (German/Switzerland)
Once believed lost, this restored, intriguing mixture of documentary footage and dramatic narrative was the first film to be shot at an altitude of over 13,500 feet. The footage was used by Frank Capra in Lost Horizon, and also in the American remake, Storm Over Tibet (1952). Sumptuous score by Arthur Honegger. Has original footage from Ladakh and Kashmir (Lamayuru Monastery)
1935. In German. Available in Switzerland at the CinÉmatÉque Suisse in Lausanne and at the VÖlkerkundemuseum der UniversitÄt Zürich.
190. “Derr Damon im Stein” (The Demon in stone“)
…part of the video art series of Wolf Kahlen shown … in the presence of the artist two videos. The first film entitled “The Demon in stone, Tibetan ritual of stone breaking”, Tibet / D, 1988. “The Tibetan Thang‑stong rGyal Mahasiddha‑po is from the 14th / 15th century, comparable to Leonardo when the founder of the theater, the A‑lche lha‑mo considered. In the chain of suppositions but the decisive element was not known until 1988. We found it, “Kahlen explains to the video. At issue is the ceremony of breaking stones. The second film is entitled “shampooing.” [producers]
191. “Der Tod und die Liebe” (Life and Death)
Director: Paul Otto
‘Cooper, an Englishman in Tibet, is accused of murdering the sister of the ruling Prince, Tantara Bagha. The prince follows Cooper to England to enact his revenge by kidnapping Cooper’s fiancee Eleanor and forcing her to marry him as a bargain against Cooper’s life. But Cooper returns to Tibet in hopes of rescuing her and finding the real killer of the prince’s sister.’ [producers]
German. Silent. 1921
192. “Destination Lhasa”
Oracle Pictures, a subsidiary of ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS CORP, P. O. Box 491693, Los Angeles, CA. (310) 556‑FILM; E‑mail: awang19851@aol.com .
“A film about the Chinese military movement into Tibet between 1950‑1953, captures the entire events, including battle scenes, troop movements, historical personalities, the U.S., British, Indian, and the U.N.’s actions on Tibet, etc., completely restored in the digital form. For the first time, this historical event is examined from sociopolitical, anthropological, and socioeconomic standpoints, complete with historical backdrops backed by our footage. This historical footage is obtained from the Chinese archives, through an exclusive arrangement, shot by field cameramen of the Chinese army.” [producers]
1997 (re‑released in 1999), 48 minutes, US$99.95
193. “Destiny’s Children: Voice of Tomorrow’s Tibet“
Film by Pimmi Pande
“Pande’s film, then, documents the story of those, who see war as the only way to achieving any sort of Tibetan nation state, whether as part of China or not. She talks to members of the TYC, interviews both young people and freedom fighters…” [Deccan Herald, 28 September 2003]
28 minutes
194. “Destroyer Of Illusion: The Secret World of a Tibetan Lama”
Written and directed by Richard Kohn, produced by Franz‑Christophe Giercke and Barbara Becker, narrated by Richard Gere “Unprecedented access and intimate knowledge inform this richly detailed and beautifully filmed portrait of a secret Tibetan Buddhist ritual, the Mani Rimdu festival, and the remarkable spiritual teacher, Trulshik Rinpoche, who leads and preserves this centuries‑old tradition. Previously broadcast on PBS.Richard Gere narrates with the clarity and resonant depth of an insider. This is a chance to witness a private sacred realm as if you were there. The Lord of the Dance is the deity of Mani Rimdu, the major sacred festival of the Everest region. Each autumn, Trulshik Rinpoche, the spiritual leader of the region, goes from his home in Thubten Choling to Chiwong Monastery to preside over the festival. His name means “destroyer of illusion.”During three weeks of ancient and secret ceremonies, the monks of Thubten Choling and Chiwong become Lord of the Dance, and with the compassion of the gods, undertake heroic tasks. They challenge the most dangerous supernatural forces of the universe, bend them to their will, and then dramatize that conquest in dance. They dissolve the universe into clear and infinite light, and pour that energy into magic pills that they distribute to the thousand villagers who attend Mani Rimdu seeking empowerment.In Destroyer of Illusion we meet the men who undertake these tasks. We see the world through their eyes‑‑a world where the mountains are filled with gods, and a human being’s potential is limited only by his imagination and his will.Writer/Director Richard Kohn spent several years in Nepal researching Tibetan Buddhist teachings and rituals, particularly the Mani Rimdu festival. His doctoral thesis about this tradition was published by SUNY Press as Lord of the Dance: The Mani Rimdu Festival in Tibet and Nepal.” [producers]
56‑min. DVD. Snow Lion. US$ 24.95
195. “Destroyer of Illusion”
Written and Directed by Richard Kohn, narrated by Richard Gere.
“The Secret World of a Tibetan Lama. Unprecedented access and intimate knowledge inform this richly detailed and beautifully filmed portrait of a secret Tibetan Buddhist ritual, the Mani Rimdu festival, and the remarkable spiritual teacher, Trulshik Rinpoche, who leads and preserves this centuries‑old tradition. Richard Gere narrates with the clarity and resonant depth of an insider. This is a very special chance to witness a private sacred realm as if you were there.” [producers]
2006, 57 minutes
196. “Devotion and Defiance: Buddhism and the Struggle for Religious Freedom in Tibet”
Produced by the International Campaign for Tibet
“This powerful film contains extensive footage from monasteries in Tibet and chronicles the complex struggle of monks and nuns who defy the Chinese government’s heavy‑handed attempt at control…Contains footage shot in Tibet in the last three years.” [producers]
2004, 35 minutes, available in DVD or VHS from the International Campaign for Tibet.
197. “Dharamsala”
Produced by Mark Elliot.
Home movie style. Prayer, recitation, children, Tibetan Medical Center, carpet factory, Tibetan Children’s Village and more. 1984
Office of Tibet, color.
198. “Dharamsala” (?)
An Austrian TV production shown on Austrian TV 10 April 1996. The film “emphasized both the hardship experienced by the refugees and the success of the community in exile. It included several short interviews, inter alia with His Holiness and with Ama Adhe.” [Petra Seibert of SAVE TIBET].
199. “Dharamsala: Tibet in Exile”
Directed by Gary Teper
“Tibetans in exile discuss the discrimination and human rights abuses their people suffer from the occupying Chinese government. These interviews, filmed in the U.S. and in a Buddhist monastery in Dharamsala…are blended with historical footage…and contemporary footage and photos of life in Dharamsala…” [producers]
The Cinema Guild, Inc. 199, 50 minutes, US$99.95 www.cinemaguild.com
200. “Dharma: The Meaning of Existence Excellent”
“Excellent overview of the Buddhist path following the Nyingma categorization of the mineyanas or vehicles and explaining the meaning of the term “Dharma.” Taught by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche Rigpa. London, 1984.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 165 minutes, color. US$74.50
201. “Dialectical Practice in Tibetan Philosophical Culture: An Ethnomethodological Inquiry into Formal Reasoning”
by Kenneth Liberman
Book “enhanced with multimedia software, this original study of Tibetan debate brings a richly detailed, turn‑by‑turn analysis of monks’ formal philosophical reasoning. The points are carefully illustrated in the accompanying video CD of actual debates filmed at Tibetan monastic universities. A ground‑breaking study.” [producers]
Book is 338 pp. plus video CD. US$ 75.00. Snow Lion
202. “Differentiating Between Devotion and Emotion”
H. H. Gyalwang Drukchen Rinpoche defines “devotion as Understanding.” “He also talks about the negativities of sectarianism, and how all beings are looking for happiness, and that happiness comes from the spirit, but mostly we are ignorant of this.” [producers] “Sound okay but background hum.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 1995. 76 minutes. US$26.25
203. “Digital Dharma”
Digital Dharma is the story of E. Gene Smith, the man who saved Tibetan Buddhism. This feature‑length documentary uncovers Gene’s 50‑year journey with renowned scholars, lamas and laypeople as they struggle to find, preserve and digitize more than 20,000 volumes of ancient Tibetan text. Crossing multiple borders ‑ geographic, political and philosophical ‑ Digital Dharma is an epic story of a cultural rescue and how one man’s mission became the catalyst for an international movement to provide free access to the story of a people. [producers]
86 minutes. 2012. http://digitaldharma.com/home
204. “Discovering Buddhism”
“This wonderfully comprehensive 13‑video set touches on the vital points of Tibetan Buddhism. Hosted by Keanu Reeves and Richard Gere, the set features presentations by the Dalai Lama, Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa and other Tibetan teachers as well as Western teachers such as Thubten Chodron and Sangye Khandro. Clear, accessible exposition of the Mahayana path for both beginners and experienced students.” [producers].
Boxed set of 13 30‑min. videos. US$ 108.95. Snow Lion
205.* “Dispatches: Undercover in Tibet”
By Jezza Neumann
“Dispatches reports on the hidden reality of life under Chinese occupation after spending three months undercover, deep inside the region…Tibetan exile Tash Despa returns to the homeland he risked his life to escape 11 years ago to carry out secret filming with award‑winning, Bafta nominated director Jezza Neumann (“China’s Stolen Children”). Risking imprisonment and deportation, he uncovers evidence of the ‘cultural genocide’ described by the Dalai Lama.
He finds the nomadic way of life being forcefully wiped out as native Tibetans are stripped of their land and livestock and are being resettled in concrete camps. Tibet reveals the regime of terror which dominates daily life and makes freedom of expression impossible. Tash meets victims of arbitrary arrests, detention, torture and “disappearances” and uncovers evidence of enforced sterilizations on ethnic Tibetan women.
He sees for himself the impact of the enormous military and police presence in the region, and the hunger and hardship being endured by many Tibetans, and hears warnings of the uprising taking place across the provinces now.” [producers]
Shown on BBC Channel 4, Apr 4, 2008. 51 minutes.
206. “Distinguishing Phenomenon and Pure Being DVD”
By Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto, translated by Ari Goldfield
“A wonderful line‑by‑linecommentary on the middle section of Maittreyas Distinguishing Phenomenon and Pure Being, which gives a detailed analysis of the characteristics of pure being as seen by practitioners of the paths of accumulation and juncture and by bodhisattvas on the paths of seeing, meditation and no more learning.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 3 DVD set, 5.5 hours, US$36.00
207. “Distorted Propaganda”
Directed by Jeff Lodas
“Through the window of Chinese propaganda in Tibet, this film looks at topics such as education, entertainment, urban development, religion, political anniversary celebration, and the peaceful liberation of Tibet.
Propaganda is ubiquitous in China. Because of Tibet’s political situation, many facets of life have a political tone…Who really benefits from it? Who really pays for it? Being Buddhist is synonymous with being Tibetan, and is one of the clearest expressions of national identity. Yet, loyalty to the Communist Party must come before everything, and religion is no exception. 2001 marked 50 years since the arrival of the Peoples’ Liberation Army on the Tibetan Plateau…Five interviews reveal what it is like to grow up, live and work with propaganda in daily life. Three anonymous Tibetans discuss their experiences with education, media, and popular music. Interviewed on camera are Chopata Mache, a composer, and Agya Rinpoche, former Abbot of Kumbum Monastery in Amdo and VP of the Chinese Buddhist Association.” [producers]
2007. 62 minutes http://www.distortedpropaganda.com/about_dp.html
208. “Dixie Cups”
Producer: Steven Seagal
A mindless Rambo‑type film about the CIA aiding Tibetan rebels in the 1960s. Based on stories told to an American smuggler Jeff Long who was imprisoned in Nepal along with Tibetan CIA‑backed guerrillas. “Dixie Cup” is CIA slang for operatives that are expendable. Title changed to The Soldier and the Snow Lion. Orville Schell, Virtual Tibet. Searching for Shangri‑la From the Himalayas to Hollywood (New York: Metropolitan Books, 2000), pp. 61‑74. “This film has been delayed by concern over China’s reaction.” [Marie Claire, Sept./97] Unlikely!
209. “Dolpo Tulku: Return to the Himilayas”
Director: Martin Hoffmann
“Recognized as a reincarnatioin of a high ranking tulku at the age of 10. Sherpa Sangpo attended a Tibetan monastery in India for 17 years. When he returns to his native Dolpo in Nepal, he has to fulfill his duties as he sets out to develop this forgotten region.” [producers]
German. 2009 Tibetan with subititles
210. “Dor, Low is Better”
Directed by Robert Boonzajer Flaes and Maarten Rens
The film offers an experimental approach to the comparative study of cultures: the monks of a Tibetan monastery compare their own flutes with the Swiss alphorn and the Dutch windhorn introduced to them by the anthropologist. While the monks agree to play those foreign instruments, they still prefer their own flutes for the performance of ritual music. [producer]
Netherlands. 1988. 46 minutes. https://vimeo.com/20418066
211.* “Dorje Shugden”
Two European television programs devoted to the religious (political?) controversy.
From SF1 (Swiss National Television), “10 vor 10”. Four segments shown from 5 January to 8 January 1998; 7 minutes each. Interviews with lamas at Ganden and Sera Monasteries in India as well as numerous Tibetans who have been socially ostracized, threatened with death and generally shunned for continuing to believe in the Dorje Shugden deity. The films show wanted posters and newspaper stories which list family names (including children) and encourage Tibetans to commit some harm to these people. The Dalai Lama denies it all calling the accounts “rumors.” (Two copies available; one with English subtitles and an uninterrupted 30 minute version with English voice over.)
From NDR (First German Television) the program Panorama aired “Verklart, Verkitscht, Verfalscht” (Transfigured, Sentimentalized, Distorted) on 20 November 1997.
A brief documentary on the Dorje Shugden controversy and the authoritarian rule of the Dalai Lama. Attempts to debunk the myths of Tibet as Shangri‑La and the Dalai Lama as perfect. Includes an interview with a journalist who was forced to close down a newspaper which criticized the Dalai lama’s negotiations with China. Also depicts Tibet prior to 1950 as a feudal, undemocratic and authoritarian place while equally criticizing Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama denied these film makers an interview while his administration sent a statement blaming everything on China who, it claimed, was financially behind the Dorje followers.
Sadly, neither film explains what the controversy is about simply having the Dalai Lama say that this deity is a threat to him without any explanation as to how or why. These films are a rarity in that they don’t deify the Dalai Lama which is usually the norm. [Grunfeld]
Available from Dorje Shugden International
http://www.tibet‑internal.com/ ‑and ‑http://www.he.net/~shugden/ )
212. “Dorje Shugden Controversy”
Produced by the Department of Security of Tibetan government in exile in 2000 designed to answer the charges against the Dalai Lama.
41 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr4ynIqzklo&feature=youtu.be
213. “Does mind matter?”
Thinking Allowed Productions,
Thinking allowed Series moderator Jeffrey Mishlove interviews speakers on the relationship of mind to body or brain; comparison of the mind to computers; and the mind in Tibetan Buddhism. [producers]
1988. USA.
214.”Dr. Tenzin Choedak: The Cancer and Aids: The View of Tibetan Medicine”
Wisdom Films, 120 minutes.
215. “Dramgyen: The Lute”
Produced byTashi Wangdu
“….a short film based on a new Tibetan immigrant family. It is about the trepidation’s of a simple family trying to adjust their lives in the western society. Both parents coming from a musician background are unable to secure a good life in the west. They are unable to find “good” jobs. Kelsang, the only daughter of the family happens to be another musical prodigy (in traditional Tibetan instrument). Her father disapproves of her choice. ” [producers]
13 minutes. In Tibetan with English sub‑titles.
http://www.endlessknotfilms.com/ekf/dramgyen.html
216. “Drapchi”
Directed by Arvind Iyer
Modern Tibet is a political hotbed where present‑day is at war with traditional‑past. [sic]. Tibetan opera singer Yiga Gyalnang is abducted and thrown into Drapchi, one of the most dreaded prisons on earth for what the Chinese government see [sic] as rebellion through her songs of freedom and expression.
After years of isolation and torture, she breaks free and escapes to Nepal and, then to the West, taking with her a unbroken soul, tremendous strength and her voice that could never be silenced.
Drapchi based on a true story and events from the life of the famed Tibetan opera singer Namgyal Lhamo who portrays the fictional character on the screen. [producers]
.. Drapchi is the name of Lhasas Prison No. 1, the largest in Tibet. Converted from a Tibetan military garrison into a prison following the 1959 Tibetan uprising (officially it was made into a prison in 1965) and the flight of the Dalai Lama to India, it is where most of the political prisoners of Tibet are incarcerated…It is the name of a new movie directed by indie filmmaker Arvind Iyer, and starring famous Tibetan singer Namgyal Lhamo. The 77‑minute movie is an interesting experiment in filmmaking. It uses the format of a docu‑fiction, with the characters barely speaking to each other and the narrative taken forward by a gruff voice, a voice that the films end reveals belong to a former espionage officer from another country. The officer is not identified in this fictional story where the real and the fictional merge seamlessly, but it is believed that he is a real‑life Army man from a Western country who spent nearly a decade inside Drapchi after having been caught for alleged spying in Tibet…In fact, if one had not been told that the lead character of Yiga Gyalnang has been played by the Netherlands‑based Lhamo, and had it not for portions where the characters briefly speak with one another, one could have easily termed this film as in intensely personal documentary where the protagonist symbolises the quiet suffering of thousands of Tibetans who trudge across the Himalayas to seek political refuge in another country…The emotional turmoil in Yiga comes through in the film through Yigas melancholic demeanour, and through some superb compositions that form the background score…
Even though Lhamo herself had got her training in music at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in Dharamsala before migrating to Europe, one gets the feeling while watching Drapchi that Yiga is her alter ego. In fact, at many places during the course of the film, it is hard to separate the real from the reel. Iyer must be given credit for the courage shown in not treading the usual path of narrative storytelling. In the tradition of true indie filmmaking, he seeks to create a world of solitude, silence and sound of music in Drapchi. And he succeeds to a great extent in his effort. Yes, Drapchi is not your usual fare on the big screen. It is experimental, and unapologetically so…It is a film more felt than watched. [review accessed at:
http://dearcinema.com/review/osians‑cinefan‑2012‑review‑arvind‑iyers‑drapchi/4402#.UHHdLa5GzVR ]
2013. 77 minutes. http://drapchithefilm.com/
217. “Dreaming Lhasa”
Produced by Jeremy Thomas, written by Tenzing Sonam, directed by Ritu Sarin.
“An emotional thriller about the exiled Tibetan community in India shot in 2003 with no publicity, in and around Dharamsala. It’s the story of a 30‑year‑old Tibetan woman who grew up in New York, but returns to Dharamsala to make a film about the exile community to escape her crumbling personal life back in Gotham. She hooks up with a disaffected local who spends his time cybersurfing and chasing Western girls; and a mysterious ex‑monk recently escaped from political imprisonment by the Chinese. Together they end up on a quest to find a CIA‑trained resistance fighter who has been missing for 15 years.” (Variety , 12‑18 July 2004)
India/UK production, 2005, 90 minutes in English and Tibetan
218. “Dreaming of Tibet”
Producer‑director John Antonelli, Narrated by Peter Coyote, Michael Tucker and Losang Gyatso” In isolated communities around the world, particularly in India, Nepal and the United States, Tibetan exiles have created a ‘virtual Tibet,’ where they have endured and even flourished in the face of overwhelming adversity. “Dreaming of Tibet” follows their arduous journeys from Tibet into exile over a 19,000 foot Himalayan pass. It’s a flight that the Dalai Lama took in 1958 and over 150,000 of his followers have taken since then. Most have only minimal clothing and meager provisions to make the life-threatening trek. Many die along the way…The film looks at the lives of three extraordinary Tibetan exiles…Ms. Tseten Phanucharas, a political activist who works as a press coordinator for the Dalai Lama’s visits to Los Angeles; Ms. Tsering Lhamo, a nurse working with recent refugees in Kathmandu, Nepal; and Mr. Ngawang Ugyen, a monk in the Mt. Everest foothills.” [WTN, 9 April 2004]. Won the Audience Award at the Amnesty International Film Festival, 2005.
60-minute documentary. http://www.dreamingtibet.com
219. “Dreams”
Directed by Tenzin Phunstog
“In the single-channel video “Dreams,” we see the pair go to sleep on a single mattress on the floor — akin to the one the artist’s family used when they first arrived in the US — within an empty photo studio. The bed seems to be floating mid-air within an erased environment as if any place could be photoshopped around them, heightening the sense of uprooting.” Featuring the artist’s parents, who fled Tibet as children in the early 1960s.
[producers]
35mm film to 4k video, 2022. 2 minutes
220.* “Dreams of Tibet”
Frontline co‑production with Ben Loeterman Productions.
WGBH/Boston, WTVS/Detroit, WPBT/Miami, WNET/New York, KCTS/Seattle, 1997 Produced and Directed by Ben Loeterman. Narrated by Orville Schell.
“…seems at times to be a cross between a Hollywood promo and a travelogue…and asks: Are American companies with an eye to the huge Chinese market frightened of speaking out about China’s restrictions on freedom in general, and in particular on what this program views as its destruction of Tibetan society?”
“While making little effort to sort out the complexities of Chinese‑United States relations, ‘Dreams of Tibet” is explicitly critical of the Clinton Administration…” [New York Times, 28 October 1997].
Original Air Date: 28 October 1997; available for purchase ‑ Contact PBS Video at 1‑800‑328‑7271. 55 minutes.
221. “Drensol” (Memory)
Directed by: Nawang N. Anja‑Tsang
[This film] aims to capture the fascinating oral history of eyewitnesses before it is too late…[it] documents the eyewitness accounts of 23 elderly Tibetans who lived in a pre‑occupied Tibet, through the uprising and eventually escaped to Nepal…
All of the Tibetans interviewed in this film live in Jampaling, a Lodrik settlement near Pokhara in Nepal, which Tibet Relief Fund has been proudly supporting for over 10 years. Many of the 325 elderly Tibetans there are former freedom fighters, so they are able to provide an extraordinary insight in to the events of those years. The name Lodrik is derived from the name of their guerrilla movement, Loe‑Drik‑Tsuk (also known as (Khampa Guerilla). [producers]
2015.
222. “Drikung: A Faith in Exile”
“…a documentary on the revival of the Drikung Order in Ladakh, filmed on location in 1979 on the occasion of the Order’s 800th year. The film centers on the re‑establishment of Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche as head of the Order and the ensuing resurgence of Tibetan Buddhism in Ladakh.” [producers]
55 minutes. Warren Scott, executive producer, 1925 North Lynn Street, Arlington, VA 22209
223. “Dropka” (Nomads)
Director Yan Chu Su
DROKPA (Nomads) is a portrait of the lives and struggles of nomads on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau. Through intimate individual stories, the film reveals the unprecedented environmental and social political forces that would for certain shattered the traditional lifeways. [producers]
In production as of 2015.
224. “Duihua”
Proiduced by Wang Wo
… completed in March 2014. Its a documentary about Tibet, Xinjiang, and related ethnic minority issues, and features a conversation between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a number of Chinese intellectuals over the internet, as well as a dialogue with Wang Lixiong about his thinking on the question of minorities in China. Elliot {Sperling]not only helped review the subtitles but organized the premier at Indiana University.
[https://chinachange.org/2017/02/10/an‑elliot‑sperling‑chronicle/]
China. In Chinese with English subtitles.
225. “Du Jiang Tan Xian” (Exploring a River Crossing)
Directed by: Wenzhi Shi
August First Film Studio. PLA leader Li Yuming gets hurt on a road construction crew in Tibet.
China. 1958.
226. “Dzogchen”
Restricted teaching available only to those “with authorisation.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 1984. 240 minutes. US$96.00
227. “Dzogchen in Daily Behavior”
“Taught by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. Although recognized as the pinnacle of the Buddhist teachings, the value of Dzogchen lies in its application to our daily activities such as eating and sleeping.” [producers] Ilfracombe, Devon, 1984.
Meridian Trust, 90 minutes, color. US$54.50.
228. “Dzogchen Teachings by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche”
These videos are meant primarily for Dzogchen students and disciples of Rinpoche.
Meridian Trust.
229.* “Early German Travelogues”
Rare and unusual footage of dance, prayer, and chanting filmed by German documentarians filmed in the North East of Tibet in the 1920’s. Includes Cham dances at the Kumbum monastery as well as pilgrims dancing to earn money for their journey to a Tibetan Lama monastery.
Three silent films from the 1920s. Digitalized at the Tibet Film Archive, Rubin Museum, NY. http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org/
230. “Echoes From Tibet”
Music in the lives of Tibetan Buddhists. UK. 1980. 27 minutes.
231. “Echoes of Tibet: Preserving Tibetan Heritage Through Film”
Tenzin Phuntsog talks about his efforts to save old films on Tibet. He is digitilizing as much as he can to preserve them for future generations. [Grunfeld]
2015. 4:43. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVsZ_eSJLYc
232. “Eclipsed: The Tragedy of Tibet”
Film by Anshul Uniyal and Tarini Mehta
“This documentary focuses on the environmental and political reasons why India should be concerned with the Tibet issue. …explore(s) the geo‑political significance of Tibet’s ties with India and offers an insight into the inherent links between these two great cultures.” [producers]
India. 2007. 24 minutes.
233. ” Educating World Citizens for the 21st Century: Educators, Scientists and Contemplatives Dialogue on Cultivating a Healthy Mind, Brain and Heart”
HH the Dalai Lama, Marian Wright Edelman, Matthieu Ricard and others “How does one apply the insights of both Buddhism and education? This Mind & Life conference devoted several days to provocative and useful presentations on what the newest scientific research on the brain, changing emotions, and the capacity to learn can teach educators. The audience was wildly enthusiastic as well as moved to tears and to action. How can our educational system evolve to meet the challenges of the 21st century? How will we educate people to be compassionate, competent, ethical, and engaged citizens in an increasingly complex and interconnected world? The urgent challenges of a globalized and interdependent world demand a new vision of world citizenship that is not confined to national boundaries, but encompasses moral and ethical responsibilities to all humanity. An education that will prepare young people to become competent and compassionate world citizens in such a context cannot be measured only in terms of cognitive skills and knowledge, but must address wider aspects of the heart, including skills and qualities of awareness associated with conscious self‑regulation, ethical and social responsibility, and empathy and compassion for others.At the heart of this dialogue is a shared vision of an educational system that nurtures the heart as well as the mind, and that creates compassionate, engaged, and ethical world citizens whose skills and abilities are not only used for personal growth and advancement, but also for the good of the world.This new, unabridged DVD set beautifully captures all the speakers, including HH the Dalai Lama, many professors from Harvard, Emory, and other institutions, and Daniel Goleman, science writer for the New York Times. Matthieu Ricard and many others also participated. Highly professional, three‑camera production.” [producers]
6 DVD set. US$79.95. Snow Lion.
234. “Ein Leben fÜr Tibet ‑ Der XIV. Dalai Lama,” (A Life for Tibet‑ the XIV Dalai Lama)
Director: Albert Knechtel2005. 88 minutes. France
235. “El tibet, perfil d’un poble” (Tibet, Profile of a Town)
Directed by Jordi Pons
In Catalan. 1986
236. “Embrace”
Director: Dan Smyer Yu, Pema Tashi
Embrace presents the complex reciprocal saturation of human communities, gods, Buddha Dharma, and a natural landscape marked with religious significance. Through the narratives of a father and a son, the film documents a ritualized relationship between people, their dwellings, and their natural surroundings. Built around ngakpa tradition and the challenges it faces in a modern world, this well researched, thoughtfully produced, and beautifully shot film provides a glimpse into a rarely seen realm.
2011. China/Germany/USA. 55 minutes. In English, Tibetan; English subtitles.
237. “Emmanuels Love” “L’amour d’Emmanuelle” (original title)
Directed by Francis Leroi
French soft-core pornography. Part of a series. In this one Emmanuel goes to Tibet where a monk gives her a secret potion which allows her to inhabit other bodies. From this bizarre premise, erotic experiences flow.
1993. 83 minutes.
238. “Era Uma Vez no Tibet” (Once Upon a Time in Tibet)
Director: Roberto Maya
A man spends 30 years in Tibet waiting for spiritual enlightenment.
Comedy. 4:32 minutes. In Portuguese. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7kLw3S4D4U
239. “Escape from Tibet”
Producer: Nick Gray
“This documentary is about a group of young Tibetans escaping from Tibet into India…The journey takes them from sub‑zero temperatures at altitudes of 19,000 feet through the searing heat of Kathmandu…before they are registered as refugees, they could face deportation as illegal aliens and be returned to Tibet…All Tibetan who reach Dharamsala are granted an audience with the Dalai Lama who tells them the last thing they wish to hear ‑ that they must return to Tibet in order to preserve Tibet’s unique cultural identity which must not be allowed to disappear.” [producers]
50 minutes, International Sales, Yorkshire Television, The Television Centre, Leeds LS3 1JS, U.K. (Tel: 0044‑113‑243‑8233). 1997.
240. “Escape Over the Himalayas”
Director: Maria Nlumencron
“…many parents decide to send their children over the snow‑covered passes of the Himalayas into the [sic] Indian exile where the Tibetan government‑in‑exile has established a first‑class educational system. In most cases, the children are accompanied by a “guide” who has to lead the refugee group through the ice and snow, avoiding Chinese road patrols and Nepalese military checkpoints…on 15 April 2000 [the filmmakers] met a group of 13 people [on the Nepali side]…They joined them on their escape until they arrived in Dharamsala.” [producers]
Very controversial in that the Tibetans were easily identifiable and some were imprisoned and tortured. [See Robert Barnett, “Ethics in China’s Wild West,” British Journalism Review, 2008: 19:49, pp. 50‑52.]
30 minutes, In German, English or French (all versions on the DVD). Euro 19.94 available through: http://www.flucht‑ueber‑den‑himalaya.de/english_sites/film/film.html 2001.
241. “Ethics For the New Millennium”
From a teaching at London’s Royal Albert Hall by the Dalai Lama. He “…urges us to link individual happiness to an ethical vision of the world…” [producers]
81 minutes, Snow Lion. US$29.98
242.* “Everest”
A MacGillivray Freeman Films production in association with Arcturus Motion Pictures. Produced by Greg MacGillivray, Alec Lorimore, Stephen Judson. Directed by David Breashears, Stephen Judson. Narration by Liam Neeson.
A US$5.5 million IMAX movie (70mm) filmed during the 1996 climbing season made infamous by the death of 8 climbers. The filming stopped when disaster struck while the crew did what it could to rescue people on the mountain. VARIETY (3/10/98) says the film handles the deaths “with admirable tact and dignity…The deaths underscore, and themselves receive a fitting commemoration in, the extraordinary proof of human endurance, ingenuity and courage that “Everest” records.”
Breashears has climbed Everest on 11 occasions reaching the summit 4 times. The film is accompanied by a book, Everest. Mountains Without Mercy (National Geographic Society) [Grunfeld]
44 minutes
243. “Everest: A Climb for Peace”
Produced by The Everest Peace Project and Billy Marchese of Dezart Cinematic.
“Filmed on location in Nepal, Tibet, USA, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and the U.A.E., Everest: A Climb for Peace ‑ will not be just a “typical Everest film,” but a socially relevant documentary about peace, war and the human spirit; an inspirational and educational film, which also happens to have some of the most incredible Everest footage ever shot, including a dramatic rescue from near the summit of Everest. This will truly be a unique and emotionally moving film. The endorsed documentary is being…
The Everest Peace Project is an organization that consists of mountaineers who have come together to promote peace, teamwork, and cultural understanding through the medium of mountain climbing. The Everest Peace Project is not a religious organization nor does it have any political agenda. Its mission is to inspire and to show that people from diverse backgrounds can unite together in a peaceful manner and accomplish amazing things, including climbing the tallest mountain in the world.” [producers]
2008. http://www.everestpeaceproject.org/
244. “Exile: The Dalai Lama and His People”
Directed by: Walter Arnell
Serious controversy continues today about China and Tibet, and though he remains in exile, the Dalai Lama continues to be the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people. This classic documentary, narrated by William Conrad, tells the Dalai Lama’s historic story and focuses on the holy man’s attempts to perpetuate the Tibetan culture. Thanks to the painstaking efforts of producers Walter and Patricia Arnell, we see rare footage of the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, which is in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India; here, thanks to the efforts of the former Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, the Dalai Lama and his fellow Tibetans found safe refuge; then too established the Central Tibetan Administration (or Tibetan government‑in‑exile). Also we witness trips to refugee camps in India and Pakistan made by the Dalai Lama; we see examples of the century old Tibetan tradition of Thangka painting; and, overall, we gain a comprehensive picture of this holy man’s life in exile. [producers]
1994. 57:42 minutes
245. “Exile: The Dalai Lama and His People”
Produced by Lemra Associates.
Documentary on life in Dharamsala, India, 1978. Features Tibetan settlements in South India and interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala. Narrated by William Conrad.
Office of Tibet, 60 minutes, 3/4″ video.
246. “Exiltibeter zwischen zwei Kulturen”
Documentary by Swiss director Vadim Jendreyko, 1986. In German.
247. “Expedition to Lhasa, Tibet”
A CBS‑TV documentary about the 1949 trip to Tibet of Lowell Thomas and his son, Lowell Thomas Jr. Shown around 1950.
Shown again in December 2006 at the Wilda Marston Theatre at Loussac Library as a fundraiser for the Alaska Mountain and Wilderness Huts Association.
248. “Explorers Crossing the River”(Du jiang tanxian)
Chinese film directed by Shi Wenzhi in 1958.
249. “Exploring the Mandala”
By Pema Losang Chogyen
“This dynamic computer‑stimulated exploration of a three‑dimensional mandala represents a unique collaboration between ancient traditions of Tibetan Buddhist meditation and state‑of‑ the‑art computer graphics technology. Pema Losang Chogyen, a Tibetan monk from Namgyal Monastery and researchers at Cornell University’s program of Computer Graphics worked for more than 2 years to produce this unique video.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 10 minutes
250. “Exploring Tibet”
Directed by Sheryl Brakey
Exploring Tibet tours Tibet from Lhasa to Kathmandu, Nepal showing us how Tibet looks today. It gives us a glimpse of a area of the world which has long fascinated us…Exploring Tibet starts with the history of the Tibetan people, their early kings and how Buddhism came to Tibet…
Travel over the ‘Friendship Road’ to Kathmandu, Nepal going over passes which are from 13,500 to 17,300 feet high. Pass through the Himalaya Mountains seeing the mightiest of all‑‑Mt. Everest at 29,029 feet…Stop in the towns of Gyantse and Shigatse. In Gyantse, see the fortress of Gyantse Dzong, the Pelkor Chode Monastery, and the magnificent tiered Gyantse Kumbun.In Shigatse, see the important Tashilhunpo Monastery‑‑seat of the Panchen Lama…
24 minutes
251. “Extracting the Essence”
“Two dynamic interviews by Geoff Jukes and Brian Beresford with Lama Thubten Yeshe in which he explains how to integrate Buddhism into the Western way of life, and then talks about the development of the FPMT Dharma centers Lama Tsong Khapa Institute, Pomaia, Italy, 1985.” [Wisdom]
Wisdom Films, 165 minutes. US$61.25. Also Meridian Trust.
252. “Eye of the Land”
By Mark Elliot & Gatesgarth Productions
“…a documentary video on the making of the Tashi Goman Stupa in Crestone, Colorado.” [producers]
55 minutes. Snow Lion. US$29.95
253. “Eye on Tibet: A Year in Tibet”
“This intimate five-part documentary series follows a year in the life of the society living in and around Gyantse, Tibet’s third largest town. This film is airing as part of our series Eye on Tibet.
Episodes:
The Visit
The Panchen Lama, the highest ranking Buddhist living in Tibet today, pays an unexpected visit to the local monastery and throws the monks into turmoil. In the nearby village of Tangmai, a young farmer’s wife is rushed into hospital with complications with her pregnancy.
Three Husbands and a Wedding
It’s autumn and everyone is pulling together to get in the harvest, as Dundan worries about hailstones flattening his crops. The local government has installed guns to disperse the clouds and this has put the shaman Tseden, who used to protect the fields with spells, out of a job. Tseden is also helping a local family to arrange their daughter’s wedding.
Faith, Hope and Charity
The monks begin preparations for New Year, one of Tibet’s biggest festivals. Lhakpa, a local rickshaw driver, struggles to earn money as winter approaches. He embarks on a scheme to buy and sell puppies, with disastrous consequences. Hotel owner Jianzang gets involved in a court case which has a surprising outcome. In Tangmai, the doctor cannot cure Lhamo’s crippling stomach pains.
Monks Behaving Badly
In the Pel Kor monastery, the director Choephel discovers that some irreplaceable statues have been stolen and the theft gives the local Communist Party an excuse to put in a government ‘work team’ to weed out monks they think are behaving badly. Lhakpa heads north in search of a lucrative job on a building site, and Butri gets an unpleasant surprise as she approaches her retirement.
A Tale of Three Monks
Deputy head lama Tsultrim has to juggle running the monastery whilst complying with a myriad of government restrictions. Young monk Tsephun lives and works with his master Dondrup, a curmudgeonly old lama. Tsephun helps his master with the day‑to‑day jobs of cleaning and tidying; in return, Dondrup teaches Tsephun the sutras and scriptures, an essential part of becoming a monk.”
2008 BBC‑Four. Watch it at: http://www.linktv.org/programs/yearintibet
254. “Faces of Sorrow”
Produced and directed y Mary Teal Coleman
“The abuse of the Tibetan people.” [producers]
Video, West Hollywood, CA: Dharma Institute, 1991.
255. “Fading Shangri‑la: Melting on the Sacred Mountain”
A Michael Zhao production, assistant producers: Laura Chang, Andrew Smeall, executive producer: Orville Schell.
“Mt Khawa Karpo, known by Chinese as Meili Snow Mountain, is among the most sacred mountains in the Tibetan world. It is here in the steep valleys that novelist James Hilton set his Lost Horizon, describing the utopian wonderland of Shangri‑La where time stands still. Tibetans have long worshiped this holy mountain, regarded as one of the highest spiritual gods in this mountainous region of China.
Yet as the earth warms, glacier retreat and ice loss here over the last decade have reached alarming levels and the melting is only accelerating. As a result, locals worry that the soul of this holy land ‑ their Shangri‑La ‑ is slipping away. With it, a supernatural source of blessing for their people and communities is feared to be disappearing.” [producers]
http://sites.asiasociety.org/chinagreen/feature‑fading‑shangrila /
256. “Fathima the Oracle”
Directed by Gelek Palsang
“Filmed over six years, this stark documentary concerns Fathima, a young Shia Muslim girl from a village in the Indian Himalayas, who is suddenly possessed by a Buddhist spirit. The inexplicable phenomenon breeds hostility within her community, leading to an attempt on her life. After meeting with several Buddhist masters, Fathima undertakes a journey to Kargil, Leh and Dharamsala where, in a trance, she speaks Tibetan—a language unknown to her—and is recognised as the medium for a major Buddhist deity. Upon her return home, Fathima faces a personal struggle of identity and belief.” [producers]
India. 2019, 28 min
257. “Feeding the Demons”
..charts the story of Tsultrim Allione, who became the first female from the West to be ordained a lama. In particular, it shows how Allione became the chief proponent of a meditation practice developed by the eleventh-century female tantric master Machig Labdron. [producers]
Directed by Japp Verhoeven,
Netherlands, 2013. 59 minutes
258. “Fei Yue Tian Xian” (Flying Over Natural Dangers)
Director: Li Enjie
Pilots fly supplies to a team of meteorologists stranded by an avalanche in Tibet.
China. 1959. Beijing Film Studio
259. “Feste Un Gebete in Einem Tibetischen Lama‑Koster”
(A Celebration Prayer for the Lama Koster) Restored and digitalized at the Tibet Film Archive, Rubin Museum, NY:
http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org/
260. “Festivals and Prayers”
1920. 16mm http://tibetfilmarchive.org
261. “Films are dreams … that wander in the light of day”
“Sylvia Sensiper, a graduate student in visual anthropology at the University of Southern California, traveled to Tibet with a Tibetan refugee to record these images of daily life. In comparing the real world with the dream world of the film ” Lost Horizon “, the impact of Chinese occupation on Tibetan society is noted.” [producers]
Video Cassette ‑ 20 minutes 1989
262. “Fire in the Land of Snow. Self‑Immolations in Tibet”
Voice of America documentary …combining smuggled videos, first hand accounts and interviews with experts, scholars, and officials, this film provides an in‑depth and comprehensive look at the recent history of Tibet and the powerful forces that lie at the heart of one of the largest waves of political self‑immolations in history. [producers]
60 minutes. 2013. Accessible at:
http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/section/fire‑in‑the‑land‑of‑snow‑documentary/4125.html
263. “Fire Under the Snow”
Director: Makoto Sasa
“This moving documentary tells the story of Palden Gyatso, a Tibetan Buddhist monk who was imprisoned and tortured by the Chinese Communist Army for 33 years…Palden recounts the brutal torture, interrogations, and starvation he suffered during his confinement. Though he may have received better treatment for doing so, he steadfastly refused to confess to crimes he didn’t commit or denounce his fellow Tibetans as traitors. After spending 23 years in prisons and 10 in labor camps, Palden was finally released in 1992. He escaped over treacherous, snow‑covered mountains to Dharamsala, India…Fire Under the Snow seamlessly cuts back and forth between Palden’s life today as an exile and activist, his haunting memories of prison, and his recurring nightmares…Using a vÉritÉ style, first‑time Makoto Sasa mixes these scenes with cringe‑inducing archival footage from Chinese prison camps and interviews with experts on Tibet, including the Dalai Lama.” [Tribeca Film Festival, NYC, 2008]
75 minutes. 2008. In Tibetan, Italian, English with English subtitles.
264. “Five Rites of Rejuvenation”
“The five rites of rejuvenation utilizes simple movements and visualizations to activate and balance the energy flow in the body. These are the movements described in the books; “The Five Tibetans,” and “Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 30 minutes.
265. Flares Wafting in 1983
Directed by Pema Tseden
Narrated by a young boy, the film follows his older brother in his attempt to be the first person in his small town to attend college. However, the older brother meets obstacles, including an unforeseen link with an admiring classmate, and finally leaves the city amid questions of his character and integrity. Still, the younger brother believes in his older brother, and firmly believes that his brother has gone to climb the mountains of Bayan Har. [producers]
China. 2008. 90 minutes. In Tibetan with English subtitles.
266. “Flucht aus Tibet” (Goodbye Tibet)
Produced by Jorg Bundschuh
Written and directed by Dorka Gryllus
Loosely based on the real‑life story of a female journalist who led a trek of Tibetan refugees across the border about 10 years ago. Set to be a major German movie with big stars.
As of August 2008, still looking for additional funding.
267. “Flying Over the Natural Barriers” (Fei yu tianxian)
Director Li Enjie
In the period just after liberation, a team of meteorologists led by Xu Rui is stranded in the Tibetan mountains by an avalanche. Xu Rui’s wife, a pilot, is sent with her co‑pilot Zhao Zhongkai to drop supplies to the stranded team. Their first attempt fails due to mechanical troubles, and the second flight is turned back by bad weather. On the third attempt they overcome the difficulties and succeed in the drop. But a shortage of oxygen endangers their return to base, and they are just able to make it back safely.
1959. China, Beijing Film Studio, color, 10 reels. In Mandarin.
268. “Folk Dances of Tibet”
Performance by the Tibetan Music, Dance and Drama Society of Dharamsala.
45 minutes. Office of Tibet.
269. “Following Kunsel”
Directed by Thupten N Chakrishar; written by Jamyang Dorjee
“Following Kunsel tells the story of a 11 year old budding Tibetan artiste, Tenzin Kunsel, and the challenge to preserve the endangered Tibetan culture in a fast paced, multi-cultural society like New York City.” [producers]
20 minutes. 2006
270. “Following the Buddhist Path: Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche”
“…shot on location in the U.K. and the U.S. [this film] considers the life of the New Kadampa Tradition’s charismatic leader..An exclusive interview with the revered spiritual leader and footage of the NKT’s colorful rituals…” [producers]
Films from the Humanities & Sciences ( www.films.com ), 84 minutes, video US$149, rental US$75.
271. “Forbidden Land”
Produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Company, 1982.
“This production features the highlights of the three fact‑finding delegations’ visits to Tibet and the overwhelming reception given to them by the Tibetan people despite restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities. It also features a brief interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” [producers]
Office of Tibet, 30 minutes, color, 3/4″ video.
272. “Forbidden Tibet”
Directed by Thierry Robert & Priscilla Telmon
“In 1924, following an epic eight-month winter journey through the foothills of the Himalayas, from Yunnan to the valleys of the Brahmaputra, the explorer Alexandra David-Neel and the monk Aphur Yongden secretly entered Lhassa, the forbidden city of the kingdom of Tibet. 80 years later, Priscilla Telmon sets off on a solitary journey to retrace the itinerary of this amazing adventure. Walking 5,000 kilometers in six months is a feat in itself, but the film also depicts a journey into the inner Tibet.
The film is like a detective story, skillfully keeping the viewer on tenterhooks throughout.” [producers]
France. 2005.
273. “Forty‑Seven Years in Tibet”
Narrated by John Cleese and scored by Ruigi Sakamoto.” 47 Years In Tibet’ is a simple 9 minute short film. The film deals with China’s occupation of Tibet and raises some interesting questions in comparing the hand‑over of Hong Kong in 1997 with the annexation of Tibet in 1951.” “Premiered recently as part of the London Human Rights Watch Film Festival at the ICA the film uses rare historical footage to bring light to the Tibet‑Hong Kong‑China situation.” [Canada‑Tibet Committee]
Information: Camilo Gallardo at Satya Productions
(Camilovski@aol.com )
274. “Four Rivers” (Chu‑bZhi)
Director: Tenzin Phuntsong
“An experimental composition of sight‑specific vignettes based in Western Tibet’s remote Mount Kailash region, the source of Tibet’s Four Rivers.” [producers]
2010. 67 minutes.
275. “Four Sisters from Baima”
Directed by Zhang Tongdao,
“The Baima tribe is a Tibetan branch that still maintains a matriarchal system. The tribe had lived off the land by hunting and developing a lumber industry. In 1999, as a protective measure against disastrous flooding in the area where the Baima live, the government decided to blockade the mountain area and hunting was no longer allowed. This forced the tribe to change its traditional lifestyle. The four sisters in the documentary are blessed with talents like singing and dancing and are among the first to explore the local tourist business. They make money through performing for tourists and this has caused controversy among the villagers. However, some of the villagers follow the four sisters’ example and join the tourism business. This once quiet village is getting restless.” [producers]
68 minutes, 2003
276. “Free Tibet. The Motion Picture”
A production of the Milerapa Fund and the Shooting Gallery in association with Mammoth Pictures Directed by Sarah Pirozek. Produced by Jay Faires and Adam Yauch
A documentary concert film based on the 1996 concert in San Francisco which attracted some 100,000 people. It is a “behind the scenes look at the largest benefit concert since Live Aid…[and] has more solid information about Tibet, nonviolence and rock n’ roll than any film to date.” [Producers] Includes 20 bands and interviews with performers, audience members and the Dalai Lama. However, it “…must be judged as a lightweight, candy‑coated introduction to its subject…torn between the music and its cause, “Free Tibet” is unlikely to fully satisfy those who seek it out for either entertainment or enlightenment…the films lacks a dispassionate yet informed voice to shed meaningful light on the geopolitics of its subject. Worse yet, the well‑meaning musicians…display a woeful lack of eloquence and coherence when given the opportunity on film to rally support.” [New York Times, 11 September 1998]
90 minutes. 1998
277. “From Nomad to Nobody”
Film by Michael Buckley
Wild Yak Films
A documentary about the vanishing nomads of Tibet. This documentary is a personal take on the plight of Tibetan nomads. The film was shot on location in Tibet and in northern India. Tibetan nomads are being forcibly relocated by Chinese officials‑shifted off their traditional grazing lands into concrete ghettos, where they are marginalized and have little chance of making a decent living or finding a new profession. Previously, when grazing yaks, they were self‑sufficient and lived in an entirely sustainable way. Now, they are unemployed, and dependent on the Chinese government for hand‑outs‑and for food. In an era where sustainability is the mantra, Chinese policy makes no sense. This re‑settlement policy is designed to wipe out nomad culture and its strong connections to traditional Tibetan values. Nomads are the stewards of the vast grasslands of Tibet‑they have been grazing these lands with their yaks for close on 4000 years. Without the nomads, the grasslands (already affected by climate change) will further deteriorate and turn into desert. [proucers]
Canada. 15 minutes. 2011
278. “From Tibet to Turtle Island: A Journey of Spiritual Liberation”
By the nuns of Khachoe Ghakyil Ling
“Khachoe Ghakyil Ling nunnery in Kathmandu is one of a new generation of Tibetan nunneries established in exile in India and Nepal, where the doors to a classical Buddhist education have been opened to nuns….This video shows the nuns at their monastery and in the U.S. on tour, performing their ritual arts, chanting and sand mandala construction. This video is a fund‑raiser for the nuns.” [producers]
30 minutes, video US$29.95, Snow Lion
279. “Frozen”
Directed and produced by Shivajee Chandrabhushan
“The film is a sombre journey of imaginative and impulsive teenager, Lasya (Gauri), who lives with her father Karma (Danny), an apricot jam‑maker and younger brother Chomo (Angchuk) in a remote village in the Himalayas. Pristine snowcapped mountains surround their tiny hamlet and barren harsh land stretches for miles into nowhere. One day the army moves in, settles a hundred yards across their doorstep. The last bit of comfort the family draws from their familiar surroundings changes into a harsh ceaseless irreversible conflict. The film depicts the life of this family whose dream like existence is interrupted by inevitable odds, one after the other.
The film was shot in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, India in February 2006, over 34 days at an average height of 15,000 ft above sea level. The film was shot in colour and was digitally intermediated to black and white. The house where the film was picturised [sic] was built at Stakmo, behind Thiksey Monastery.” [Wikipedia]
India. 2007. 109 minutes. Hindi, Ladakhi.
280. “Ganden. A Joyfiul Land”
Director: Ngawang Choephel
“Ganden is the most influential monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, likened by Buddhists to the Vatican. It is here where the Dalai Lama’s lineage began. For more than 500 years, monks lived in Ganden in simplicity and contentment, before a brutal invasion drove them from their beloved home to start anew in India. Embodying the strength and joy their faith teaches, survivors of the exodus tell of their lives in the old and new Ganden in Ngawang Choephel’s moving film.” [producers]
2019. 1:16 minutes. Tibetan and Engliksh
281. “Gangla Meido”
Director: Dai Wei (from China Central Television)
“Meaning “snow lotus” in Tibetan, Gangla Meiduo, a musical film jointly launched by the China Film Group Corporation, China Record Corporation and Tibet Autonomous Region Government starts shooting on November 2 [2005]. The musical film focuses on Tibetans daily life and the progress of modern China’s Tibet over the past decades.” [producers]
http://search.tibet.cn:8080/was40/detail?record=1&channelid=23499&searchword=Gangla
282. “Garcham”
Lama dances in Tibet, from the Khampagar Monastery in Kham, renowned for their tantric teachings.40 minutes.
Navin Kamar, Inc., 967 Madison Avenue, NYC 10021.
283. “Geheimnis Tibet” (Secret Tibet)
Directors: H.A. Lettow, Ernst SchÄfer
“In 1938 Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler sponsored an expedition to Tibet lead by several Nazi SS scientists to study the regions flora and fauna, and to take scientific measurements of the Earths magnetic fields. The expedition was also sent to find traces of the orgins of the “Aryan” race in Tibet which was where Himmler thought evidence of could be found. This film is a Nazi era documentary of that expedition.” [producers]
“Henrich Himmler and the Ahnenerbe had specifically asked Schäfer to make a film of that trip that they hoped could be used for propaganda purposes, confirming Himmler’s belief that the German people and the Tibetan aristocracy could trace their origins to the same place. Schäfer recruited Ernst Krause (1899–1988), a botanist and entomologist with photographic skills, to join the German Tibetan Expedition to make the hundreds of hours of film needed for this undertaking. For several years after their return, Schäfer and Krause worked on the film, releasing it in 1942 under the title Geheimnis Tibet [Secret Tibet]. A lot of the film involved hunting and was made in Sikkim, where Schäfer and his team had to wait until they were permitted to enter Tibet. However, some of the highlights were made in Lhasa, where the German expedition remained for three months filming Tibetan (Buddhist) religious practices.
Geheimnis Tibet was premiered in Salzburg, with Sven Hedin present, when the Institute for Inner Asian Research was named in honor of the Swedish explorer. It was subsequently shown in Bonn and Paris and many other cities throughout Europe. Schäfer said it was seen by two million people in Vienna, at a time when that city’s population was only half that number. When a second version of the film was made by the post-war German government, the hunting scenes featured in the first version were removed to keep the focus more on the scenery and culture of Tibet…
When it came to filming in th capital of Tibet, however, he had an experience that he could not explain away by science. It involved the Reting Rimpoche, Jamphel Yeshe Gyaltsen (1912–1947), the Regent of Tibet…
When the German expedition arrived in Lhasa, the Regent was sequestered for prayer and contemplation and would not meet with the foreign visitors. Eventually, he did permit an audience… He met with both of them frequently and for extended periods of time…
While the Regent did allow a few still photographs of himself to be taken, he specifically forbade any motion picture imagesfrom being made of him during religious ceremonies or in his capacity as a reincarnated lama. Never one to be denied a wish, Schäfer instructed Ernst Krause to film the Regent surreptitiously. This secret activity took place over a period of several weeks, with Krause concealing his camera so as not to reveal his prohibited activity…The regent was never aware that he was being filmed…[after the film was processed] Amazingly, while everyone and everything else in every frame that included Rimpoche was perfectly exposed and “pin sharp,” to use Schäfer’s words, the Regent himself was “a total blur,” “in a cloud,” and “unrecognizable.” …understandably, not a sequence… could be used in the final production.
The original rushes for Geheimnis Tibet were captured by the U.S. Army from the Sven Hedin Institute in 1945 and transferred to the OSS. They are now at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. ” [“Ernst Schäfer (1910–1992) – A Remembrance” by Robert MccRacken Peck, Proceedings of the Accdemy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 168: 109-122 2023]
1943. In German.
284. “General Assembly of Tibetans in Exile”
Dharamsala, 1985.Wisdom Films, 60 minutes. (In Tibetan)
285. “Generating Wisdom: The Practice of Manjushri for Children.”
“His Holiness teaches refugee children in Dharamsala, India, explaining how reciting the wisdom mantra of Manjushri can help them develop understanding and intelligence.” [producers]
90 minutes, color, (In Tibetan) US$35.00. Also, Meridian Trust.
286. “Ge sar rgyal po” (King Gesar)
Qinghai TV,1989
In Chinese, the legendary epic. Robbie Barnett collection.
287. “Geshe Lhundrub Sopa: My Life East and West”
“Renowned for his deep understanding of Madhyamika, Geshe Lhundrub Sopa has been living in America since the mid‑1960’s. He is a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Manjushri London Centre, 1984.” [producers]
Meridian Trust, 60 minutes.
288. “Geshe Wangyal: With Blessings of the Three Jewels”
Directed by Ella Manzheeva
“This is a dramatic story about the incredible worldly and spiritual journey of a Buddhist monk from Russia who became one of the first scholars and preachers of Tibetan Buddhism in the USA. In 1923, as a young man, he left his home and spent over 30 years in Tibet and India, reaching the Buddhist scholarly degree of “Geshe.” He was a friend of the Dalai Lama and taught at Columbia University. He devoted his life to putting the teachings of Buddha into practice and trained a host of talented students, raising interest in Buddhism in the western world to a new level. “
Armenia. 2022. 97 minutes. Russian, English with English subtitles.
289. “Giant Lizard Eats Tibet”
Directed by Gail Harvey
US/Canada. 1998. 103 minutes.
290. “Go Through Tibet”
Tibetan language documentary made to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region and broadcast by Tibet People
Broadcast TV Station in August 2005.
http://info.tibet.cn/en/news/tin/t20050809_46888.htm
291.”Gold and Silver Beach” (Jin yin tan)
Chinese film directed by Ling Zifeng in 1953.
292. “Good Medicine: How to turn pain into compassion with Tonglen Meditation”
By Pema Chodron”Tonglen is a simple and elegant meditations system for everyone. Through Tonglen, the difficulties in life can be used as a way to befriend ourselves, accept the past and widen our circle of compassion ‑ this breathing meditation cuts through suffering.” [producers]
3.5 hours, 2 videos with study guide, Snow Lion, US$49.95.
293. “Gotter von Tibet” [Gotter of Tibet] ‑in English “Living Buddhas”
Director: Paul WegenerStarring staring a famous Danish actress of German silent films at the time ‑ Asta Nielsen.
An expedition of European scientists to a Tibetan lamasery is led by Professor Campbel (who spells his name with only one ‘L’, possibly because he’s searching for the one‑L lama) along with his beautiful young wife. They cross paths with the High Lama (Paul Wegener) who is in the middle of conducting some hideous insidious invidious rituals which require the sacrifice of a nubile young female.
German. Silent. 1924.
294. “Grandir Au Ladakh” (Growing Up in Ladakh)
Director: Stanzin Dorjai Gya
“Padma, 12, divides her time between school and home, where she helps her family with daily work. Her life is very different from that of a small European: she lives in Ladakh, a region of northern India, in the remote village of Gya, perched at 4,300 meters above sea level. To go to school, Padma has to travel 72 kilometers by bus! She and her sister Kaskeet attend a boarding school, where they sometimes stay more than two months before returning to their families. Back in Gya, Padma helps her parents and her grandmother to take care of the horses and she celebrates the arrival of spring by working with the others in the field.” [producers]
A French dubbed version at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcz2Xk1sbJE
2018. 52 minutes
295. “Green Tara Initiation
“The Dalai Lama explains the Green Tara Initiation and performs it.
Meridian Trust. 1988. 165 minutes. US$52.50
296. “Gser dngul thang” (Gold and silver plain)
Cinema film made in China, 1950s. Story of the liberation of the serfs. Robbie Barnett collection.
297. “Gubao” (Rma yul Btsan rdzong, Watchtower)
Qinghai TV,1991
The history of Tibet’s “liberation” in the 1940s. The Chinese Communist Party vs the Guomindang in Amdo.
Several episodes. Robbie Barnett collection
298. “Guge ‑ The Lost Kingdom of Tibet”
Directed by John Bellezza and Tsering Gyalpo
In the barren landscape of remote western Tibet lies the ruins of a mysterious kingdom A kingdom whose capital was 3600 meters high on the Tibetan plateau. A kingdom that offers archaeological treasures that compare with Italys Pompeii. Once controlling the trade in gold, silk and spices between India and China, it was a kingdom of fabulous wealth and great religious significance. For two centuries it was the cradle of Himalayan Buddhism. Yet this spiritual and commercial hub, which prospered for seven centuries, vanished without a trace in 1630. Until now the mystery of what was the Tibetan kingdom of Guge has remained unresolved. [producers]
On Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAyN5rzwRMU
Also, at: http://documentaries‑plus.blogspot.com/2012/11/guge‑lost‑kingdom‑of‑tibet.html
52 minutes. 2008
299. “Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life”
By H.H. the Dalai Lama
“Eight video tapes averaging two hours each. Teachings about the practice of patience in Tucson in 1993. It is a detailed commentary of Shantideva’s classic work which focuses on the practices of bodhisattvas. Each session concludes with a 1 hour question and answer period.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 16 hours.
300. “Guru Yoga: Teachings of HH Penor Rinpoche”
by H.E. Penor Rinpoche
“This DVD teaching on the Preliminary Practice of Great Perfection Buddha in the Palm of the Hand comes with a booklet detailing the teachings and practice.The most important need in a human life is the need for spiritual guidance. In this film, H.H. Pema Norbu Rinpoche offers a lecture on the Grand Perfection, touching upon five themes: Perfection, as a rare experience; the unexpectedness of death; life migrates without ending; the power of karma; and reliance on a Grand Master. Suitable for beginners and continuing students. Translations are given in both Chinese and English.” [producers]
63 min. DVD with booklet. Snow Lion. US$ 24.95
301. “Gyaidar Living Buddha”
General Producer: Gao Jianmin & Tan Hong, Producers: Jia Xiaochen & Wang Yuanfeng, Director: Yang Tao”
For celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, a 20‑volume TV series “Gyaidar Living Buddha” was shown on CCTV 1 from December 2 [2005]. Drawing materials from the story of 5th Living Buddha Gyaidar, the TV series “Gyaidar Living Buddha” mainly focuses on the religious figure, Living Buddha Gyaidar during the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. It stresses the relationship between Living Buddha Gyaidar and China Communist Party, the contribution he made for the peaceful liberation of Tibet and his exploration to Tibetans’ life.” [producers]
http://zt.tibet.cn/english/zt/2005focus2/index051206.asp
302. “Gyalyum Chemo ‑ The Great Mother”
Produced and directed by Rosemary Rawcliffe”
This is the first of a trilogy of one-hour films on women in Tibet called ‘Women of Tibet.’ This film “recounts the compelling life story of Dekyi Tsering, the mother of one of the world’s leading ambassadors for peace, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. During the course of her extraordinary life, Dekyi Tsering, known by Tibetans as “Gyalyum Chemo” or “Great Mother,” gave birth to 16 children, only seven survived, three of whom were recognized as incarnate lamas.The film weaves together a rich life history of anecdotal threads and personal reflections from Dekyi Tsering’s children, grandchildren and friends who share the details of her long and full life. With never before seen photographs from their family collections and rare footage of Tibet, our film offers a rare glimpse into Tibet’s first family and the woman who inspired them.” [producers]
2006. 1 hour. Frame of Mind Films, 1009 Kains Avenue, #2, Albany, CA 94706, Phone: (510) 524‑1926, Fax: (510) 558‑8799,
E‑mail: ‑ rosemary@frameofmindfilms.com; ‑and ‑www.womenoftibet.org
303. “Harmony in Diversity: How to Move From Conflict to Compassion”“
In a program taped in May 1997 on his trip to the United States, His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, outlines his ideas for building a better future for our children by accessing the vast knowledge and compassion of the different cultures of the planet.” [Catalogue]
50 minutes; from Explorations, Tel 1‑800‑720‑2114/Fax 1‑800‑456‑1139, US$19.95
304. “Harrison Forman’s Film on Northwestern Tibet”
Forman was a prominent American foreign correspondent in China during the 1920s and 1930s.”From 1929 to 1931 Harrison Forman traveled in Tibetan areas photographing people, lamaseries, monks and religious festivals. Among the many lamaseries he visited were Kumbum, Lhabrang Gomba, Tashikyl and Drukh Kurr Gomba. This film is a product of a handheld camera.” [producers]
305. “Healing Oracles of Ladakh”
By Elan Golomb
“We are beginning to realize that Western concepts of health and disease are not universally recognized as effective in promoting and maintaining well‑being. This video candidly shows native Ladakhi medicine women treating patients. They go into trance and healing oracles speak through them.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 28 minutes. Also, Mystic Fire Videos.
306. “Heart of Tibet”
Produced by Martin Wassell; written and directed by David Cherniack.
“Introduced by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, this program offers an intimate portrait of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Exclusive 24‑hour access over three weeks provided a variety of rare contemporary footage of His Holiness as a simple Buddhist monk starting his day at 4 a.m., a world statesman addressing an international press conference and a tantric master performing the religious ceremony, Kalachakra in Los Angeles in 1989. A compassionate man dealing with complex ideas, the Nobel Peace Laureate discusses the importance of the human heart. The film includes a chronological portrayal beginning in 1959 of the Tibetan struggle.” [Mystic]
Mystic Fire Video, 59 minutes, color, 1993, US$29.95.
307. “Heart of Tibet: An Intimate Profile of His Holiness The Dalai Lama”“
A very candid view of H.H. during a Kalachakra Initiation. Starting his day with 4 A.M. meditation, he conducts press interviews, complex Kalachakra rituals and touches the hearts of everyone he encounters.” [producers]
60 minutes, Snow Lion, US$22.48
308. “Hearth To Heart: A Program for the LGBT Dharma Community”
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
“Dharma practitioners from the LGBT community face numerous obstacles both in life and in the practice of dharma. Here, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche teaches about the Buddhist path of practice, skillfully relating each topic to issues that arise for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community of practitioners. The topics Rinpoche addresses include conceptual labeling and discrimination, working with desire or passion in the three yanas, and cultivating healthy relationships. Rinpoche concludes by talking about Buddha’s teaching on the fundamental nature and potential of all sentient beings and follows up by answering an array of questions.” [producers]
2‑DVD set. Snow Lion. US$ 24.00
309. “Heart Sutra”
by Venerable George Churinoff”
Form is empty, emptiness is form, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness is not other than form. This is a course given by the Venerable George Churinoff on this most famous sutra.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 14 DVDs, 28 hours, US$168.45
310. “Heroic Eagle in the Storm” (Baofengyu zhong de xiong ying)
Chinese film directed by Wang Yi in 1957.
311. “High Plains Doctor: Healing on the Tibetan Plateau”
Directed by Michael Oved Dayan
High Plains Doctor: Healing on the Tibetan Plateau is a 2012 documentary film by Michael Dayan, who produced, directed, and shot the film. Premiering on the documentary channel in Canada, it focuses on documenting the life journey of Isaac Sobol, who recounts his professional experiences and personal insights as Chief Medical Officer of Nunavut and professor of Aboriginal People’s Health.
High Plains Doctor was shot in the village of Yushu, which was leveled in an earthquake shortly after filming. The film is the only known moving picture documentation of the town before its destruction, providing a rare document into a way of life that is disappearing. The film documents Sobols tenth and final medical mission to Yushu. [producers]
2012. Canada. 67 minutes
312. “Highlights of H. H. the Dalai Lama’s July 1996 Visit”
By Gill Farrer‑Halls and Tony Pitts.
Follows the Dalai Lama on a visit to the UK in July 1996; includes press conferences, public talks, teachings, meeting people and traveling.
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes. US$35.00.
313. “Himalaya: An Epic Adventure of Survival”
Produced by Jacques Perrin and Christophe Barratier. Directed and written by Eric Valli
A US$7 million production filmed in the Dolpo region on the Nepali‑Tibetan frontier. Filmed in Cinemascope and nominated for an Oscar as best foreign film. “…In spite of the stunning vistas and some witty and affecting moments, the story seems to unfold at a distance; the human drama is diminished by the setting rather than amplified by it. The evident danger of the trek generates curiously little suspense…:”Himalaya ” is a work of polite ethnography, a coffee‑table book of a film that invites us to behold an exotic world from a comfortable and complacent distance.” (New York Times, 22 June 2001.)
1999. In Dolpo, Nepail and German with English subtitles. 104 minutes, Kino International
314*. “Himalaya”
Michael Palin for BBC‑TV
In 2003 former Monty Python Michael Palin and a camera crew spent 6 months traversing some 300 miles around the Himalayas. They traveled from the Khyber Pass to India, Burma, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. Along the way they interviewed many people including the Dalai Lama. The result was a book and a six part TV series. The film footage is spectacular but the text, written by Palin, is superficial and vacuous. Watch with the sound off. [Grunfeld]
www.palintravels.co.uk/static‑187
315. “Himalaya ‑ Life on the Roof of the World”
Travel short examines life in the Himalayas. Discusses cultural exchange throughout the Himalayan regions, the civilizations, geological importance, and the influence of Tibet on the peoples of the canyons.
1958. 21 minutes, Atlantis Productions,
316. “Himalayan Herders”
A film by John & Naomi Bishop
“…an intimate portrait of a temple‑village in the Yolmo valley of central Nepal where Tibetan Buddhists consult shamans, married life begins by kidnaping the bride, and the nearest road is two days walk away. The community drama of marriage, death and rituals is juxtaposed with the rich texture of daily life…A twenty‑five year collaboration between an ethnographer and a documentary film maker, the film provides rich material for examining gender, cultural change, religion, pastoralism…” [producers]76 minutes, color, Sale: US$195/Rental US$50 at:
http://der.org/docued/films/himalayan‑herders.htm
Companion volume, Himalayan Herders, published by Harcourt Brace,
317. “Hinduism and Buddhism”
Part of the series: “The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith”
“This program explores the two great religions to come from India…Smith uncovers the mysteries of multi phonic chanting among Tibetan lamas, previously unknown in the West. Characterizing these chants as ‘the holiest sound I have ever heard,’ Smith reveals the chanting to be a form of meditation…” [producers]
Available from Films for the Humanities & Sciences, US$89.95, 56 minutes, color.
318. “H.H. The Dalai Lama Addresses the General Assembly of Tibetans in Exile”
In Tibetan only. The Dalai Lama talks of progress reports, plans for the future. April 1984.
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes. US$26.00
319. “H.H. The Dalai Lama Addresses the Tibetan Community in Holland”
In Tibetan only.
1986.Meridian Trust. 105 minutes, US$26.00
320. “H.H. the Dalai Lama ‑ On Tour in America”
Wisdom Film production based on his talks at Harvard University.
321. “H. H. The Dalai Lama Visits Christian and Buddhist Communities at Ampleforth Abbey and Samye Ling”
Edited by Brian Beresford.
This film is from a 1984 visit.
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes. US$35.00.
322. “His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s Visit to Woodstock”
by HH the Dalai Lama
“September 21, 2006 was the United Nations Day of Peace. Woodstock, New York was fortunate to have a visit on that day from “a simple monk” who is one of the leading spokesmen for peace and understanding in our human world: His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. This DVD chronicles both his public talk in the town of Woodstock and a Buddhist teaching and ceremony at KTD Monastery, the sponsor of the visit.” [producers]
Snow Lion. 100‑min. US$24.95
323. “H. H. The Dalai Lama’s UK Visit”
Highlights of a 1991 visit: Buddhist teachings as well as meetings with members of the Parliament, show business personalities and students from the Federation for Democratic China.
Meridian Trust. 1991. 46 minutes. US$32.00.
324. “H. H. The Dalai Lama’s Washington Visit”
Produced by Meridian Trust and the International Campaign for Tibet.
This film is from a 1991 visit and includes an address to Congress in the Capitol Rotunda.
Meridian Trust. 30 minutes. US$32.00.
325. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama; An Interview with Jon Landaw” “
His Holiness speaks about his role and responsibility as a Dalai Lama and gives advice on how to conduct oneself in the modern world.” [Wisdom]
Wisdom Films, 30 minutes. US$26.25. Also, Meridian Trust.
326. ” His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Conversation with Rajiv Mehrotra”
Broadcast on Indian National Channel Doordarshan on 31st March 2009.
http://media.phayul.com/frm_detail.aspx?av_id=154
327. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama in England 1988”
Documentary presenting a more personal profile of the Dalai Lama during his visit to England in 1988.
Wisdom Films, approx. 60 minutes.
328. ” His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, prior to March 1959″
British Film Institute
Archival material using the rarely seen “Dalai Lama Examinations,” a film taken by Jigme Taring of the Dalai Lama’s final year in Lhasa going through the necessary rituals and examinations for the geshe degree.
60 minutes.
329. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama Visits Europe”
A 40-minute documentary overview of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 1986 visit to the cities of Bonn, Munich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Digne and Paris. Available in English, English and Tibetan and Tibetan.
Meridian Trust, 40 minutes, color. US$44.00. Also, Meridian Trust.
330. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Children’s Day Event Documentary”
“In 2005, the Dalai Lama visited Idaho and gave a presentation to more than 7,000 children from around the state. This documentary chronicles his meeting with these children and their expressions of love, compassion, and gratitude for his visit to the valley. The film is a special documentation of this historic event that will warm audience hearts. It was produced by Boise State University film student, Saandra Steinfelt, and Kiril Sokoloff, the philanthropist responsible for bringing the Dalai Lama to Idaho.” [producers]
2006
331. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Visit to the Netherlands, 1999
“Four videos in Tibetan, English and Dutch
1 and 2: “Buddhist Teachings: Seven Point Mind Training (Lo Jong)
3: “Je Nang/Initiation”
4: “Public Lecture: Ethics in the Next Millennium”
Each tape is 16.50 British pounds and is available from steve@qed‑productions.com . See also: http://www.qed‑productions.com/hhdl99.htm
332. “History of Momo”
Film by Tenzin Tsetan Choklay
“A touching short film about the making of the much‑loved Tibetan delicacy, momo (steam cooked dumplings).” [producers]
South Korea. 2007. 11 minutes. Korean with English sub‑titles.
333. “Home Away From Home”
Restored and digitalized at the Tibet Film Archive, Rubin Museum, NY: http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org/
334. “Home to Tibet: The Story of Sonam Lama’s Return to his Homeland”
A film by Alan Dater and Lisa Merton.
” Home to Tibet documents the return of the Tibetan stone mason, Sonam Lama, to his homeland for the first time since his escape twelve years ago. His sister had asked that he return in order that she might prepare her mind for old age and death. Despite the fact that Sonam has become an American citizen, returning to Tibet is dangerous for him. He first pilgrimages in India where he meets the Dalai Lama and goes to Nepal where he seeks the blessing and advice of lamas there. This is the best film to watch if you want an intimate experience of what it is like for Tibetans to travel to Tibet and feel the many conflicting forces at play in the minds and hearts of the Tibetan people ‑ very insightful.” [Snow Lion]
1995. Snow Lion, 55 minutes, color; also New Day Films, 22D Hollywood Ave., Ho‑Ho‑Kus, NJ 07423. Tel: (201) 652‑6590. E‑Mail: TMCNDY@aol.com Also, Mystic Fire Video.
335.* “Horse Thief” (Daoma zei/Rta rkun)
Directed by Tian Zhuang Zhuang; produced by Xi’an Film Studios
Tian lived in Tibet and hired Tibetan actors who spoke in Tibetan although the film was dubbed and released in Chinese.
“It’s the story of Norbu, ostracized by his community for stealing horses, and so forced into further crime in order to survive. There’s hardly any dialogue, but what makes it so absorbing is the stream of stunning wide screen images, from old Tibetan favorites like yaks and those long, booming pipes, to scenes of mesmerizing, arcane rituals‑‑valley coated in swirling scrapes of paper, sheep being buried alive, row upon row of flicking candles. And their dreamlike effect is enhanced by an ethereal soundtrack of tickling bells, gongs, synthesizers and unearthly voices.” [John Wrathall, The Good Times, London]. Chinese officials “…did not approve of the film because it showed Buddhist rituals that the Chinese had banned in Tibet, and it lacked any depiction of how the Chinese had improved Tibetan lives.” [Aislinn Scofield, “Tibet: Projections and Perceptions,” East‑West Film Journal 7:1 (January 1993): 106‑136.] As a result, the film was set in 1923.
1986. With English sub‑titles, 98 minutes.
336. “How to Meditate DVD”
By Venerable Sangye Khadro
“…Venerable Sangye Khadro…teaches basic meditation practice…include practical instructions on meditation techniques and guided meditations…This teaching took place at Land of Medicine Buddha in 2003.”
Snow Lion, 4 DVDs 8 hours, US$63.80.
337. “Human Rights and Moral Practice”
By H.H. the Dalai Lama
“This video recording of a talk given by the Dalai lama at the University of California, Berkeley addresses some of the most pressing social issues of our time with great insight and sensitivity. His Holiness urges the audience to consider intelligently those dilemmas which lie at the core of our society…He speaks on birth control, the arms trade, the global economy and the recent Gulf War.” [Snow Lion]
Garthwait & Griffin Films, info@ggfilms.com , 815 15th Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025, office: 650.322.2520, fax: 650.322.2530. Snow Lion, 35 minutes, video, US$24.95. Also, Mystic Fire Video.
338. “I Am Pema”
Director: Sam Wangyal
“A short film that paints a lyrical reflection on displacement and hope glimpsed during a day in little Pema’s world. It was her parents wish to achieve better things for their children through an education that respects their language and cultural identity at perhaps at the cost of never seeing her again. She arrives in exile, displaced yet she is full of happy optimism tinged with sadness becuase she remembers her parents every day. But she says she is happy now showing remarkable strength in settling into a strange new world in a new country with new parents making new friends and discoveries along the way. Of course return to Tibet is unthinkable.” [producers]
2009 112 minutes. Tibetan with English subtitles
339. “I AM TIBET ‑ Dolma, Invisible Women In Quest of Herself
“Directed by Eric Wils
“Shot in cinéma‑vérité style for 6 months at a dozen refugee camps…The world of spirits and wrathful deities is engaged in fiery battles as everything must pass on the earth plane. Tibetans live and die in non‑violence knowing Tibet must be freed against all odds… Dolma, an invisible woman in quest of herself in a troubled world, voices her frustration as our witness in this poignant documentary shot in a dozen refugee camps…” [producers]
2008. 115 minutes
340. “I’ll Make You Happy”
Director: Athina Tsoulis
A young hooker must find the money to send her roommate to Tibet in order to fulfill his dreams. She discovers plans for an illegal steroid deal going down between her pimp and a coke addict. Her and the girls, a new male friend, and her agoraphobic, HIV positive father pull off the biggest heist of their lives when they manage to get away clean with the money. [kwedgwood@hotmail.com]
1999. New Zealand
341. “Impermanence”
Directed by Goutam Ghosh
The film “…brings out the Buddhist spiritual head’s aversion to violence and bloodshed and his yearning for peace and the utter futility of conflicts as nothing lasts forever. Basically, I tried to capture the philosopher Dalai Lama, who believes in the impermanence of life as exemplified in Buddhism. Only peace and compassion can turn this short stint in this world into a happy one,” says Ghosh. “He calls upon his followers not to expect any miracle from him as he is an ordinary man who can only share suffering with fellow human beings…Begun in 1998, the film captures the Dalai Lama on his worldwide tours with Ghosh accompanying him to Europe [as well as the] Dalai Lama’s interaction with the gathering at the Dharamsala headquarters…” [ in WTN, 20 August 2004]
60 minutes, 2004
342. “In Exile From the Roof of the World”
A film by David Cherniack Films for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Man Alive” series.
Made in the Winter of 1984, this film is a long interview with the Dalai Lama as he visited the Mongolian Monastery of America.
343. “In Praise of Dependent Origination”
by HH the Dalai Lama
“Watching this 9.5‑hour DVD is almost like attending the teaching (presented in San Francisco in April of 2007). In this teaching, given over the course of two days, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama transmits and explains the text considered to be one of the most profound in all Tibetan Buddhism. Spontaneously composed by Tsongkhapa, it addresses the relationship between emptiness, the ultimate nature of reality, and dependent origination: the realization that things do not exist independently from other factors, such as causes and conditions.” [producers]
9.5 hr. 2‑DVD set. US$39.95. Snow Lion.
344. “In Search of History: Tibet’s Lost Paradise: Shangri‑La”
“It has endured for centuries as a vision of perfection on earth a mythical valley where a race of immortal humans live in total harmony. From ancient myths to the recent bestseller Lost Horizon, Shangri‑La has fascinated us for ages. TIBET’S LOST PARADISE unravels the true history of this appealing myth and seeks out the legendary home of this earth‑bound utopia. Travel to remote valleys of China, Nepal and Tibet, where local folklore insists that such a place exists. Trace the origins of the enchanting tale with the world’s leading experts, who reveal how this Eastern vision was embraced by the Western World. Finally, venture high into the Himalayas, where Indian tradition holds that “perfect men” still live.
Journey to the ends of the earth to find out if there is any truth to the captivating fable of Shangri‑La.” [producers]
History Channel. Item Number: AAE‑74319. US$24.95: http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=74319
345. “In Search of Kundun With Martin Scorsese”
Written and directed by Michael Henry Wilson
In Pictures and Hollywood Independent Film Distribution
Documentary following Scorsese in the filming of Kundun. With the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Chodon Gyalpo, Lobsang Lhalungpa and Melissa Manchester. “…a valuable and informative footnote to Kundun, …clarifies the aim of Mr. Scorsese’s film which was not a historical epic but to try and capture the Dalai Lama’s spirit of kindness and nonviolence in the face of his exile…The documentary includes interviews with several of the creative participants in the earlier film…reveals the nuts and bolts of the project…The film is unapologetically puffy in its portrait of the director…and…the Dalai Lama as a kind of living saint.” [New York Times, 28 April 1999]
84 minutes.
346. “In Search of Yarsagumba: A Trans‑Himalayan Journey”
Ananda Kumar Shrestha
“In May, people of far western district of Darchula desert the village and head for high mountain. Their main aim to collect yarsagumba, which is rare and unique herb, found above 3,500 meters. This venture is sometimes risky and may take human lives. However, people take risk. The documentary follows the villagers in their trans‑Himalayan journey.” [producers]
27 min.
347. “In the Direction of Lhasa” (Xiangwang La sa/Lha sar phyogs pa)
A drama about the history of Tibetan families in Lhasa over the past 50 years.
Tibet TV, 2002. Robbie Barnett collection.
348. “In the Land of Gurus ‑ Images from an Indian Journey”
Ernst Hunsicker
Indi: Dream or nightmare? A young Western woman and her companion tour the Indian Himalayas.
“From Delhi, they travel on the roof of a crowded bus to Manali, once an exclusive health resort, now home to many freaks from Europe. Over steep mountain passes, they reach Marteselang, a plateau region high above sea level. Their last stop is steam‑filled Manikaran, dominated by temples. The two meet very different local people.” [producers]
45 min. More info at: www.antilope.org
349. “In The Presence of Compassion: H. H. the Dalai Lama’s UK Visit”
By Gill Farrer‑Halls and Tony PittsFilm of the Dalai Lama’s 1993 visit.
Includes Buddhist teachings at Wembley, a visit to Samye Ling Tibetan Centre, a trip to Wales and playing croquet. Meridian Trust.
60 minutes. NOT FOR SALE. Available by a donation of not less than 10 British pounds.
350. “In The Spirit of Fresh Enquiry”
By Gill Farrer‑Halls and Tony Pitts
A film about a March 1993 trip by Western Buddhist teachers to Dharamsala and the 4 day conference than ensued with the Dalai Lama. “Captures the essence of the dialogue.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 152 minutes. US$35.00
351. “In the Spirit of Manjushri: The Wisdom teachings of Buddhism”
By H.H. the Dalai Lama
“During [sic] three days the Dalai Lama taught the three principle elements of the wisdom path: renunciation, bodhicitta, and the correct view of emptiness. This teaching is an elaboration of the third Noble Truth…The end of the teaching culminated in a dialogue on these teachings between the Dalai Lama and the Ven. Master Sheng‑yen…[of] the Ch’an lineage.” [producers]
Snow Lion. 5 hours (4 tape box set) US$108.00. Also, Mystic Fire Video.
352. “In the Steps of Joseph Rock: Exploring a lost Tibetan kingdom in the Sino‑Tibetan Borderlands”
Directed by Yongdrol K.Tsongkha and Donnak Sonam Dorje
“This carefully crafted documentary compares contemporary north‑eastern Tibet with the photographs of the area taken by the legendary American explorer, Joseph Francis Rock (1884‑1962), one of the last classic explorers, on his extensive expeditions there 80 years ago. By blending over 500 original photographs from Rock’s expeditions with modern images, and with an extensively researched chronology based on excerpts from his dairies, the film shows how eastern Tibet looked in the 1920s and how the same places and people look now.
The film focuses on Choni , an area of the Tibetan Plateau still barely known to the western world that was a Tibetan Principality with over 500 years of history and a vital cultural center on the Chinese‑Tibetan borderlands. Eighty years ago, Rock’s remarkable article in National Geographic in 1928, “Life Among the Lamas of Choni,” and his extraordinary visual records of the Chinese‑Tibetan borderlands and its people remain invaluable to the history of this region. ” [producers]
2008‑2009/110 min. In Tibetan and Mandarin with English subtitles.
353. In Western Tibet – First, second and third time
Produced by: Istituto Nazionale Luce (National Institute of Light)
“Documentary on the scientific expedition to western Tibet, promoted by the Royal Academy of Italy, under the guidance of Giuseppe Tucci. The documentary was produced by the Istituto Nazionale Luce using the footage taken by a medical captain of the Navy, Eugenio Ghersi (Oneglia, 14 July 1904 – La Spezia, 13 October 1997), during an expedition to Tibet led by Giuseppe Tucci for five months, from June in October 1933.
In addition to this documentary, lasting 46 minutes, and probably intended for cinematic viewing, the Istituto Luce also produced newsreels, two of which are still preserved.
The 1933 expedition was the first in which Tucci used cinematographic films alongside photographs. Thereafter, until his last expedition to western Nepal in 1954, Tucci always wanted to document the trips with films in order to facilitate the dissemination of the knowledge of a distant civilization.
Of this important material, several kilometers of film, including that of “Forbidden Tibet” by Pietro Francesco Mele from a 1948 expedition, winner of the award for best short film at the 1949 Venice Biennale, almost nothing remains, apart from the documents in the possession of the ‘Istituto Luce.” [Oscar Nalesini – Museo Nazionale d’Arte Orientale G. Tucci]
Italian. 1933, 46 minutes. Available at:
https://patrimonio.archivioluce.com/luce-web/detail/IL3000087327/1/nel-tibet-occidentale-primo-secondo-e-terzo-tempo.html
354. “Inauguration of the Tibetan Women’s Association”
Dharamsala, India, 1984.
Wi1dom Films (in Tibetan), 60 minutes.
355. “Incense Broken, Country Lost”
Written, produced and directed by Rosemary Rawcliffe
Second of a trilogy on the women on Tibet. This film “…celebrates the courage, power, and triumph of the human spirit. The story begins in Lhasa, 1959, when 15,000 unarmed Tibetan women opposed violent occupation by communist Chinese soldiers. Those women survived decades in prison and perilous escapes, and today, with their daughters and granddaughters, are passing on their rich ancient cultural legacy to 28,000 exiled Tibetan children.” [producers]
1 Hour. Frame of Mind Films, 1009 Kains Avenue, #2, Albany, CA 94706, Phone: (510) 524‑1926, Fax: (510) 558‑8799, E‑mail: ‑rosemary@frameofmindfilms.com; ‑ and ‑www.womenoftibet.org
356. “Indian Roots of Tibetan Buddhism”
Written and directed by Benoy K Behl.
In 1991, Buddhist expert and art historian Benoy K Behl photographed the Ajanta paintings in India, an experience that inspired him to explore the spread of Buddhism throughout Asia. In this film, he focuses on Tibetan Buddhist ideas and practices that were developed in the University of Nalanda. Study at medieval monastic universities in Eastern India was based not upon faith but on logic and pursuit of truth and knowledge through intellectual thought, discussion and debate. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other experts speak about the Indian roots of Tibetan Buddhism and culture, including developing a Tibetan written language to facilitate the transfer of knowledge in the 7th century. The documentary includes a discussion of Indian and Tibetan Buddhist art. [producers]
2015. 49 minutes. Distributed by Films Media Group.
357. “Individual Responsibility Towards World Peace”
The Dalai Lama in Amsterdam in May 1986 speaking about “…the importance of each person cultivating inner qualities of love, compassion and tolerance rather than assuming world peace can be achieved through abstract means.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 90 minutes. US$55.00
358. “Inner Peace Leads to World Peace”
Filmed by Samye Ling Recording Department.
The Dalai Lama visits Samye Ling Tibetan Centre and talks about cultivating personal qualities within ourselves. Mostly in English; includes a question and answer period.
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes. 24 British pounds.
359. “Inside Tibet”
U. S. Office of Strategic Services.
“FILM REPORT: On the journey of a U.S. military and diplomatic mission from Gangtok, India, to Lhasa, Tibet during World War II. The party journeys through Natu La and Kechu La passes, stops at the British trail station, Gyantse, reviews troops of Tropji Regiment and is ferried across the Brahmaputra River. Scenes of Tibetan natives, terrain, travel facilities, housing,a New Year religious festival, the Dalai Lama’s palaces in Lhasa, monasteries and other religious buildings. – National Archives and Records Administration – ARC Identifier 40103 / Local Identifier 226.5 – Inside Tibet – Joint Chiefs of Staff. Office of Strategic Services. Field Photographic Branch.” [OSS]
1943. 39 minutes. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCHgPCqPf5Q
360. “Inspector Gadget ‑ Weather in Tibet”
Animated. 1984. 30 minutes. Watch it at:
http://video.aol.com/video‑detail/inspector‑gadget‑weather‑in‑tibet‑part‑1/1853733192
361. “Intermediate States of Mind: Birth, Life, Death & After‑Death”
by Ven. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, trans. by Lama Yeshe Gyamtso “
An extraordinary set of teachings on preparing for death, including care of the dying, practices during dissolution and death, phowa practice and instructions on the short Shitro practice. Extensive teachings on the bardos of Dharmata and Becoming, bodhicitta, the four immeasurables and karma are also included. Thrangu Rinpoche is a renowned master, chosen by the Dalai Lama as the principal tutor to the 17th Karmapa. 4‑camera live‑mix video system makes this a pleasure to watch.” [producers]
17‑hour 5‑DVD set. US$130.00. Snow Lion
362. “Into the Heart of Asia”
Directed by Brian Beresford; produced by Sean Jones.
“A Buddhist pilgrimage to Central Asia records a fascinating journey along the Silk Route, to the sacred Mount Kailash and Lake Manasrovar and the ancient capital of Tsaparang.” [Wisdom]
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes.
363. “Introduction to Buddhist Psychotherapy”
Dr. Lobsang Rapgay explores the parallels between the Western and Tibetan approaches to psychotherapy.
Wisdom Films, 4 hours.
364. “Introduction to Dzogchen”
By Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
“…Namkhai Norbu answers the question: What is Dzogchen? Dzogchen is the path to self‑liberation…[he] is one of the primary living masters of Dzogchen.” [producers]
100 minutes. Snow Lion. Available in VHS version and PAL version. US$29.95
365. “Introduction to Tantra”
By Lama Thubten Yeshe
“In 1980, in California, Lama Yeshe gave a commentary to the Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig) yoga method.” [producers]
Snow Lion, DVD, US$14.95
366. “Jenseits von Tibet ‑ Eine Liebe zwischen den Welten” (“Out of Tibet”)
Director: Solveig Klaßen
An unusual love story about German punk rocker Sandra H. and Tibetan lama and exile Ngawang Gelek. Fleeing a broken home, Sandra arrives in Berlin sometime in the 1980s. With the help of music and Buddhism, she manages to kick her drug habit. [producers]
2001. Germany. Documentary.88 minutes. In German
367. “Jews and Buddhism: Belief Amended, Faith Revealed”
Directors: Bill Chayes and Isaac Solotaroff
“This is a timely new work about the spiritual and historical confluence between Buddhism and Judaism. Writers, scholars, and even the first Prime Minister of Israel David Ben Gurion (who practiced Buddhist meditation) remark on the striking resonance between the two ancient traditions. Allen Ginsberg…plays a central role…powerful archival footage, including a fascinating account of the pilgrimage made by eight Jewish scholars to meet the Dalai Lama in India…Narrated by Sharon Stone.” [Points East, July 1999, p. 13]
1999, video, 41 minutes.
368. “Jigden The Beginning of The End”
Director, writeer and lead actor: Shenpenn Khymsar
This is the first Himalayan/Tibetan gangster film ever made. It is a passion project with all first-time actors and a lot of guerrilla style shooting.
2017, USA, 23 minutes
369. “Jigdrel: Leaving Fear Behind”
Filmmaker: Dhondup Wangchen with the aid of Golog Jigme
“Leaving Fear Behind (in Tibetan, Jigdrel) is a heroic film shot by Tibetans from inside Tibet, who longed to bring Tibetan voices to the Beijing Olympic Games…The footage was smuggled out of Tibet under extraordinary circumstances. The filmmakers were detained soon after sending their tapes out and remain in detention today [August 2008].
The filmmakers traversed thousands of miles, asking ordinary Tibetans what they really feel about the Dalai Lama, China, and the Olympic Games. The filmmakers gave their subjects the option of covering their faces, but almost all of the 108 people interviewed agreed to have their faces shown on film, so strong was their desire to express themselves to the world. Excerpts from twenty of the interviews, including a self‑recorded interview of the filmmaker himself, are included in the 25-minute film.
The footage reveals with stark clarity that Tibetans are frustrated and embittered by the deterioration and marginalization of Tibetan language and culture; the destruction of the lifestyle of Tibetan nomads through Chinese forced settlement policies; the lack of religious freedom and the vilification of the Dalai Lama; and the broken promises made by the Chinese government to improve conditions in Tibet in the run up to the Olympic games. All are united in their reverence for the Dalai Lama and long for him to return, and as some even dream, to attend the Olympic Games.” [producers]
In 2009 the fimmaker was sentenced to six years in prison for making this film and getting it out of China. In December 2017 he arrived in San Francisco and was reunited with his family. [Grunfeld]
2008, 25 minutes. Watch some of it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LLnqltaIgw
370. “Jin Sha Jinang Pan” (The Banks of the Jingsha River)
Director: Fu Chaowu
Depicts the Long March when it went through the Tibetan areas in 1936 and befriends the local populace who help them overcome their Nationalist rivals.
China. Tianma Film Studio. 1963
371. “Jinpa” (Zhuang si le yi zhi yang)
Writer‑director: Pema Tseden, screenplay based on the novels The Slayer by Tsering Norbu and I Ran Over a Sheep by Pema Tseden
Accidentally, a Tibetan trucker kills a sheep with his vehicle before picking up a hitchhiker who says hes on his way to kill a man, on purpose, in Jinpa, the sixth feature from Tibetan director Pema Tseden (Old Dog). Based on the novel The Slayer by Tsering Norbu as well as the story I Ran Over a Sheep by Pema himself, this is an intriguing if austere art house item that should please lovers of slow cinema with a more mystical edge…The mono‑monikered poet and actor Jinpa (Soul on a String, Tsedens Tharlo) plays a truck driver also called Jinpa who is traversing the almost monochrome Kekexili Plateau, the highest plain in the world with an average elevation of roughly 16,000 feet. With his jeans, leather jacket, mirrored sunglasses, jet‑black mane and unkempt facial hair, Jinpa looks like the rock star Johnny Depp would have been had he been born in Tibet… Theres no other traffic on the dusty and very windy road for miles, so Jinpa is shocked when he hears a terrible noise and it turns out he killed a sheep. He feels guilty enough about his act to load the animal corpse onto his truck so he can take it to a temple. But way before he reaches his destination, he picks up a stranger (Genden Phuntsok) in traditional dress who is headed to another town in the same direction. Jinpa tries to make conversation, but the other guy isnt much of a talker, until he explains the purpose of his trip: He has finally located, after 10 years, the murderer of his father, so hes going to kill the man. Suddenly, the elaborately decorated dagger, strapped to the mans leg, looks a lot less innocent…The films first half feels like a relatively naturalistic drama, with Jinpa delivering his goods, asking a holy man for advice on what to do with the dead animal Animals have souls, too, Jinpa explains and then visiting a lover, whom he pays, irony of ironies, with lamb meat he had to buy, since there is no way he is eating the meat of the animal whose life he accidentally took. The movie’s second half veers into more unusual territory, as Jinpa decides to visit the town where his passenger said he was headed. With the help of a friendly local bar owner (Sonam Wangmo), he tries to locate the man. It is revealed that the future criminal, who comes from the Khampi region, is also called Jinpa, which makes the connection between the two men even more obvious. But is the trucker out to stop him if it isn’t too late already, to catch him in flagrante delicto or does he just want to know whether his namesake went through with his plan and succeeded?…
[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/jinpa‑review‑1141500]
China. In Tibetan with English subtitles. 86 minutes
372. ” Joanna Lumley in the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon”
BBC‑4
Well‑known British actress retraces the steps taken by her grandparents to Bhutan in 1931. Her grandfather was Col. Leslie Weir who was the British Trade Agent in Gyantse in 1909 and Political Officer in Sikkim in 1928. [Grunfeld]
75 minutes. 1997
373. “Join me in Shambala”
by Anya Bernstein
“Once brutally persecuted under the Soviet regime, Buddhism is back in Buryatia in Southern Siberia. But with a past where lamas were killed in prisons and temples burned to ashes, there are few masters left to pass on the tradition. Whether or not the faith survives depends on an incarnate Tibetan lama, scholar and meditational master who travels around remote villages to reawaken Buddhism. The film discovers an oasis of spiritual tolerance in a unique enclave of Siberia where East meets West and draws unexpected parallels between the two…In 1993, Tibetans Yeshe Lodoi Rinpoche and his disciple Tenzin gave up their exile home in tropical India for the frozen steppes of Siberia to re‑introduce the Buryats to their ancient beliefs. From Ulan‑Ude to the most remote villages of Buryatia, Anya Bernstein, an anthropologist and filmmaker, follows these two remarkable masters on their quest.” [producers]
2002. 30 minutes. In Tibetan and Buryat with English subtitles.
374. “Journey from Zanskar”
Produced by Frederick Marx
A “…new film, nearing completion [in mid-2009] in anticipation of a fall release, takes place in the northernmost part of India in one of the most isolated regions of the Himalayas, known as Zanskar. Inaccessibility and isolation has protected Zanskar ‑ also known as “Little Tibet” ‑ from cultural change. Today, it is considered the last place on earth where the original Tibetan Buddhist way of life still exists; however, all that will change when the Indian government completes a modern paved road into Zanskar to provide its military with access to the fragile borders it shares with Pakistan and China. Several years ago the Dalai Lama asked two senior monks upon the completion of their training to devote themselves to educating the children of Zanskar…The two monks selected 17 of the brightest children from among the poorest families and began a ten day trek over the snow covered Himalayas from Zanskar to a school on the other side of the mountains. The children’s journey comprises the central plot of the film. [producers]
375. “Journey Into Tibet”
With Robert Thurman
This film visits Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse, Lake Mansarovar and does a trip around Mt. Kailash with renowned Tibetan scholar Dr. Robert Thurman of Columbia University. Special thanks to Ganden and Nena Thurman of Tibet House, Sanjay Saxena, the Tibetan Tour Guide, Geographic Expeditions of SF, tour sponsor, Josh Davidow, editor, The Nechung Monks for the music (CD at CDbaby) and all the people who graciously allowed us to film them in this documentary. [producers]
2 hours. DVD is available at www.JourneyIntoTibet.com or www.createspace.com/254088
376. “Journey to a Lost World: Land and Culture of Tibet”
Early photos, paintings, objects from the Newark Museum‑‑Oriental Collection.
25 minutes. Newark Museum
377. “Journey to Enlightenment”
Director: Matthieu Ricard
Also known as: Shadow Over Tibet: Stories in Exile; Spirit of Tibet: The Life and World of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche Primary Teacher of the Dalai Lama.
1995. Canada. 47 minutes.
378. “Journeys with Tibetan Medicine”
Film by Martin Saxer
Journeys with Tibetan Medicine reveals the dramatic story of a family of Tibetan physicians from Buryatia (Siberia). The Badmayevs brought Tibetan medicine to the West: to St Petersburg, Poland, Switzerland and the USA. They were border‑dwellers who ventured to translate an Eastern Science into occidental thought and culture. Their story contains a remarkable perspective on Tibetan medicine: namely, not as an ancient healing practice, but as a dynamic body of knowledge. As the Badmayevs made their way to the West, they encountered mystically inclined aristocrats, revolutionary lamas, party members with health problems, two Polish presidents and Swiss authorities. An odyssey which spans four generations on a journey through the turmoils of the 20th century. [producers]
Available in English, French, German and Russian. 76 minutes. 2006. http://www.anyma.ch/journeys/
379. “Ju Mipham’s Song Of The Dzogchen View”
by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, trans. by David Karma Choephel “
This experiential Song of the Dzogchen View, written by Ju Mipham with commentary by Khenpo Gangshar, starts with instructions for beginners to gain direct experience of freedom from extremes. Mipham’s song continues with instructions on the actual practice of Dzogchen‑‑how to see directly un‑obscured self‑arisen awareness. This section of the song culminates in a profound meditation instruction on realizing the unmistaken meaning of the union of awareness and emptiness. The concluding sections clearly point out both the helpful and misleading teachings found in the exposition, sutra, mind only and middle way schools as presented by masters of the Sakya, Geluk, Kagyu and Drukpa lineages. Thrangu Rinpoche’s extensive teachings elucidate the meaning and make this experiential song accessible to both beginning and advanced practitioners. Practice sessions as well as question and answer sessions further clarify the meaning. Ju Mipcham’s song, together with an outline extracted from Khenpo Gangshar’s commentary, is included with this DVD set.” [producers]
4‑DVD set, 10.5 hrs., with 8‑page booklet. Snow Lion. US$ 80.00
380. “Kailash: The Sacred Mountain”
Directed by Brian Beresford, produced by Sean Jones.
Unique documentary of a pilgrimage to the holiest mountain in Asia.
Wisdom Films, 90 minutes.
381. “Kalachakra 1974”
Directed by Dirk Duman.
Captures the Kalachakra initiation held in Bodh Gaya, India in 1974.
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes. US$44.00. Also, Meridian Trust.
382. “Kalachakra : Creating the Sacred Space”
Covers the elaborate preparation of the sand mandala presided over by the Dalai Lama for the Kalachakra initiation.
Rikon, Switzerland, 1985. Wisdom Films, 60 minutes.
383. “Kalachakra at Bodhgaya”
Directed by Dirk Duncan in 1974. 50 minutes. Meridian Trust.
384. “Kalachakra Mandala”
Computer based 3D animation.
By Martin Brauen & Peter Hassler”
This is a virtual journey through the Kalachakra cosmos and its mandala piece on top of Mount Meru.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 8 minutes, US$25.00. Also, Mystic Fire Video.
385. “Kalachakra, The Wheel of Time”
Bearfoot Productions
“Watching the creation of the Kalachakra sand mandala is one of the most beautiful and fascination experiences. Four monks from Namgyal Monastery performed this ritual at the Douglas Hyde Gallery in Trinity College, Ireland…you will also see the monks perform some of the dancing and chanting of the Kalachakra ritual.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 30 minutes.
386. “Kadrin ‑ A Journey to Success”
Written and Directed by Topgyal Tsering and Ngawang Samdup”
A Tibetan film by first‑time filmmaker has produced a film that is based on the life story of Ngawang Samdup, Tsering’s younger brother, who made the dangerous escape from the Chinese military in Tibet as a young boy… follows the journey from Tibet to the refugee centre in Nepal, and then to northern India…Tsering shows the challenges Tibetans in exile face; from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. Often orphaned from their parents and without relatives to support them, many Tibetan children growing up in India choose a highly dedicated and sometimes solitary path of education. On completion of their studies many never return to Tibet and remain part of exiled communities.” [WTN, 9 November 2006]
In Tibetan; English, French, German subtitles. 54 minutes, 2006
387. “Kangba Hanzi” (Khams pa, The Khampa)
Sichuan TV, 1980s
In Chinese. Robbie Barnett collection.
388. “Kangding Love Story”
Chinese documentary made to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region and broadcast by Tibet People Broadcast TV Station in August 2005 was “translated by Tibet TV Station Tibetan Language Translation Office…[and] broadcast [in] two parts every night in golden time on Tibet TV Station Tibetan Channel.” [sic]
http://info.tibet.cn/en/news/tin/t20050809_46888.htm
389. “Karma”
Directed/Produced by Tsering Rithar
“In a nunnery in the high desert mountains of Mustang, a revered abbess dies, leaving signs that she will be reborn in the precious human form. Prayers and ritual must be done to help her consciousness into its next rebirth, but the nunnery coffers are empty.
The senior nuns decide that the only way out is get back money loaned out by the nunnery. A mysterious loan was made out to an equally mysterious Mr. Tashi who visited the senior nun in her last days. Given the shady rumours about Mr. Tashi, the nuns are convinced he took advantage of her in her dying state. The two nuns assigned the mission to retrieve the money are Karma, a free‑spirited nun, and her opposite, a textbook‑sort of nun called Sonam. Mr. Tashi proves elusive. His shadowy trail leads them from the cloistered world of the high mountains, to the sin cities, and a host of small cruelties en route as well as Mr. Tashi’s growing infamy.
Karma is left to continue the mission on her own when her companion is temporarily disabled. Karma learns of Mr. Tashi’s ties to brothels and sets out to catch him red‑handedly, but he turns out to be a rogue‑turned‑Samaritan, and Karma opts to return the money to him. A cool reception and admonishment greet her back at the nunnery.
Karma is absolved and redeemed when the mystery linking Mr. Tashi and the abbess is finally uncovered.” [producers]
2006. In Tibetan, Nepali and English, 98 minutes. For more info: mila@wlink.com.np
390. “Karmpa”
Director: Arto Halonen
Includes interview with the Dalai Lama.
Finland. 1998. 58 minutes.
391. “Karmapa in America 2008: Wisdom of Enlightened Mind”
By His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa
“The first teachings of His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa on Western soil were fresh and personal. His insights and compassion spoke directly to Western hearts and minds. This complete set includes Awakening the Heart (NY), Healing the World (CO), and The Journey Begins (WA).These teachings are documented in three new DVDs, which launch a series titled Wisdom of Enlightened Mind. Available both individually and as a 3‑DVD set, this first release includes teachings on Awakening the Heart, Healing the World and The Journey Begins. Through this series, Karmapa shares his insights on developing the mind of compassion, cutting through confusion, working positively with hardships and developing strong connections with the world around us.” [producers]
Complete 3 DVD approx. 279 minutes.US$65.00. Snow Lion.
392. “Karmapa in America”
“The Karmapa in America gives an account of the historic visit of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa to the US in 2008. Travel with the Karmapa and experience the U.S. with him from New York NY, to Wappingers Falls NY, Woodstock NY, Shamong NJ, Boulder CO, San Francisco CA, Los Angeles CA and Seattle WA. His Holiness taught to thousands in public venues and smaller gatherings, and met students new and old, western and Tibetan. He blessed children and met with local luminaries. He was welcomed by western and Tibetan teachers and received honors from mayors. He visited monasteries and retreat centers and said prayers at the 9/11 site in Manhattan. And he visited landmarks such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York and even Disneyland!” [producers]US$25.00. Snow Lion.
393. “Karmapa in America 2008: Wisdom of Enlightened Mind” [sic]
3 DVD set of his teachings while he was in the US: “Wisdom of the Enlightened Mind: Awakening the Heart” (in New York); “Wisdom of the Enlightened Mind: healing the World” (in Boulder); “Wisdom of the Enlightened Mind: The Journey Begins” (in Seattle).
279 minutes. US$65.00 Snow Lion.
394. “Karmapa Lama; Karmapa Lama”
An exclusive U.S. television interview with “a reincarnation of the living Buddha
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). 11 July 2008. 7:22 minutes.
395. “Karmapa: Lineage of the Awakened”
By Laurence Guy‑Lentin
“…on HH 17th Karmapa is packed with interesting footage and material. With images ranging from his childhood at Tsurphu, to visits to Bodhgaya and Sarnath, to his participation in the Kagyu Monlam…It also features several teachings by His Holiness…” [producers]
77 minutes CD‑ROM, PAL (European) Snow Lion.
396.”Karmapa: The Lion Begins to Roar”
Produced and directed by Ward Holmes, presented by Tsurphu Foundation
New digital film documentary produced in Tsurphu Monastery, Tibet 1999. The Karmapa “…is seen in this film performing many various kinds of Dharma activities such as: debating, preforming the sacred Lama dancing that the Karmapa rarely does in a lifetime, preforming the Mahakala offerings, bestowing blessings and empowerments, giving interviews…” [producers]
85 minutes. Snow Lion, US$45.00
397. “Karmapa: The Thangka Ceremony”
Presented by Tsurphu Foundation. Produced by Ward Holmes.
“In May 1994 members of the Tsurphu Foundation joined H.H. the XVII Karmapa and the monks of Tsurphu Monastery for the first unveiling of the new silk applique thangka ‑ one of the largest in the world. Measuring 60′ by 100′ it was reconstructed in the traditional style designed by the 9th Karmapa. The old thangka was destroyed during the cultural revolution. There are wonderful segments of the new Karmapa and the unveiling ceremony.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 30 minutes.
398. “Ke ke xi li: Mountain Patrol,”
Directed by Lu Chuan,
First Chinese film to win the best film award (2004) at the Golden Horse Awards, which showcases films from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. It is based on the true story of a journalist who joins a Tibetan volunteer patrol chasing a ring of poachers trading in antelope wool. The film also took best cinematography for Cao Yu. Battling censorship and difficult conditions, the director said, every day was like hell. One crewman was killed in a traffic accident.
399. “Ke Shan hong ri” (Red Sun Over the Ke Mountains)
“In 1950, a PLA unit enters the Ke Mountains in Tibet. To increase the political awareness of the Tibetan people, they do not implement reforms immediately, but help the Tibetans do it themselves. A Tibetan anti‑Chinese force called Gexia sends spy Luo Jia into the mountains, where he links up with undercover agent Yade in opposing the PLA. They carry out disruptive acts of sabotage and finally open rebellion. In these circumstances, the PLA is forced to take military action to bring the rebels under control and free the “slaves” of the Ke Mountains region.” [producers]
August First Film Studio. 1960.
400. “Kham Film Project Participatory Video Series”
“Our Participatory Video projects are designed to share the excitement of filmmaking with individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience. We make filmmaking accessible to everyone and focus on the medium as a tool for communication and means of bringing people together.
The Kham Participatory Video Series showcases short films created in collaboration with four different communities in the Kham region. The films were conceived and filmed by local participants, with facilitation and editing by American and Tibetan filmmakers from the Kham Film Project.
http://www.khamfilmproject.org/participatory.php
401. “Khata”
Directed by Huatse Gyal
A documentary that folllows the cultural and climate significance of khata, a type of Tibetan cloth. The documentary addresses the long term environmental consequences of this production. Khata is made of polyester, a cheap synthetic fiber that takes a long time to decompose in nature. In between interviews with experts who critique the environmental and health implications, the film shows images of khatas piled up in trash bins, polluting rivers, releasing toxic smoke when burnt in religious ceremonies, and found in animal carcasses.
USA. 44 minutes
402. “Khensur Pema Gayltsen: My Life in Brief”
Khensur Pema Gyaltsen, former abbot of Drepung monastery, recounts some of his life story. Translated by Geshe Namgyal Wangchen. Lam Rim Centre, Wales.
1984. Meridian Trust, 45 minutes.
403. “Khreng zhen” (Longing) [aka Nyi ma tshe ring dang zla ba sgrol ma (Nyima Tsering and Dawa Drolma)]
Pagmo Tashi.
Contemporary nomad romance. Tibetan crew and Tibetan writer.
1991. Robbie Barnett collection.
404. “King Gesar”
“This series film is being shot as a gift to the 50th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet and when the Chinese Government is applying to the UNESCO to hold the International King Gesar Year. The series film comes of 30 parts totally 900 minutes. It tells the birth and evolution of the long epic King Gesar, including worship on totems, divination, sacrificial ceremonies. Tibetan medicine and unity between the Han and the Tibetan. It is due to be finished in March 2001. [sic] [China’s Tibet, vol. 11, no. 5, 2000, p.46.]
405. “King Gesaer”
Oracle Pictures
An animated TV production of 26 episodes with a running time of 22 minutes each. Also, a full-length animated feature is planned in conjunction with the TV productions.
Oracle Communications, Los Angeles, CA. P. O. Box491693, Los Angeles, CA. (310) 556‑FILM: E‑mail: awang19851@aol.com
406. “Kingdom of the Lost Boy”
Produced by Juniper Productions for the BBC
Narrated by Joanna Lumley”Featuring extraordinary archival material of the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the rituals involved in the selection of the Panchen Lama and interviews with the Dalai Lama. This 75 minute special asks whether the Chinese have finally won the battle of beliefs and questions the significance this decision will hold for the future of Tibet.” [Tibetan Review] Based on Isabel Hiltons reporting on the selection of the 11th Panchen Lama from the Dalai Lamas perspective. There is also a Chinese documentary on the selection of their 11th Panchen Lama with scenes from the Golden urn ceremony. [Grunfeld]
75 minutes.
407. “Kingdom on the Roof of the World
“CCTV (Chinese Central TV) film about the legend of the Guge Kingdom in Ngari, eaastern Tibet.
Planned for showing in December 2006.
408. “Knowledge of Healing”
Franz Reichle “This is the first full length film dealing extensively with Tibetan medicine. It is an inside look at the unique philosophy and dramatic benefits of Tibetan healing. In the cinema verité tradition, the audience journeys with Tibetan practitioners as they treat patients, make house calls and share secrets of ancient herbal remedies, traveling through Dharamsala in northern India, Ulaan Ude, and in the northern region of Mongolia. Treatments include the use of herbs, roots and minerals. The film also documents research done in Europe to test the healing properties and produce medicines.” [producers]
55 min., Snow Lion Publications, Purchase Price:US$29.95
409. “KOKONOR”
By Dorji Tsering Chenaktsang.
Lake Kokonor in northwest Tibet (currently the Qinghai Province of China): its surface is more than 3,000 square kilometers, altitude 3,200 meters above sea level. Originally famous for being a highly sacred lake, then in the 1960s it became a famous military research base for the first atomic bomb in China ‑ now it is famous for being one of the most attractive destination for Chinese tourism. Local Tibetan film‑maker Dorje Tsering’s special eye tells about today’s nomadic life around the lake, including flashbacks on the past with unique archive images. [producers]
A very insightful documentary film about the conditions of a group of Tibetan former nomads living on Lake Kokonor, in Amdo/Qinghai. Filmed between 2005‑2008, it vividly describes how the current Chinese government policies result in negative consequences for Tibetans and how they increase ethnic tensions between Tibetans and Han. [Grunfeld]
Film‑maker is a lecturer at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris. 2005. 53 minutes. Available in French and English. Available at: http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch‑online/festival/play/4774/Kokonor
410. “Kong Fansen”
Directed by: Chen Guoxing Wang Ping
Kong Fansen (1944‑1994) spent two periods working in Tibet; from 1979 to 1981 and from 1988 to 1994. During his time there Kong made major contributions to the reconstruction and development of Tibet and formed close ties with the Tibetan people. In November 1994 he was killed in a traffic accident.
Conditions on the Tibetan Plateau are harsh, but Kong Fansen never thought about himself. He lived a simple life, was renowned for his honesty and never using his official position for personal gain. On the contrary, he often spent his own meager salary to help Tibetan orphans or buy medicine for the sick.
In 1988, Kong was appointed deputy mayor of Lhasa. While in Lhasa, he systematically visited all the public schools in the area. After being appointed Communist Party Secretary of the Ngari Prefecture in 1992, he became even busier with Party and government work, carrying out investigations and visiting local people across Tibet. Kong’s exemplary efforts to promote development won him the affection and respect of the Tibetan people, and he was singled out as a model for leaders and government functionaries across China. [producers]
In Chinese 1995.1 hour 53 minutes
411. “Kundun”
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Written by Melissa Mathison. Music by Philip Glass
Disney Productions, Touchstone Pictures
A major Hollywood production by one of America’s most talented directors using amateur Tibetan actors. Writer Mathison (screenwriter of, among other films, “E.T.”) was married to Harrison Ford at the time. The title is from the Dalai lama’s childhood nickname and the film is about his life from the time he s discovered at age 2 until he flees into exile in 1959. The Dalai Lama has said, “I have read Melissa Mathison’s script. It is very good, it is very moving. Those people have been very supportive and sympathetic.” Opened December 25, 1997 to generally mixed reviews. The ten or so that I read all praise the cinematography and Scorsese’s film‑making. They all allude to Scorsese’s previous religious‑based films, particularly “The Last Temptation of Christ.” Reviewers seem less interested in the subject matter, many calling it “boring.” The New York Times called it “high‑minded..[but] Kundun doesn’t really have characters (the boys’ family, tutors and advisers are stick figures and Mao is a cartoon) and its history is sketchy…Mr. Scorsese has made a film that is as much a prayer as it is a movie.” (24 December 1997)
128 minutes.
412. “Kun lun tie qi” (Steel Cavalry on Kunlun Mountain)
Director: Yuan Naichen “
In 1950, after the liberation of Northwest China, defeated Nationalist army troops try to escape to Tibet along with local gangsters, in the hope of continuing their resistance in the rugged Kunlun Mountains, a natural fortress. Lei Jie leads a PLA cavalry company that pursues them. After Lei Jie sends platoon leader Weitaff officer Zhang to scout the enemy, Wei is captured but later is rescued by some Tibetan hunters. When the forces battle each other, infighting among the Nationalists and gangsters results in heavy losses. Finally, the PLA cavalry crosses the mountains and wipes out the enemy.” [producers]
1960. Chungchun and Xian Film Studios
413. “Kyabje Zong Rinpoche: Tribute to a Master Practitioner, 1904‑1984”
Tribute covering the UK tour of 1984 and showing Rinpoche at his home in South India and his cremation in India.
Meridian Trust, approx. 60 minutes.
414. “Kyema Lamnor ghi Kyo Dhung”
Directed by Samten Dhondup
Kyema ‑ The Agony of Wrong Path is an interesting Tibetan film about tuberculosis infection, protection, treatment and substance abuses among younger generation Tibetans in exile. The film is produced by Dharamsala based Tibetan Exile Govt.’s Department of Health in association with Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts. It is directed by debutant filmmaker Samten Dhondup, a respectable arts instructor at TIPA. Tenzin Woebum who already appeared in some of the more recently Tibetan films and Tenzin Donsel, one of the many talented artistes of the institute appear in the film as the leading pair. [by Tashi Wangchuk in Phayul, 23 January 23, 2012].
2001. 81 minutes. In Tibetan. See the entire film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wqkaC8hAiQ
415. “Kyimolung: A Hidden Valley in the Himalaya”
American film directed by Brian Hofstetter and Fred Lane.
1990. 43 minutes.
416. “La Furia del Hombre Lobo” (The Fury of the Wolfman)
Director: José MarÍa Zabalza
A neurologist while in Tibet is lost in a tempestuous storm, bitten by a strange creature and only survives due to the kindness of some sherpas who proceed to tell him that he is now a werewolf. Panic stricken; he contacts his girlfriend who agrees to help him only to use him to kill his new wife when he transforms.
Spain. 1972. 90 minutes
417. “La lampe au beurre de yak” (Butter Lamp)
Director: Hu Wei
Starting from a very popular practice in China the family photoshoot Butter Lamp shows us groups of Tibetan nomadic families posing for an itinerant photographer and his assistant in front of absurd and symbolic backgrounds: The Forbidden City with the giant picture of Mao, the Chinese Great Wall, the Beijing Olympic Stadium, Disneyland, the Potala Palace in Lhasa, an Hawaiian beach. All the action takes place in front of a fixed camera, but when the last backdrop is pulled up, the camera changes focus for the first time and reveals the true background which is also the true location of the set. We wont spoil the surprise, but it is a very powerful image that well‑expresses the theme of this witty experimental documentary. Apart from being a reflection on the reality and (its) representation, Butter Lamp offers in fact an insightful and delicate comment on the effects of globalization and technology, and on abusive assimilation of Tibetan culture by the Chinese and the Western world, where the Tibetans are forced to fight from a peripheral position to preserve their identity.
http://www.goodshortfilms.it/en/exclusive/la‑lampe‑au‑beurre‑de‑yak‑butter‑lamp
2013 Chinese-French. In Tibetan. 16 mins
418. “La prisonnire de Lhassa” (The Prisoner of Lhasa)
A film by Marie Louville that was shown at a film festival in Brussels in 2006.
Contact BUREAU DU TIBET, 84 bd Adolphe Pinard, 75014 PARISTel. 0146565453 Fax 01465608 http://www.tibet.net
419.”Ladakh: In Harmony with the Spirit”
“A portrait of a Tantric Buddhist Shangri‑la‑‑part documentary and part re‑enactment, that suggests what rural life neighboring Tibet would be like without Chinese occupation. Nestled high in the Himalaya, Ladakh has been isolated from the pressures of the modern world until the mid‑seventies and retains centuries‑old customs and costumes. To live amongst the energies of gods demons, the villagers rely on both Geshes‑‑a scholarly monk, and the shaman‑‑a religious hermit”. [Mystic]
Mystic Fire Video, 86 minutes, US$29.95.
420. “Ladakh. Kingdom in The Clouds”
(I saw this film listed in the newspaper scheduled for a program called “Nature” on PBS. However, at the allotted time it wasn’t on, so I don’t have any information about it. [Grunfeld])
421. “Ladakh ‑ Land of High Passes”
By Peter Weinert & Hessischer Rundfunk, cameraman, JÜrgen Volz.
“Two hazardous expeditions, one in summer and one in winter, were undertaken to shoot this film in Ladakh and Zanskar. In the legendary Buddhist monastery of Lingshed in Zanskar, at a height of 4000 metres (13000 ft.), a Hessischer Rundfunk team successfully managed to film the creation of a sand mandala from beginning to end. Actually being able to produce such a unique Buddhist sacred object demands many many years of induction on the part of the monks involved…This film on the artistic and cultural history of the province of Ladakh and the Zanskar district of the Indian State of Jammu‑Kashmir, demonstrates the ascetic but fulfilled life of monks and peasants in a remote area of the Tran Himalayas. At the same time the film attempts to provide a sensitive introduction to the intricacies of Tibetan Buddhism.” [producers]
53 min.
422. “Lakha: A Tibetan Lama”
Produced by Majo Film
Documentary about the life of Lakha Lama from recognition at age 4, enthronement at age 5 in Batang, East Tibet. Through life until exile in India. On way to Finland he was forced by weather to wait in Copenhagen and had dreams of staying in Denmark. He married Danish woman and had children. Films follows his return to Batang after 40 years.
Meridian Trust. 45 minutes. US$52.50.
423. “Lama mani (bhuchea)”
Lama Mani is a traditional Tibetan story‑teller who goes from place to place with a small shrine and a set of large thangkas (traditional Tibetan painted scrolls)
10 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TDf5YL0BOY
424. “Land of the Snowy Mountains”
American animated film directed by Bernard Palacios. 1990. 10 minutes.
425.* “Larry King Live”
CNN, Atlanta, Georgia
CNN program shown 22 April 1997. First 30 minutes with the Dalai Lama and last half‑hour with Richard Gere and Congressman Tom Lantos. Usual Larry King superficial questions such as “what is it like to lead a celibate life? [Grunfeld]
60 minutes with commercials, about 50 minutes without.
426.* “Larry King Live”
CNN, Atlanta, Georgia
CNN program shown on 31 December 1999. Approximately 11 minutes with the Dalai Lama interspersed with commercials, promos, etc. The Dalai Lama was in Sarnath, India and King had no idea where that was. The audio connection was bad. King, with his usual moronic and inane questions, thought the Dalai Lama was Muslim. The Dalai Lama’s responses were equally inane. [Grunfeld]
427.* “Larry King Live”
CNN, Atlanta, Georgia
CNN program shown on 11 September 2005. The Dalai Lama was one of several guests discussing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how religion explains such catastrophes. The Dalai Lama blamed the victims (their karma) and our abuse of the environment. Otherwise it was the usual vacuous dialogue. At least this time he knew that the Dalai Lama was a Buddhist. [Grunfeld]
428. “Le Prince du tibet”
Director: De Wellson Chin
Hong Kong martial arts. 1h 25min
429. “Less Blessed: Anyemaqen, Glaciers and the Yellow River”
“The Yellow River, also known as “China’s Sorrow,” often doesn’t reach the sea. Once the source of devastating floods that plagued generations of Chinese, the river is now running dry. In response, the Chinese government is replumbing the country to bring water from the wet south to the arid north.
As the Chinese saying goes, “when you drink the water, think about its source.” The signs of water scarcity in the Yellow watershed can be traced all the way to its headwaters in Qinghai, the meltwater of glaciers on the slopes of the sacred spirit mountain Anyemaqen (Ah‑nyi MAH‑chin).
The warming climate has put enormous extra pressure on this corner of the Tibetan Plateau, threatening to make unsustainable the traditional Tibetan way of life. Continued warming holds grave implications for hundreds of millions of people across the lower altitudes of northern China whose livelihoods depend on the Yellow’s water.
Across western China deserts are growing, ranches are degrading and nomads are searching farther and farther afield for good grass. On Mt. Anyemaqen, glaciers and pastures are showing signs of stress, and the melting flows that have given rise to the world’s largest civilization are in danger. Alarms are sounding not only for the whole Yellow River, but also for the other major river systems in Asia, all of which are born on the Himalayan plateau, and upon which almost a third of humanity depend.” [producers]
This video is the second in the “Tibetan Plateau in Peril” series
http://sites.asiasociety.org/chinagreen/less‑blessed/
430. “L’evasion du Dalai Lama” (The Escape of the Dalai Lama)
A film by Marie Louville shown at a film festival in Brussels in 2006.
“Le 17 mars 1959, le Dalai‑Lama se rÉsout quitter son pays. Lexode sest effectuÉ en plein hiver pied, cheval et dos de yack. Le 31 mars, aprs quinze jours de voyage, le Dala‑Lama arrive en Inde, accueilli bras ouverts par Nehru. Mao aurait dÉclarÉ ce jour l : “nous avons perdu le Tibet”. Ce film est lhistoire de ce dernier voyage racontÉ par le Dala‑Lama lui‑mme et les survivants de cette Époque, sur des images tournÉes clandestinement au Tibet lautomne 98 par Marie Louville qui a refait le voyage.Ce film sera suivi de trois documentaires de six minutes : Les enfants aveugles de Lhassa, ProstituÉes Lhassa et LÉcriture tibÉtaine ou Lhistoire de Dolma .” [producers]
Translation: “On March 17, 1959, the Dalai Lama decided to leave his country. The exodus took place in the middle of winter on foot, horse and back of a yak. On March 31, after a fortnight of travel, the Dala Lama arrived in India, welcomed with open arms by Nehru. Mao is said to have said on that day: “We have lost Tibet.” This film is the story of this last voyage, told by the Dala Lama himself and the survivors of that time, in images shot clandestinely in Tibet in the fall of 1998 by Mary Louville who made the trip again. This film will be followed by three six-minute documentaries: The Blind Children of Lhassa, Prostitutes Lhassa and Tibetan Scripture or The History of Dolma. “
Contact BUREAU DU TIBET, 84 bd Adolphe Pinard, 75014 PARISTel. 0146565453 Fax 0146560818. http://www.tibet.net
331. “Lhamo and Skalbe”
Directed by Sonthar Gyal
“Lhamo and Skalbe fail to register their marriage because Skalbe is already engaged in a legal conjugal relationship. Skalbe embarks on a journey to search for his so-called ex-wife Tsoyag, only to find with surprise that the girl had renunciate her secular life already when she broke the promise four years ago. Tsoyag’s identity causes great difficulty to Skalbe. Meanwhile, Lhamo acts estranged and confusing. She is busy with the rehearsal of Tibetan opera, Epic of King Gesar, representing the heroine protagonist Atak Lhamo who fell into hell sinfully. A buried secret brings her fear to the character and anxiety of marriage.”
Tibet. Tibetan with English Subtitles. 2019. 110 mins
432. “Lhasa Riot Documentary”
Chinese TV/CCTV‑9A documentary made up of film clips from the events in Lhasa in March 2008. Expresses the official Chinese government positions.
2008. 15 minutes. Accessible at http://english.sina.com/china/1/2008/0321/151336.html
433. “Lhasa Wangshi” (Lha sa’i da sor gtam rgyud, “The Tale of Lhasa’s Past”)
Written by Huang Zhilung, Zhen Lu and Wang Zhangbo.
Twenty-episode TV drama based on the novel by Yangdron which was a fictionalized account of the Lungshar affair. The novel is entitled Wu xingbie de shen (“God Without Gender,” in Tibetan:phrul kun dzoms kyi lha)
Chinese Central TV and Tibet TV, 2001. Robbie Barnett collection.
434. “Lhasa 1986: The Forbidden City Opens Its Doors”
Includes scenes shot at the Potala, the Jokhang, Gyurme Tantric College, and at a sky burial site near Sera monastery.
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes.
435. “Life, Death, Dreams and Meditation: Bardo teachings of Tibetan Buddhism”
By Ven. Lama Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche”
The six bardos include this life, the moment of death, the dawning of true reality, the passing towards rebirth, dreaming and meditation. These experiences are filled with the potential for confusion, bewilderment and unskillfulness, as well as for realizing profound wisdom and all embracing compassion.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 115 minutes.
436. “Life in Relation to Death”
By Lama Chogdud Tulku Rinpoche
“Death is life’s most overwhelming event. How we meet it ‑terrified and helpless, or with confidence and spiritual mastery ‑ is within our power. Rinpoche’s insights into the psychology and physiology of dying and the transition of death are a valuable aid for understanding ourselves and becoming more effective when working with others.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 2 hours.
437. “Life in Tibet: Past and Present”
Chinese film made in the 1950s.
438. “Life in the Tibetan Community in Dharamsala”
Tibet Foundation Films, edited by Tenzing Sonam.
This hill station in the Himalayan foothills is home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government‑in‑Exile. India, 1985.
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes.
439. “Life of Tsogyal”
by Bardor Tulku “Yeshe Tsogyal, the disciple and consort of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), played a crucial role in the introduction and propagation of the Buddhist teachings in Tibet. The early period in her life was marked by hardship and suffering. After she met Guru Rinpoche, she studied and practiced diligently under his guidance, and eventually reached realization. Later on, she herself became a teacher.Yeshe Tsogyal was also the main compiler of his teachings, and it was she who concealed most of his termas (tantric treasures, to be discovered later). This rich, 4‑disc teaching on her life by Bardor Tulku, sponsored by KTD in Woodstock, was made at the request of HH 16th Karmapa.” [producers]
5‑hour, 4‑DVD set. Snow Lion. US$ 34.95
440. “Life of Yeshe Tsogyal”
by Bardor Tulku
“Yeshe Tsogyal, the disciple and consort of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), played a crucial role in the introduction and propagation of the Buddhist teachings in Tibet. The early period in her life was marked by hardship and suffering. After she met Guru Rinpoche, she studied and practiced diligently under his guidance, and eventually reached realization. Later on, she herself became a teacher…This rich, 4‑disc teaching on her life by Bardor Tulku, sponsored by KTD in Woodstock, was made at the request of HH 16th Karmapa.” [producers]
Disc 1 (approx. 65 minutes), Disc 2 (approx. 78 minutes), Disc 3 (approx. 92 minutes), Disc 4 (approx. 56 minutes). US$34.95. Snow Lion.
441. “Liquid Tara”
By Jo Andres
Liquid Tara is a meditation on many faces of The Divine Feminine. 8 min, sound score by Hahn Rowe. Ethereal & earthy, Liquid Tara undulates in watery images of Icons and Symbols of The Divine Feminine, dissolving one to the other. Destruction by fire; resurrection to light: ever‑changing cycles. Actor Ione is: Green Tara of Enlightened Activity White Tara of Compassion & Healing Vasudhara of Abundance Mahakali, the Destroyer From the director of the award‑winning Black Kites. [producers]
9 minutes. Video. 2012
442.* “Little Buddha”
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, 1993
A big budget Hollywood movie about a boy in Seattle who is identified as a high‑ranking reincarnation and goes to Bhutan to fulfill his fate. Starring Keanu Reeve, Chris Isaak, Bridgit Fonda and Wang Ruoshang. The New York Times called it a “grand, gorgeous folly.” [Grunfeld]
150 minutes.
443.* “Little Monk”
Shut Up Kids ProductionsWritten and directed by Chaille Stovall
“…Chaille decided to travel to India ‑ and see for himself what becoming a monk is all about…In Little Monk, 15‑year‑old Chaille ‑ who interviewed the Dalai Lama in his 1999 film Looking 4 God …travels all the way to India to meet with several exiled monks, including the 16‑year‑old Karmapa Lama, a Tibetan “high lama” and escapee from China. He then visits a six‑year‑old child (nicknamed “Little Potato”) in southern India as he leaves his father, mother and sister and enters the Drepung Gomang monastery, where he’ll live his entire life as a monk.” [producers]
30 minutes. HBO Family
444. “Little Tibet”
Directors: Nawang N. Anja‑Tsang, Joseph Brett
One man’s journey into Ladakh, in search of his culture. Sonam is about to go on a journey to one of the highest places on earth. As a Tibetan who can no longer return to his own country, Sonam is in search of Tibet outside of Tibet. Could Ladakh be that place?
Ladakh, in the northern most part of India, is often known as Little Tibet. It borders Tibet and shares much of its culture, language and landscape. Here, in this remote, high altitude land, Sonam finds the beauty of his culture both preserved and living.
In 2010 Sonam had the idea to make a documentary about Ladakh in the form of a personal road trip, searching for the rich and beautiful Tibetan traditions which still survive in this remote and fascinating area, but which are denied him through being unable to return to his own homeland. [producers]
Documentary. Tibetan with English subtitles. UK. 90 minutes. 2011
445. “Little Tibet 2”
Directored by Nawang N. Anja‑Tsang
[This film]… is a moving follow‑up to Little Tibet where Sonam, a young Tibetan man living in the UK, went to Ladakh in search of the culture and traditions of his homeland, occupied Tibet.
In Little Tibet 2, Sonam retraces his father’s footsteps through Nepal to Mustang, where the Tibetan way of life still persists. He encounters a myriad of people including nuns educating Tibetan children, a nomadic family struggling to live on the land and Tibetan women learning to restore monastic paintings over 500 years old. Sonam also meets the King of Mustang, and gains a unique insight into the life of a Yogi who teaches traditional values to youngsters attracted to the bright lights of modern society.
Sonam’s journey concludes as he confronts his father’s past as a guerilla fighter, who in the 1960s and 70s fought in vain against the Chinese Army. With beautiful vistas and intimate encounters Little Tibet 2 provides a rare insight into a culture and people that live on the edge of extinction. [producers]
Documentary. Tibetan with English subtitles. UK. 90 minutes. 2014.
446. “Living Buddhas” (originally, Lebende Buddhas”)
Director: Paul Wegener
Two scientists get entangled in the theft of a Holy Tibetan document, a Sutra. As they rescue a Tibetan girl, one is apprehended and the other recovers the Sutra.
1925.
447. “Lo Sum Choe Sum”
Directed by Dechen Roder
“The traditional “3 Year, 3 Month Retreat” or “Lo-Sum-Choe-Sum” is practiced by Buddhist monks, nuns and other devout practitioners. 3 years, 3 months, and 3 days is calculated as the time needed to achieve a higher state of clarity and motivation. By cutting oneself off from the world, and delving into the inner mind, the retreat is supposed to transform the practitioner. Can Lhamo, a young, wounded girl facing the harsh gaze of the world, find her own form of retreat and redemption?” [producers]
2015. Bhutan. Dzongkha with English Subtitles
448. “Lojong: Transforming the Mind”
By H. H. the Dalai Lama
“The Eight Verses on Transforming the Mind is one of the Dalai Lama’s main sources of inspiration.” [producers]
Four tapes ‑ boxed set, 5.5 hours, US$108.00, Snow Lion
449. “Looking for Drimed Kunden”
Directed by Padam Tseten
In Chinese. 2009.
450. “Lord of the Dance: Destroyer of Illusion”
(Also called, Destroyer of the Illusion: The secret World of a Tibetan Lama)
French, Swiss, German film. Internationally acclaimed film taking us to two Buddhist monasteries in the Mount Everest region of Nepal, focusing on the Mani Rimduritual conducted by Trulshig Rinpoche.
1985. Wisdom Films, 113 minutes. color. US$44.00. Also Meridian Trust.
451.* “Lost Horizon”
Columbia Pictures. Directed by Frank Capra, 1937. Screen Play by Robert Riskin
Starring Ronald Coleman, Jane Wyatt, John Howard, Sam Jaffe, Edward Everett Horton
The film most connected in the Western popular imagination with Tibet. The film from where the word “Shangri‑la” comes from. Based on the prize winning 1933 book by James Hilton about a group of British and American citizens fleeing chaos in China and crashing in the Himalayas where they find an idyllic society where the weather is always balmy and where no one grows old. A wonderfully acted fantasy which became very popular in the midst of the Depression. [Grunfeld]
90 minutes.
452.* “Lost Horizon”
Columbia Pictures. Produced by Ross Hunter. Directed by Charles Jarrott
A 1973 big‑budget Hollywood remake of the 1937 Capra film. With an all‑star cast starring Liv Ullman, Peter Finch, Michael York, George Kennedy, Sally Kellerman, Charles Boyer (as the “high lama”) and Sir John Gielgud (as “Chang”).
Only this time they added music by Hal David and Burt Bacharach.
The first half hour copies the earlier production: innocent Westerners fleeing from Asian hordes (this time the hordes are Indian rather than Chinese). The racist undertones were replicated, sadly. And this time “Shangri‑la” is less like “Tibet” and more like Bali. After the first half hour the singing begins. The script is melodramatic beyond reason, the acting is wooden, the sets are obviously cardboard (like the Star Trek TV series) and the music is forgettable. Dreadful would be a kind description. A strong candidate for one of the worst ten Hollywood films of the 20th century. [Grunfeld]
2 hours, 23 minutes, 1973.
453* “Lost Horizons”
Produced by Rudy Bednar.
ABC‑TV presentation on “Primetime Live,” 11 July 1991. Reported by John Quinones. A very slick piece of ant‑Chinese propaganda with mis‑represented films and disingenuous narration. [Grunfeld]
Approx. 15 minutes.
454. “Lost Treasures of Tibet”
Film produced by ScienCentral Inc. in association with NOVA/WGBH Boston. Written and produced by Orrin Schonfeld.
“In “Lost Treasures of Tibet,” NOVA goes behind the scenes with the first conservation team from the West, as it undertakes the painstaking restoration of these ancient masterpieces and the beautiful monasteries that house them.
Located in present‑day Nepal, Mustang contains some of the last remaining relics of an almost vanished world of ancient Buddhist culture. Across the border in Tibet, Chinese occupiers have destroyed thousands of monasteries since taking control of the country in 1950. Therefore, the survival of Mustang’s monasteries or gompas is more important than ever. But preservation is extremely difficult because of the centuries of neglect, weather, and earthquakes that have brought many buildings to the brink of collapse. Inside, their exquisite murals are in a near‑ruined state. In the course of their restoration work, conservators from the West come face‑to‑face with a thorny problem of culture clash: local people want missing sections of the murals completed. Westerners are aghast at the idea, but their hosts are equally shocked at the thought of worshiping unfinished deities. The program follows the struggle of an international team headed by British conservationist John Sanday to restore the greatest gompa of all ‑‑ Thubchen, the royal monastery in Mustang’s capital of Lo Monthang.” [producers]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tibet
Watch it at: http://snagfilms.com/films/title/nova_lost_treasures_of_tibet/
455. “Love Story”
A documentary by Pema Tseden (Wanma Caidan) who was born in Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai province and studied at the Beijing Film Academy.
2005
456. “Lowell Thomas: Tibet Lecture”
1944. 16mm. http://tibetfilmarchive.org
457. “Lung Ta: The Forgotten Tibet”
Marie Jaoul de Poncheville/ Franz‑Christoph Gierke/France/1990
“A response to contemporary Tibet, Lung Ta captures the beauty of the country and its fragile condition. A hit in France. Lung Ta is a highly personal and moving depiction of the country, its culture and people. Narrated by Richard Gere.” [producers]
86 minutes.
458. “Magic Mountain”
Geoff Dunlop, Sylvia van Kleef & Thomas Kelly”This documentary is about a group of pilgrims on a journey to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site to four religions: Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and the Bonpo people who now live in Nepal. The story concentrates on a small group of people from Humla, Nepal on their journey across the Himalayas, focusing on the personal motives of the pilgrims, the stories they tell each other on the journey and the religious and cultural ceremonies they attend.
A Bonpo shaman, a Hindu Dhami and Agu, the wise old Buddhist, bring out the contrasts and similarities between the communities and belief systems of Humla. What motivates their journeys, personally, spiritually and communally? What is the relationship between the empowerment they seek and the ability to perform their functions within the community?” [producers]60 min.
459. “Magpa” (and four other short dramas),
Chinese TV production of Tibetan short social dramas. Tibetan crews, Tibetan writers.
Robbie Barnett collection.
460. “Mahamudra”
By Kalu Rinpoche
“As the highest goal and practice of the Kagyu tradition, Mahamudra is a teaching on Sunyata (voidness) which leads to the realization of the Dharmakaya or Primordial Mind. In 1986, the Venerable Kalu Rinpoche gave his lecture in San Francisco. This was the last teaching of Kalu Rinpoche that was filmed.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion. US$29.95.
461. “Mahamudra: The Path of Simplicity“
By the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
“How can we experience the nature of our mind? Rinpoche‑‑well‑known for his ability to connect deeply with Westerners‑‑provides teachings and methods for resting in the present, analyzing the mind, and bringing the practice into post‑meditation periods. Rinpoche, a foremost scholar, is fluent in English and well‑known for his humor and the lucidity of his teaching style. ” [producers]3
DVD set. US$60.00. Snow Lion.
462. “Making the Karma Pakshi Tormas”
With Lama Tashi Dhondrup”Tormas are an integral part of many Vajrayana practices…Lama Tashi…demonstrates step‑by‑step how to make an entire set of Karma Pakshi tormas according to the Tsurphu torma tradition…” [producers]
Snow Lion, 67 minutes, video, US$29.85
463. “Making Sense of Life and Death”
Film by Chagdud Khadro
“Chagdud Khadro teaches that living with the awareness of our inevitable death is a powerful tool for discovering our true nature. It can motivate us to live lives of virtue and meditation, creating the conditions conducive to spiritual development both in this life as well as in future lives. Accomplished practitioners, in preparing for the transformation at death, can achieve enlightened realization.
She also guides the viewer through practical considerations of dying and gives indispensable advice for dealing with grief, and the importance of allowing a dying person the psychological space to die.” [producers]
60 minutes. Snow Lion.
464. “Making the Karma Pakshi Tormas”
With Lama Tashi Dhondrup
“Tormas are an integral part of many Vajrayana practices. They can be simple and perishable or elaborate and permanent works of art. Lama Tash Dhondrup demonstrates step‑by‑step how to make an entire set of Karma Pakshi tormas according to the Tsurphu torma tradition‑‑and offers a rare glimpse of a master torma maker at work.” [producers]
67 minutes. video. US$ 29.95. Snow Lion.
465. “Man Alive: Wheel of Rebirth”
Canadian film directed by David Cherniak in 1989. 30 minutes.
466. “Man From a Missing Land”
Produced and directed by the United State Information Agency (and the Central Intelligence Agency?) 1971.
“Made in Switzerland with the help of Tibetan refugees, it portrays the Chinese Communist take‑over of Tibet, ending in the 1959 ‘flight to freedom’ of the youthful god‑king, the Dalai Lama.” Steve Weissman, “Last Tangle in Tibet.” Pacific Research and World Empire Telegram, 4:5 (July‑August 1973): 1‑18.
Film was never released due to President Richard Nixon’s planned visit to Beijing which resulted in all anti‑Chinese propaganda being shelved.
16 mm and 35 mm, color, 13 minutes.
Available from the National Archives; Motion Picture, Sound and Video Branch, College Park, MD (301) 713‑7060; Fax: (301) 713‑6904.
467. “Mandala: The Sacred Circle of Vajrabhairava”
Featuring monks of Namgyal Monastery; written and produced by Dan Cozort & Lonna Malmsheimer.”This is a fascinating look at the creation and profound inner meaning of the world’s richest religious symbol, the Buddhist mandala…This ground‑breaking video was shot during the construction of the colored sand mandala of the Buddha Vajrabhairava (the Diamond Terrifier) by Tibetan monks…” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 55-minute video, US$29.95. Also, Mystic Fire Video.
468. “Mandala: World of the Mystic Circle”
Produced by Martin McGee and Cathy Steffan.
“Mandala: World of the Mystic Circle fully captures all creation and ceremonial dismantling of the sacred Kalachakra sand mandala by four Tibetan monks of the Namgyal Monastery during August 1991 at the Buffalo Museum of Science, following the process from his first chalk lines drawn to the final ritual pouring of the sand into the river at Niagara fall.” “Interviews provide the viewer with a fuller understanding of the diverse physical and metaphysical structures and meanings associated with mandalas.” [producers]
50 minutes, color.
469. “Masters of the Roof of the World”
Chinese made film presenting their view of the Tibetan situation and which includes Ngabo Ngawang Jigme describing Tibetan feudalism. [Grunfeld]
30 minutes, English narration.
470. “May No Others Suffer Like This”
Directed by Henry Fletcher
“Under Chinese Communist rule, Tibet’s Drapchi Prison has been home to unspeakable torture and maltreatment of its prisoners, among them Tibetan nuns and monks who served as “political prisoners” for their peaceful protests in the name of Tibetan freedom. In June of 1993, fourteen nuns secretly recorded themselves singing freedom songs and conveying personal messages, and then smuggled the tape out of the prison…the group became known as The Singing Nuns, or the Drapchi 14. This film documents the reunion of four of these remarkable women in London, England in March 2008, as they reconvened to perform and record the songs in a free democracy.” [producers]
20 minutes. 2009
471. “Medicine Man: Tibetan Medicine DVD”
by Susan Baumel of Voyage Productions
“This engaging documentary explores the modern use of Tibetan Medicine ‑ shows how Tibetan doctors in India and New York City use a combination of herbal remedies and Buddhist philosophy to successfully treat maladies from infertility to back pain.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 27 minutes, US$19.95
472. “Meditation: Bringing the Mind Home”
By Sogyal Rinpoche
“Sogyal Rinpoche introduces the practice of meditation and essentializes the entire practice in one phrase: ‘being spacious.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 90 minute video, US$24.95.
473. “Meditation Crystallized”
Produced by Irving and Ida Hartley. Explores the nature and function of Tibetan Buddhist art.
Hartley Film Foundation, 1993, 13 minutes, color, 16 mm.
474. “Meditation Crystallized: Lama Govinda on Tibetan Art”
Hartley Productions.Lama Govinda discuss Tibetan art.
1973. 15 minutes. English.
475. “Meditation for Beginners”
by Jack Kornfield
“This is a beginner’s course on insight meditation that helps generate calm and awaken to truth. Meditations include: awareness of breath, body sensations, thoughts and feelings; practice of forgiveness and loving‑kindness.” [producers]
90 minutes. US$19.95. Snow Lion.
476. “Meditation: Teachings on Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life”
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other teachers
“This eight‑DVD set was recorded during His Holiness, the Dalai Lama’s five‑day visit to Tucson, Arizona in September 2005, and includes both His Holiness’ teachings and the wide‑ranging discussions offered each evening by Western Buddhist teachers representing the main schools of Buddhism around the world.The DVDs present all three days of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings, including an excellent two‑hour introduction to Buddhism with highlights from the writings of Nagarjuna and the Nalanda masters on emptiness. Also featured is a clear discourse on the relationship between meditation and mortality, as well as the importance of generating compassion, and a well‑reasoned summary of both the need for compassion and how it serves oneself and others. The 12 hours of teaching also include a line‑by‑line explication of Chapter 8 (Meditation) of Shantideva’s, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, that serves to make these important teachings by His Holiness relevant to our daily lives.In addition, this eight‑DVD set includes the evening discussions featuring a diverse panel of guest teachers: Ven. Ajahn Amaro Bikkhu; Yvonne Rand; Joan Sutherland Roshi; John Tarrant Roshi; Lama Surya Das; Lama Palden Drolma; Sharon Salzberg; and Lopon Claude d’Estree. These lively discussions include a wide range of topics that offered ways to incorporate Buddhist thinking into our everyday experience.” [producers]
8 DVDs in 4 cases; 12 hrs. of teachings by His Holiness, plus others. Snow Lion. US$ 79.95
477. “Melong”
Directed, produced and starring Tenzin Sheshi Twenty‑six-year-old Tenzin Sheshi’s
“…first movie project where the entire production including acting, screen writing, financing were carried out by a team which are all Tibetan. The movie reflects the exile community of the Tibetans and dives deep into depicting the cries of the Tibetan youth and their struggle. .. The story revolves around a Tibetan youth and his struggles.” (TibetNet, 15 March, 2003)
60 minutes
478. “Meltdown in Tibet: a personal take on the politics of water in Tibet”
A film by Michael Buckley. Wild Yak Films
“Using undercover footage and stills, Meltdown in Tibet blows the lid off China’s huge and potentially catastrophic dam‑building projects in Tibet. The mighty rivers sourced in Tibet are lifelines to the people of India and Southeast Asia. These rivers are at great risk from rapidly receding glaciers‑‑a meltdown accelerated by climate change‑‑and from large‑scale damming and diversion, due to massive Chinese engineering projects. To make way for these hydropower projects and for mining ventures, Tibetan nomads are being forced off their traditional grassland habitat‑‑and resettled in bleak villages, where they cannot make a decent living.
The film raises some disturbing questions about a looming eco‑disaster. If Himalayan glaciers vanish, what will happen to the rivers of Tibet? What is the fate of people in nations downstream that depend on those rivers? Why is China building so many large dams on the Tibetan plateau? What on earth are China’s engineers getting up to?” [producers]
40 minutes. www.meltdown451@yahoo.com
479. “Menri Monastery”
Produced by Rosyln Dauber
“This unique look at an extraordinary world focuses on Menri Monastery in Himachel Pradesh, India, the relocated religious home of the Tibetan Bonpo. ..The 900‑year unbroken lineage of this monastery provides continuity to the refugee population…The film includes scenes of rarely preformed ceremonies as well as ritual chanting, worship with music, meditation, and fire offerings; historical footage also shows rituals preformed in Tibet.” [producers]
25 minutes, color, 1993. Available from University of California Extension, Center for Media and Independent Learning, e‑mail: cmil@uclink.berkeley.edu
480. “Message of the Tibetans”
by Arnaud Desjardins
“This is some of the most impressive footage we have seen. Filmed in the mid‑sixties in India, Sikkim and Bhutan by Arnaud Desjardins in consultation with Sonam Topgey Kazi, the senior interpreter to the Dalai Lama at that time. There are many of the older renowned masters shown here: H.H. the Dalai Lama, H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, H.H. Gyalwa Karmapa, H.H. Sakya Trizin, Dugpa Dukse Rinpoche, Chatral Rinpoche, the yogis Abo Rinpoche and Lopon Sonam Zangpo, H.E. Tai Situ Rinpoche and H.E. Shamar Rinpoche as young tulkus, as well as many other eminent masters! Each film is full of wonderful images of these lamas and monks performing rituals and meditations. There are unusual scenes of yogis performing preparatory meditation exercises.” [producers]
Part 1: Buddhism, 52 minutes. Part 2: Tantrism, 52 minutes. US$32.00. Snow Lion.
481. “Metse”
Directed by Sonam Wangdue
The film was financed by Lama Khube Rinpoche and is the maiden production by the Tibetan Arts and Film Production (TAFP). The script was written by Tenzin Gather. The film title translates as The Life in English and depicts the struggles of a Tibetan refugee family in India.
The film is devoid of the usual theme of the political challenges of Tibetan exiles, and focuses more on the down‑to‑earth portrayal of the life of Tibetan refugees in general, and in particular, two families who are involved through the marriage of their children.
Metse was released as a DVD in 2008 in the Bylakupee Tibetan settlement in 2008. In Tibetan.
482. “Milarepa”
Directed by Liliana Cavani
Italian movie about the life of Milarepa. Originally Ms. Cavani enlisted a Tibetan geshe living in Italy and planned to use Tibetans living in Switzerland as actors. The geshe agreed on the condition that the script be faithful to the biographies of Milarepa. However, the writers felt the need to be creative and the geshe pulled out. The Tibetans in Switzerland subsequently refused to work on the film as well. The story then changed to an Italian professor and his graduate student who was researching Milarepa. [Ramon Prats]
In Italian, 1974.
483. “Milarepa”
by Nyinmapa Tuku Sonam Rinpoch
“This quite wonderful feature film about Milarepas life was filmed in Tibet and released ‑ with slightly off‑kilter English subtitles ‑ in 2006. Entertaining, informative, and full of unusual characters, this film beautifully evokes the quality and texture of life I ancient Tibet.” [producers]
95 minutes, Snow Lion
484. “Milarepa”
Director: Sonam
“A delightful personal rendering of story of Tibet’s best known and most respected yogi‑poet Milarepa, made by a self‑taught director who wrote, set and edited the entire film himself, uysing amateur actors in a remote Tibetan village. As a young man Milarepa used sorcery to murder his aunt and uncle and seeks out a famous lama to submits his students to years of hardship before complete understanding can be achieved.” [producers]
2006. 95 minutes. Tibetan with English sub‑titles.
485. “Milarepa: Magician, Murdered, Saint”
By Neten Chokling
..his feature film, beautifully photographed in the stunning Lahual‑Spiti region of Northern India, depicts the true story of the youthful Milarepa. Covering his early years, this compelling story shows how and why he sets out to learn black magic, developing mystical powers. The movie is based on a true story, from centuries‑old oral traditions, of the early life of Milarepa, and how he is propelled into a world of sorrow and betrayal after his father’s sudden death. Destitute and hopeless, he seeks ways to exact revenge on his enemies, encountering magicians, demons, an enigmatic teacher and an unfolding world of mystical powers, along the way. But Milarepa’s true revelation comes when he is confronted with the consequences of his anger, which teach him the most. The film offers a provocative parallel to the cycle of violence and retribution we see consuming today’s world. Photographed in the Lahul‑Spiti region of Northern India.[producers]
Snow Lion. US$21.99
486. “Milarepa: Revenge” (also released under the title: “Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint,”)
Director: Neten Chokling Rinpoche
Producer: Raymond Steiner
Written by Neten Chokling & Tenzing Choyang Gyari
“Filmed on location in the remote and beautiful Spiti Valley on the Indo‑Tibetan border, Milarepa was shot on Super16 mm with a cast of non‑professional actors plucked from Tibetan communities around India. The crew of 108 consisted of a handful of professionals from Australia, India, and the United States and over 50 monks from Pema Ewam Choegar Gyurmeling Monastery in northern India. The monks made up most of the cast and crew, including the film’s star, the supporting cast, and even the unit manager and boom operator.
…The musical score, composed by Joel Diamond, consists of lyrics from The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa , sung by the enchanting and hypnotic voices of the film’s leading lady, Kelsang Chukie Tethong, and the Tibetan nun Ani Choying DrÖlma, whose recordings with Steve Tibbetts have brought her international acclaim.” [producers]
“Mr. Chokling, who also cowrote the film’s script, demonstrates a talent for clear and uncluttered storytelling, and “Milarepa” admirably walks the line between the ancient fable it’s based upon and the low‑budget exotic mass‑audience entertainment it aspires to be. Shooting on location on the Indian‑Tibetan frontier, Mr. Chokling and his director of photography, the National Geographic veteran Paul J. Warren, capture the heady scenery and intimate details of ancient Tibetan village life with the straightforward visual economy of a nature documentary.” [The New York Sun, 11 September 2007.]
2006, 96 minutes, Shining Moon Productions, P.O. Box 7185 / McLean, VA 22106, USA, Tel: +1.800.560.9004 / Fax: +1.703.734.5715, info@milarepamovie.com, www.milarepamovie.com
487. “Mind Beyond Death”
By Dzogchen Ponlop
“..Ponlop Rinpoche elaborates the six stages of bardo and teaches extensively on the natural bardo of this life…” [producers]
Five DVD set, Snow Lion
488. “Mind in Tibetan Buddhism”
“With Ole Nydahl. This Tibetan Buddhist master describes the mind as a pure, limitless field where our thoughts create visions which appear objective to us in sleep and death.”
30 min., Distributor: Facets Video, Purchase Price : US$29.95.
489. “Mindfulness”
By Ven. Tenzin Palmo
“How to stay in the moment and not run away mentally? How to discard excess “mind baggage” and wake up to the present moment? The benefits of mindfulness training on body and breath is discussed in these teachings held in Singapore. Wonderfully practical advice from popular author of Reflections on a Mountain Lake.” [producers]
60-minute video. US$28.00. Snow Lion.
490. “Mirage in New York”
Directed by Tashi Wangchuk
This film was Wangchuk’s graduate thesis for a masters program in media studies at SUNY‑Buffalo. “The fascinating story of a group of young Tibetans living in New York City and the inner struggle of it’s main character to come to grips with lost love and the mystical nature of existence and rebirth.” [producers; WTN, February 4, 2006].
491. “Miss Taken”
Director: Thupten Chakrishar
“Kunga takes a cab from Manhattan to his Brooklyn home. On the journey he and the cab driver strike up a conversation which will later change their lives.” [producers]
2009. 6 minutes.
492. “Miss Tibet . Beauty in Exile”
“MISS TIBET. BEAUTY IN EXILE is a documentary film about the making of Miss Tibet beauty pageant in India and the winning girl’s subsequent participation in the Miss Earth beauty pageant in the Philippines. The film portrays various behind the scene activities of the pageant’s organizer Lobsang Wangyal and it also features several notable Tibetan personalities expressing their views on the beauty pageant.” [producers]
http://www.tibetanfilms.com/documentaries.html
http://www.misstibetbeautyinexile.com
493. “Missing In Tibet”
Documentary Film. Winner: Jury Award, Telluride Mountain Film Festival, 1997 and Best Short Subject Cultural Awareness, International Humanitarian Awards, 1998.
Narrated by Goldie Hawn and Peter Coyote.
“After being awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study ethnomusicology at prestigious Middlebury College in Vermont, Ngawang Choephel’s research took him to his native Tibet. In the midst of this research he was arrested by the Chinese authorities and sentenced to 18 years in prison. What was “the offense?” He videotaped Tibetan children and elders singing and dancing their traditional songs. His life story is interwoven with actual footage he shot prior to his detention.” [producers]
Thirty minutes. Six minute version also available: Portrait of a Political Prisoner
Garthwait & Griffin Films, info@ggfilms.com, 815 15th Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025, office: 650.322.2520, fax: 650.322.2530.
494.* “Missing Soul Boy”
An And Daniel Production, Directed by Greg Cooke
This is a 5‑6 minute feature from a program called “Sightings” on the Sci‑Fi Channel. The program seems to be about the para‑normal, alien landings, etc. This feature is abou t the controversy over the new Panchen Lama(s) and includes an interview with journalist Alex Shoumatoff. There is talk about flying monks and monks who can “dematerialize in front of their enemies.” Full of historical inaccuracies. [Grunfeld]
Paramount TV (1‑800‑591‑3344)
495. “Mkha’ gnyam gshungs lam”(The Highway of Heaven)
Chinese TV
Chinese building the road to Tibet in the 1950s. Chinese writer, crew. 1995?
Robbie Barnett collection.
496. “Monk with a Camera”
Directors: Tina Mascara, Guido Santi
Nicholas Vreeland walked away from a worldly life of privilege to become a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Grandson of legendary Vogue editor, Diana Vreeland, and trained by Irving Penn to become a photographer, Nicholas’ life changed drastically upon meeting a Tibetan master, one of the teachers of the Dalai Lama. Soon thereafter, he gave up his glamorous life to live in a monastery in India, where he studied Buddhism for fourteen years. In an ironic twist of fate, Nicholas went back to photography to help his fellow monks rebuild their monastery. Recently, the Dalai Lama appointed Nicholas as Abbot of the monastery, making him the first Westerner in Tibetan Buddhist history, to attain such a highly regarded position. [producers]
2014. 90 min. Documentary. USA.
497. “Monlam Aspiration: The 20th Anniversary of the Kagyu Monlam Chenmo”
“This fascinating and well‑photographed DVD of the Kagyu Monlam, an international Buddhist prayer gathering for world peace in Bodhgaya, India, features footage of many great teachers, including H.H. the Karmapa and Dalai Lama, Thrangu Rinpoche, Bokar Rinpoche, and the reincarnation of Jamgon Kongtrul. Interesting details of the festival‑‑cooking, preparations, and so forth and interesting narration combine to help you feel like you’re really there.” [producers]
76 min. DVD. US$ 25.00. Snow Lion.
498. “Mountain Patrol: Kekexili”
Written and directed by Lu Chuan\Produced by Wang Zhongjun
“…story about the murderous cost we humans exact on the natural world. Based on depressingly true events, “Mountain Patrol: Kekexili” tracks the heroic efforts of a small group of Tibetans struggling to keep the Tibetan antelope, or chiru, from extinction. Although hunting the antelope was made illegal in the 1970′ ‑ you need to kill the animal to harvest its wool, which is turned into a rare commodity called shahtoosh ‑ the population dwindled precariously, beginning in the late 1980’s and early 90’s…[this] is as tough and unsparing as its backdrop, a blood‑boiling environmental thriller with a dash of Sergio Leone. Although the traffic in endangered wildlife gives the film its headline hook ‑ you need to kill three to five antelopes to make one shahtoosh shawl ‑ the story that briskly unfolds has as much to do with man’s inhumanity to man as to his fellow creatures. Which is why, given China’s historic and violent aggression against the Tibetan people, it’s hard not to read the film on several levels at once.” [New York Times, 14 April 2006]
“An epic story of white‑knuckle tension in a setting of harsh, unearthly beauty, it’s the kind of story Hemingway might have told if he’d made it to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.” [Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 18, 2006]
2006. In Mandarin and Tibetan, with English subtitles. 95 minutes.
499. “Mount Kailash: Return to Tibet”
by Tom Vendetti
“This beautiful film documents Grammy Award‑winning musician Paul Horn as he makes a return pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash…Also includes the original Journey Inside Tibet, hosted by kris Kristofferson and 5 bonus features.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 140 minutes, DVD, US$24.95
500. “Mukando – Mask of Desire”
Directored by Tsering Rhitar Sherpa
“Filmed in 1999 and released in 2000, MUKUNDO was a labor of love, much against the then existing norm of filmmaking in Nepal. In return, the film got rewarded in abundant measure by the media, film festivals and especially by the cast and crew with whom I have a loving lifelong friendship.
MUKUNDO then went on to be the first Nepali-language film by a Nepali director ever to be sent to the Oscars in 2000. MUKUNDO is also the first ever Nepali film to have an international co-production (NHK / Japan Broadcasting Corporation)…” [producers]
“The setting is the increasingly less visible ritual face of Kathmandu. Dipak (Ratan Subedi), boyishly handsome, in his mid 30s, a former football player in the army, works as a uniformed guard for a successful business. Saraswati (Gauri Malla), younger by two years, is a homely, virtuous woman, who adores her footballer husband. They live in a modest two-room apartment on the second floor of an old brick building with their two young girls, an ordinary, humble family, happy in most respects.
There is much anxiety over Saraswati’s imminent pregnancy. For, if there is one thing that life – or the gods – has not given them, it is a son. Not unusual for a family in their society, it is an unresolved thread in their otherwise contented lives. Dipak wants a son, Saraswati wants him to be happy – these are sometimes deep-seated, other times lurking, desires which, if realized, will make their lives that much better.
One day, while doing her usual prayers at the Shiva-lingam shrine, a sadhu mysteriously appears and tells her only the goddess Tripura at the small brick shrine by the riverbank can answer her prayers. Saraswati does so hesitantly, and when a son is born she begins to believe her prayers were responsible. The couple’s joy is short-lived, however, for a few weeks later, the infant dies, bringing in its wake sorrow, anger, and guilt.
The once-happy family begins to breaks down. Saraswati becomes intermittently ill and begins to experience bouts of depression. When she finally goes back to the goddess who she believes gave her a son, only to cause her greater sorrow, the same sadhu appears and suggests she get “treated” by the jhankrini who is the spirit medium of the Tripura goddess…” [Wikipedia]
Nepal. 138 Mins. Nepali with English subtitles.
501. “Muna Madan”
Director: Gyanendra Bahadur Deuja
…a short epic narrating the tragic story of Muna & Madan written by Nepalese poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota and one of the most popular works in Nepali literature. Just before his death in 1959 he made his famous statement, “It would be all right if all my works were burned, except for Muna Madan.” It is the most commercially successful Nepali book ever published.
Muna Madan is based on an 18th‑century ballad in Nepal Bhasa entitled Ji Waya La Lachhi Maduni (It hasn’t been a month since I came).The song, which is popular in Newar society, tells the story of a merchant from Kathmandu who leaves for Tibet on business leaving behind his newly wed bride. The wife is concerned for his safety as the journey to Tibet is filled with hardships, and she pleads with him not to go. But he leaves despite her protests. When he returns home after many years, he finds that she has died. [producers]
Nepali. 133 minutes.
502. “Mustang. A Kingdom on the Edge”
An Al‑Jazerra‑English documentary reported by Steve Chao and shown in October 2011.
503. “Mustang ‑ Journey of Transformation”
Produced and directed by Will Parrinello
“Narrated by Richard Gere, Mustang ‑ Journey of Transformation, tells the remarkable story of a Tibetan culture pulled back from the brink of extinction through the restoration of its most sacred sites…Although Mustang is culturally and ethnically Tibetan, politically it is part of Nepal…This starkly beautiful place is home to one of the last surviving repositories of Tibetan sacred art from the 15th century…Mustang ‑ Journey of Transformation is a tale of hope and rebirth told by the people who helped save the Forbidden Kingdom…features interviews with the Dalai Lama; the Raja of Mustang; Luigi Fieni…” [producers]
30 minutes.
504.* “Mustang: The Hidden Kingdom“
Directed by Tony Miller.
The voyage of Khamtruel Rinpoche from Dharamsala to Mustang as the official representative of the Dalai Lama. Narrated by Harrison Ford.
Discovery Productions and Intrepid Films, 1994. Approx. 80 minutes. Can be purchased from 1‑800‑993‑5577 for US$24.95.
505. “My Country Is Tibet”
Director: Namgyal Wangchuk Lhagyari Trichen”The 17‑year‑old exiled King of Tibet tells his rare, personal and timely story. Namgyal Wangchuk Trichen Lhagyari is the only living descendant of Songtsen Gampo, the first Dharma King of Tibet (617‑698 AD). Namgyal Wangchuk represents his long lineage after being coronated a Tibetan King by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in exile five years ago. He is part of a generation of young Tibetans struggling to retain their traditional culture in the face of persecution.” “By kids film mentor Dirk Simon worked with 16‑year‑old Namgyal Wangchuk Trichen Lhagyari…during spring 2008 to help him tell his emblematic story through film. Namgyal carries the unique responsibility of representing Tibet’s unbroken history and heritage. In addition to diving into the technical aspects of filming, which the young king learned quickly, Dirk and Namgyal looked closely at how to shape narrative story telling through image. Namgyal demonstrated a quick mastery of the craft of filmmaking, and conducted his interviews and narrated his footage in both Tibetan and English. He has narrated the film in English…[producers] 2009. 27 minutes. India
506. “My Husband Doesn’t Mind if I Disco”
Produced by Nina Egert, 1995
“In the Western media, Tibet is often portrayed as a land of disenfranchised mystics suffocating under the tyranny of Chinese communist rule. In reality, after 40 years of living under the political and economic changes introduced by the Chinese, most Tibetans have learned to negotiate their existence drawing from both traditional Tibetan values and the newer ideologies of the state. This compelling documentary explores the impact of this process of negotiation on the lives of the women of one community in eastern Tibet. The video examines the effects on the women of their exposure to feminism under the Maoists as well as the degree to which older cultural attitudes regarding gender relations remain in place.” [producers]
28 minutes, color (sale: video US$175/rental US$50) University of California Extension, Center for Media and Independent Learning, 200 Center Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 (E‑mail: cmil@uclink.berkeley.edu)
507. “My Life: East and West”
Interview by Geoff Jukes of Ven. Geshe Lhundrup Sopa who is a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he has established a department of Tibetan and Buddhist studies. Answers questions about his early training in Tibet and the changes he has seen in western Buddhism.
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes. US$35.00.
508. “My Life in Brief”
“The former Abbot of Drepung Monastery, the late Pema Gyaltsen Rinpoche, recounts events in his life, including his classic Buddhist education in Tibet, his escape into exile and subsequent responsibilities as the Abbot and main spiritual teacher of Drepung.” [producers] Translated by Ven Geshe Wangchen.
Meridian Trust. 45 minutes. 1984. US$26.25.
509. “My Lucky Flower” (Wode Gesang Meduo)
E’mei Film Studio, Movie Channel, Xiong Yu
History of romance among Chinese soldiers during the 1950 march into Tibet.
2002. Chinese and English. Robbie Barnett collection.
510.* “My Reincarnation”
By Jennifer Fox
“The feature length documentary, MY REINCARNATION, follows the renowned reincarnate Tibetan spiritual master, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, as he struggles to save his spiritual tradition, and his Italian born son, Yeshi, who stubbornly refuses to follow in his father’s footsteps.
When Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche escaped Tibet in 1959, he settled in Italy, where he married and had two children, of which Yeshi was the first. Yeshi was recognized as the reincarnation of Rinpoche’s uncle, a famous Dzogchen master, who died after the Chinese invaded Tibet. Yeshi grew up in Italy and never wanted to have anything to do with this legacy. He didn’t want to be a Teacher like his father, nor did he want to return to Tibet and the monastery of Rinpoche’s uncle, to meet the students waiting for him since his birth ‑ something that his father continually admonished him to do. Instead, he dreamed of a normal life, away from the hoards of devoted students that always surrounded his father.
Through intimate scenes we see a young man grow from 18 years old to 39 years old and maturity; and a father who begins the story in his 50 year‑old prime turns to 70 years and old age…” [producers]
100 minutes. 2010. English, Italian, and Tibetan with English subtitles. http://myreincarnationfilm.com
511. “My Son Tenzen”
My Son Tenzin is a story about an elderly Tibetan monk from Tibet who visits San Francisco Bay area to look for his long‑lost son, Tenzin. As luck would have it, the monk who doesnt speak and understand English meets a young Tibetan cab driver at the San Francisco International Airport. The driver then offers the monk a free ride to go to his sons place. But to their surprise, Tenzin had already moved out of the apartment a long time ago. The cab driver has no option other than keeping the monk at his residence for some time. Although many Tibetans live in the Bay area, no one seems to know much about Tenzin and his whereabouts. While finding Tenzin, they begin a memorable journey that will change the life of the monk and the young Tibetan cab driver forever [producers]
70 minutes. USA, 2016. English and Tibetan with English subtitles
512. “Mysterious Tibet” (To Lhasa in Disguise)
Travelogue based on visit to Tibet by a small American expedition in 1922. Released in 1924. Intended as a short film to encourage travelers to Tibet and follows the 4 Americans from India through Sikkim and Kalimpong to Gyantse. They all turn back except William Montgomery McGovern who claimed he managed to get to Lhasa in the disguise of a Buddhist pilgrim. There is some doubt about this.
For many years it was thought to be lost but apparently it was shown in the early 1990s at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, CA. The film now resides in the Northwest University Archives.
https://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/repositories/6/archival_objects/424829
33 minutes. 16 mm. 2 parts. USA
513.* “Mystery of the Tibetan Mummy”
Produced by Sarah Harvey. Directed by Wayne Derrick
University of Pennsylvania’s Professor Victor Mair sets out to explain the mystery of a Tibetan mummy who was not mummified. Using scientific instruments, Mair and his team travel to a small Tibetan village in northeast India, a few miles south of the Chinese border to run tests on the mummy. They find it is 500 years old and that he probably committed suicide through fasting, meditation and self‑strangulation in order to protect his village from some natural disaster. Fascinating tale marred by a sensationalist script, computer tricks and recreations. [Grunfeld]
Atlantic Productions for Discovery Channel, approx. 48 minutes.
514. “Mystic Mountain”
by Tsering Dhondup
I am Tsering Dhondup, writer and director of Mystic Mountain. I was born in Lhasa, Tibet, and fled to India with my father when I was ten years old. When we reached India, my father entrusted me to Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala, India, and he returned to Tibet. I currently live in the US as a translator of Buddhist teachings in San Jose, CA.
I’m making this film in order to help preserve the Tibetan language and enrich Tibetan oral storytelling by telling this story on the big screen. I selected an entire cast of Tibetan actors, and ensured that the Tibetan language spoken in the film achieved dialectic authenticity. Language is the foundation of culture, and for me this movie is a vehicle for keeping the Tibetan language alive among the Tibetan people in diaspora.
Mystic Mountain is a psychological thriller that takes place in a village tucked in the folds of the Himalayas. Tsewang, a young Tibetan warrior, is searching for his father’s dead body, which had disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Through his search, he finds himself entangled with Mikmar, a man who practices black magic and who can direct his consciousness into other bodies. [ http://www.mysticmountaintibetanfilm.com/new‑page ]
2015, Nepal/Tibet, 86min, In Tibetan with English subtitles.
515. “Mystic Tibet: An Outer, Inner and Secret Pilgrimage”
By Christina Lundberg
In this beautifully‑crafted film, we follow fifty pilgrims, traveling with Lama Zopa, as they travel to many holy places, including Milarepas cave, Tsipri and retung Monastery… [producers]
90 minutes, Snow Lion
516. “Mystic Vision, Sacred Art: The Tradition of Thangka Painting”
By Gurung, Raju Mani , and Anne Kaufman.
“This documentary provides an excellent introduction to the art of thangka, sacred Tibetan Buddhist painting in the Katmandu Valley of Nepal. Carefully filmed, it takes you through every step of the painting process of thangkas. It offers insight into the symbolic and religious meaning of thangkas and their importance for Tibetan Buddhist life. The artists in this documentary are Tibetan refugees as well as Tamangs who have devoted their lives to preserving this sacred tradition. Thangkas are the scrolled devotional paintings used in Tibetan Buddhist ritual practice. Their bright colors and flowing patterns may be familiar and appreciated by westerners. However, the opportunity to see where, how, and by whom they are made affects our perception and understanding of the place these works hold in the practice of Buddhism. This documentary provides detailed descriptions of technique, from the stretching and preparation of the painting surface, to the grinding of the pigments, to the drawing of the image and realization in brilliant colors. This program would be of interest to students of Buddhism, religion, art and Asian Studies.” 1996, 28 min., Documentary Educational Resources, Purchase:
Sale: US$145. Rental: US$40.
517. “Nadia Stepanova; Buryatian Shaman”
“Nadia Stepanova is a Buryatian shaman who is reviving the ritual ceremonies that for centuries have been part of the people. The Republic of Buryatia is often said to be the cradle of shamanism, which appeared at the dawn on civilization and was repressed by Stalin in the 1930s.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 30 minutes.
518. “Nagarjuna Art School”
Produced and directed by Ming Xue
“The film describes the building of a private Tibetan Thangka art school in Rebgong. Rebgong is located in the Amdo Tibetan region in northwestern China, and is well-known for its Tibetan Thangka art. Tibetan Thangka serves as important tool of teaching and meditation in Tibetan Buddhism. Currently, Tibetan Thangka painting is part of, and circulates within China’s national art market. However, the quality of the Thangka painting and the traditional way of Thangka learning have been challenged by the market economy. Choejor, the director of the Thangka art school, is experimenting revolutionary ideas by accepting female students and Han-ethinc students who were prohibited to learn Thangka in tradition, and has been exploring ways to make the transmission of Thangka art culturally and economically sustainable.” [producers]
2016. 23 minutes. China/USA
519. “Namkhai Norbu au Mont Kailash”
Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche walks around Mount Kalish with commentary in English.
10 minutes. Shang Shung Foundation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hd0hBPeF0o
520. “Nangchan Shorts”
A film by Bari Pearlman
… a series of three short films about life in remote, rural Tibet.
Ritual Objects explores three traditional Buddhist rituals via the implements that are used in them. A young nun shares the meaning and mechanics of the iconic Tibetan Prayer Wheel. The visit of a High Lama to their remote monastery prompts a group of nuns to prepare a customary welcoming Procession. And an old monk gently instructs one of the nuns on how to prepare the Torma for an intricate Tibetan Buddhist ceremony.
In Water, we watch a Tibetan woman as she collects water near her family’s yak farm, in a ritual that takes her an hour to complete.
In Tsampa we watch as a young nun quietly preparing tsampa in a traditional yak tent, and are treated to a brief lesson in how to make eating a mindful act. [producers]
2014.
521. “Natural Liberation Through Contemplating the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities”
By Yeshe Melong Video Productions
Padmasambhava explains how to turn ordinary circumstances into opportunities of enlightenment. He describes six life processes or bardos and teaches how to transform them…The prayers are recited from the book Natural Liberation: Padmasambhava’s Teaching’s on the Six Bardos.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 24 minutes, US$25.00. Also, Mystic Fire Video.
522. “Natural Meditation: An Ancient Tibetan Practice for Clearing the Mind and Opening to Effortless Being”
A film by Lama Srya Das
“In four sessions, Surya Das teaches dzogchen. There are skygazing practices, meditations, breathwork, chanting sessions, energy flow exercises.” [producers]
34 minutes, Snow Lion, US$19.95.
523. “Nepal: Land of Gods”
A film by Sheldon Rochlin, Mike Spera and Loren Standlee.
Commentary by John Reynolds.” Journey to Nepal and explore the ancient civilizations still thriving in this Himalayan kingdom, with its unique mixture of Buddhism and Hinduism. This video shows the ritual invocations of deities, meditation training for young Tibetan monks, and depicts belief in local spirits, mountain gods and folk figures (such as Yeti) in daily Sherpa life in the Everest region. It culminates in a dramatic evocation of a shaman’s journey through the landscape of the psyche. The narrative explains how lamas have taken over the shaman’s role as psychic healer and guide of souls, and how Tantra is an integral part of daily life, harmonizing the relationship between man, nature and a higher spiritual reality.” [Mystic]
Mystic Fire Video, 1976, 62 minutes, US$29.95.
524. “Nepal: Land of The Gods”
Three films: The Tantric Universe (22 minutes), The Tibetan Heritage (19 minutes),
The Sherpa Legend (21 minutes). Focus International, Inc., 505 West End Avenue, NYC 100124
525. “Nepal: Letter from Jampaling”
Windowseat Films, Inc. “Nepal: Letter from Jampaling, introduces Sonam, a young boy living in a Tibetan refugee settlement in the Himalayas. Viewers discover what life is like in the shadow of the world’s tallest mountain when Sonam writes to his North American pen pal with the help of his teacher, a Tibetan monk. Students see a small factory where Sonam’s mother and the other villagers weave intricate designs in rugs. The village is constructing an irrigation dam to reclaim an arid river valley. Viewers also learn Nepali and Tibetan games. The term refugees is defined as Sonam’s situation is explained. Students will begin to develop a multi‑cultural perspective that respects the dignity and worth of all people.” [producers]
1993, 18 minutes. The Media Guild, purchase price: US$210.
526. “Never Forget Tibet”
Directed by Jean-Paul Mertinez
Documentary: “Over sixty years after China’s Most Wanted Man escaped from occupied Tibet, the powerful documentary follows The Dalai Lama as he recounts his escape through the Tibetan borderlands into India to tell his remarkable escape story as he fled in 1959. One of the most significant moments of 20th-century history, Never Forget Tibet tells the secret story of the Dalai Lama’s journey into exile told in his own words through exclusive access to the Dalai Lama and the previously unknown private diary of the Indian political officer who led him to safety, Har Mander Singh. Incorporating interviews with the Dalai Lama’s family, the Tibetan Community living in Exile and those with historic ties to Tibet, this culturally significant story offers insights into the importance of our shared worldwide humanity and reveals the incredible details of the Dalai Lama’s escape and his wider message of compassion firsthand. It also documents the rich art, culture, and traditions of the region.” [producers]
Canada? USA? 2022, 140 minutes.
527. Never Give Up
Director Guan Xin
Chinese film based on the novel, Tibetan Children by Yingsa Norbu Tsering which tells the story of Tibetan children who are sent to Chinese inland schools as the author was.
China. 2015
528. “New Tibet”
Film from the Tibet Autonomous Region FoundationNew 10 part TV documentary film which …will show the great achievement of Tibetan people under the leading of CCP through the modern media. [sic] Began filming in Lhasa in August 2004. [from http://www.tibetinfor.com ]
529.* “News Hour with Jim Lehrer”
McNeil/Lehrer Productions, Public Broadcasting Company (PBS)Last 20 minutes of an hour‑long program. There is a brief film to give viewers a sense of what Tibet is like and includes the widely used film of Tibetan police beating monks and nuns in 1988. The program makes clear that the film was provided by the International Campaign for Tibet. Then, an intelligent 15 minute discussion with the Dalai Lama about the politics of Tibet and the relationship with China. Interview by Elizabeth Farnsworth. [Grunfeld]
22 April 1997.
530. “NGONDRO: Karma Kagyu Preliminaries”
By Tai Situ, Kenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, 17th Karmapa, et al.
Excellent DVD featuring Ngondro teachings as well as useful practice loops that can work like a personal coach for each of the foundational practices. Step‑by‑step instructions, complete sadhanas, and commentaries by Kenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, Tai Situ, and Lama Karma Wangdu, plus an aspirational prayer by the 17th Karmapa. Includes Tibetan transliteration and English translation. Much of the proceeds go to support Tai Situ. [producers]
70‑minute DVD. US$ 35.95 Snow Lion.
531. “Nicholas Roerich: Messenger of Beauty”
“Introduces the ennobling example of Roerich’s life, through his Himalayan art and spiritual philosophy. Roerich was born in Russia and painted over 6000 canvases‑ he was an artist, explorer of Tibet and philosopher who labored in the name of beauty.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 43 minutes. Also Mystic Fire Video.
532. Nine Story Mountain
Directed by Augusta Thomson
Nine‑Story Mountain charts the path of three western researchers, from Lhasa to Mount Kailash, Tibet, on a journey to explore pilgrimage practices across the Tibetan plateau. Together, they set out to unearth the secrets of a mountain and landscape that have magnetized millions of people for centuries.
As some of the few westerners to make it into Tibet following a partial ban on foreign entry in summer 2012 they travel alone through an empty landscape, a landscape witness to changes most people will never have the chance to see. Armed with only a Canon Rebel 500D, an H2ZOOM, and an incredible Tibetan guide, they capture the stories of Tibetan nomads and teahouse owners, of Tibetan pilgrims, Hindu pilgrims, Chinese pilgrims, and a scattering of Western pilgrims. They capture the stories of Kailash, stories they believe can teach the world about what it means to coexist.
This is a story about a journey to reach Mount Kailash, the ‘nine‑story’ mountain. [producers]
For more information, visit: www.nine‑storymountain.com
2014. 85 minutes. US/China
533. “Nima Temba Sherpa”
Margriet Jansen
The Sherpa people assisted many western mountaineers to climb the highest summits of the Himalayas. Who are these silent people; where they come from? Why do they risk their lives on mountains they would never climb on their own?
The documentary Nima Temba Sherpa, a portrait of one of these Sherpas, follows an effort to reach the top of the 8.200 meter Cho Oyu, one of the highest Himalayan summits. Nima is the leader of the guides; he assesses the weather and the fitness of the members. The climb is tough and dangerous and only few members will reach the top.
The documentary shows the world of mountaineering through Nima Tembas eyes; from the perspective of his job and against the background of his native soil in the Rolwaling valley. The safety of his people and the responsibility for his family outweighed the blind ambition to reach the top. [producers]
52 min. More info at: www.mjcpro.nl
534. Nine-Story Mountain
Director: Augusta Thomson
A documentary that follows Tibetan Buddhist, Bonpo, Hindu, and Western pilgrims as they navigate the sacred path around one of Tibets most revered pilgrimage sites, Mount Kailash in far western Tibet. The imposing, breath-taking, beautiful mountain, known as Kang Rinpoche to Tibetans, attracts pilgrims of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds, generating unforgettable stories, some of which are captured here in this contemplative film. Beautifully shot in 2012 by a team of young researchers, immerses the viewer in the power of pilgrimage and practice, and in the unexpected connections shared between us all. [producers]
2014. 85 minutes
535. “Nirvana in Nova Scotia”
A film by David Cherniack Films for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Man Alive” series.
“In the 1980s, at the behest of their controversial Tibetan teacher, 400 American Buddhists moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. A portrait of the Halifax Vajradhatu. Interviews with Allan Ginsburg, Robert A. F. Thurman, James George.”[producers]
February 1995. The unedited interviews are available on the web site: http://www.myna.com/~davidck .
536. “No Currency in Compassion”
Producer: Lara Damiani
Documentary designed to highlight the Tibet issue in the run up to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games…will raise global awareness about Tibet in such areas as human rights abuses, environmental destruction and the destruction of indigenous culture. [Tibetan Review, January 2008, p. 24.]
See http://www.thetibetproject.com
537. “No Huofo”(Rje tsun bzang mo, The Female Living Buddha)
The forced flight of Dorje Phagmo to India and her decision to return to Tibet. Chinese crew, Tibetan actors. In Chinese and Tibetan with English subtitles.
1980s. Robbie Barnett collection.
538. “Nomadic Childoods”
Directored by Chris Boula
“Nomadic Childhood» tells three stories in which children are the main characters. Each story is complementary to the two others and they are all linked by the same continuity that exists between those people living in the same world of Asian steppes. In each story children are at a critical moment of their lives. They are caught in the cycle of life and death and they respond to the forthcoming destiny. The film completely accepts their point of view, and little by little spectators discover their desire, their belief and imagination. The steppe becomes a land full of spirits, music, games, improvisation. At the moment of choice some people appeal to their internal vital forces, others are subject to dangerous temptations.
TIBET – «The death of Lhamo» Lhamo is a young Tibetan girl living with her parents on a remote Tibetan plateau. Under the pressure of the communist government, she is sent to a village school where she lives a violent experience through the lessons of a teacher obsessed by cleanliness, respect and order. Returning to her family, Lhamo’s behavior becomes strange…
SIBERIA – «The name of Apo» In the north of Siberia an Even village is visited by a administrator from the city. He verifies identification records and notices that a new-born baby hasn’t got any name. The very young mother is called at the village. But on her way on the frozen river she loses her baby in the snow. The destiny of the child now depends on reindeers breeders, the only inhabitants of iced taïga…
MONGOLIA – «Love nests» Amraa and Chimge meet each other at noon in Ulan-Bator’s suburbs. The couple of young lovers is looking for a quiet place to make love. But that’s not so easy when you are surrounded by friends, families and many other people… Especially when a bit of misfortune comes in addition ! In that crazy town everything is more complicated than in the wild nature…[sic. producers]
France 2015. 93 minutes. In Tibetan/ Iakut/ Mongolian. Subtitled in Englishg and French.
539. “Nongnu”(shing bran, Serf)
Direxcted by Li Jun
The Chinese liberation of the serfs. Tibetan and Chinese actors.
In Chinese, Tibetan and English subtitles.
2103. Robbie Barnett collection.
540. “Not Just Pro‑Tibetan…Pro‑Justice: The Dalai Lama’s Historic Visit to Brandeis University”
May 1998 visit to Brandeis University near Boston, MA. The Dalai Lama gave two talks: on Buddhism and sustainable development, drawing parallels between Tibetans and Jews. He is also shown participating in the destruction of a sand mandala made by the nuns of the Keydong Nunnery in Nepal.
60 minutes video, US$25.00. Snow Lion.
541. “Nowhere to Call Home: A Tibetan in Beijing”
Director: Jocelyn Ford
,…provides a rare glimpse into the world of a Tibetan farmer, torn between her traditional way of life and her desire for her sone to have a better future in the city. Shot in the slums of Beijing and a remote village near the epicenter of Tibetan self-immolations, this gripping story of a woman determined to beat the odds puts a human face on the political strife that fractures China and Tibet. Along the way it challenges common western stereotypes about Tibetans and reveals a dark side of life in a traditional village where, as the saying goes, women arent worth a penny. [www.imdb.com ]
US/China. In Chinese/English/Tibetan with English subtitles. Directors cut at 83 minutes and a classroom version at 59 minutes. 2014. www.tibetaninbeijing.com,
542. “Nu¨ huo fo “(The female living Buddha)
Director: Wei Li
A historical drama set in 1959 just after the liberation of Tibet. Members of the Tibetan aristocracy scheme to move the female living Buddha to India, where she is kept in a lonely inn. Eventually, with the help of the good innkeeper and the Chinese Consulate, she is able to return to her homeland. [producers]
Beijing Film Studio. 1989
543. “Nyingmapa: Bodhgaya to Tsopema”
“These teachings include wonderfully vivid footage from a pilgrimage from Bodhgaya to Tsopema, the sacred lake of Padmasambhava. Included are: Nyinmapa Grant Cerermony; several teachings by Penor Rinpoche; introductions to Bodhgaya and Tsopema; the story of Guru Rinpoche subjugating the king of Zahor; the footprints of Padmasambhava; and more. Comes with full‑color booklet. Buddha Shakyamuni said in the scriptures of the Secret Tantra: “Eight years after I go to nirvana, I will again come to this world and become the main protector of Vajrayana teachings in the name of “Pemasambhava.” This pilgrimage trip took him from Bodhgaya to Tsopema.” [producers]Narrative is mostly spoken in Tibetan, with occasional explanations in Chinese. Teachings include very clear subtitles in Chinese and English.
62 minutes. US$24.95. Snow Lion.
544. “Occupation Lama. On the Road with a Mongolian Lama”
A “video document” by Wolf Kahlen. In German Part 2. For part 1 see: “The Lama, the Yurt, the Oracle. On the Road with a Mongolian Lama”
Begins with “…the shaving of a man’s head as he prepares to leave Ulan Baatar, the capitol of Mongolia…we participate in the nomad’s daily life, observe the exercises of the wrestlers, riders and archers in the countryside…at monasteries watch the young monks at leisure and visit a reborn dakini incarnation (goddess) who practices the ritual Choed.” [Kahlen]
1994‑95, 108 minutes. See http://www.snafu.de/~ruine‑kuenste.berlin/video10.htm
545. “Ocean of Wisdom: The Life of His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama”
Produced and directed by Rajiv Melhrotra.
“The life His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. Ocean of Wisdom is an intimate and moving profile of Tenzin Gyatso, the XIV Dalai Lama of Tibet. It portrays him as a monk, as the spiritual and temporal leader of six million Tibetans, as statesman for our troubled times. His message of altruism, compassion and peace is carried on his smiling face. Materials from the personal archives of the Dalai Lama has been used to tell the story of ancient Tibet and the discovery of the present Dalai Lama. The film follows him through his private practices in his residence in Dharamsala, visiting Tibetan settlements in South India, teaching at Bodh Gaya, in Japan, in Switzerland, in England and reaching out to audiences around the world. ” [producers]
Office of Tibet, 55 minutes. US$44.00. Also Meridian Trust. Digitalized at the Tibet Film Archive, Rubin Museum, NY. http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org.
546. “Off the Fence”
Directed by Patrick Fleming
…a Dutch independent production…to produce by October 2006 a visually spectacular new documentary on The Lost Kingdom of Guge. It will be an hour long invetsigative documentary about the mysterious disappearance in the 17th century Tibetan kingdom of Guge…in 1630″ [Tibetan Review, August 2006, p. 25.]
547. “Old Dog” (Lao Gou/Khyi Rgan)
Directed by Pema Tseden (Wanma Caidan)
.. family on the Himalayan plains discovers their dog is worth a fortune, but selling it comes at a terrible price…The Tibetan nomad mastiff is an exotic prize dog in China fetching as much as millions of dollars…a young man sells his dog before it is stolen and sold on the black market…When the father seeks to buy the dog back, it leads to a tragicomic events that threaten to tear a family apart, while showing the erosion of Tibetan culture under the pressures of contemporary society. [producers]
Old Dog is a grim and uncompromising allegory of the waning of Tibetan traditions and values, emphasized by Gonpos inability to procreate…Raw and resolute, this unsettling fable feels driven by an anger that remains largely unexpressed. Akku may say very little, but his resolve is clear: whatever else the Chinese may have taken, they are not getting his dog. (New York Times review by Jeannette Catsoulis, 15 May 2013).
2011. 88 minutes. In Tibetan with English subtitles.
http://dgeneratefilms.com/catalog/old‑dog‑lao‑gou‑khyi‑rgan/
548. “Om Mane Padme Hum”
American experimental film directed by Ernest Gusella. 1991. 30 seconds.
549. “On Buddhism”
By Robert Thurman
“Thurman shares his insight into Buddhism. Each tape deals in‑depth with a major component of the three jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha.” [producers]
Three video tapes ‑ boxed set, 4 hours, US$59.95, Snow Lion
550. “On Life and Enlightenment. Principles Of Buddhism With His Holiness, The Dalai Lama.”
By Nando Rau, directedby Kaushik Ray, produced by Neil Prashad and Jon Talarico.
Five part documentary‑cum‑television series based on the life and teachings of the Dalai Lama…explores Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism in all its various manifestations…This film series inspires reflection, beauty and prayer. They lead us deeper into the mysteries and wonders of true spirituality,” said Deepak Chopra, best selling author and spiritual leader. “It is rich with color, meaning and truth.” [WTN, 6 September 2006.]
Two DVD discs and one audio CD containing approximately five hours of video programming and 45 minutes of music. Distributed by Hannover House, 1722 N. College Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72703. For information contact Eric Parkinson at 818‑481‑5277 or: Eparkinson@HannoverHouse.com.
551. “On Life, Death and Return of Serkong Rinpoche And His Enthronement at the Monastery of Tabo in Spiti”
A “video document” by Wolf Kahlen. Both German and Tibetan versions available.
“On the 27th of August 1983 one of the most influential teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, of its iconography…the Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche, a debate master of H.H. the XIVth Dalai Lama, and his lifelong companion since Lhasa times, passed away at the village of Khibber in the secluded country of Spiti…This film draws a picture of the late Serkong’s life…[and] introduces us to the young, ordinary looking, “good for nothing” boy [who is his successor]…We accompany him through the long night of his hair cutting ceremony, the enrobing into monk’s clothes and on the road to the 1000 year old monastery of Tabo where hundreds of people and monks await him at daybreak.” [Kahlen]
1988, 120 minutes. See http://www.snafu.de/~ruine‑kuenste.berlin/video5.htm
552. “On the Road Home: A Spiritual Journey Guided by Remarkable Women”
By Christina Lundberg
A beautifully filmed accounting of a young womens search for the feminine face of the Devine. Her heart path, Tibetan Buddhism, is enriched by contrast with Native American, Hindu and Christian wise women. [producers]
75 minutes, DVD. Snow Lion. US$30.00.
553. “On the Road with the Red God Macchendranath”
Film by Tseten
The filmmaker is Tibetan and a native of Nepal. He depicts a Newari festival, said to have been observed in the Kathmandu Valley for a millennium…organized jointly by Newari Hindu and Buddhist devotional societies. The films narration consists partly of voice‑overs by the filmmaker. Conversations among jatra principals, and interviews with individuals, are subtitled in English. [producers]
2005. Color. 72 minutes.
554. “On Tibet”
By Robert Thurman”Thurman shares his passionate insight into Tibetan culture and history from ancient to modern times.” [producers]
Three video tapes ‑ boxed set, US$59.95 or DVD, Snow Lion
555. “Once Upon a Time In Tibet”
Directed by Dai Wei
A Chinese romantic comedy film adapted from Zahi Dava’s novel Cats of Shambala.
At the beginning of World War II, American pilot Robert Smith is taking part in the effort to help China fight against the Japanese forces. During a liaison cargo mission from India to China, his cargo plane crashes somewhere in Tibet. Yongcho is a young single mother, and the tribe she belongs to is the descendant of the Evil Kingdom, which was conquered by the hero‑Gesar King many years ago. Since her earliest age, she’s been a castaway by her own tribe, because she is thought a “cursed woman” as an incarnation of evil. After surviving the crash, Robert tries to find his way back to his force, but the harsh elements are almost stronger than his will to survive he finds himself snow‑blind and finally falls in a faint in the blizzard. Robert follows the footprint of people and arrives at the tribe. Fair‑haired Robert is regarded as a “monster” by the tribe. People think that the arrival of a stranger is considered another bad omen, so Yongcho, the “cursed woman”, is charged with the duty of taking care of him and sending him away after he recovers. In this environment, where there is little room for individual feelings and nature is often hostile, both Robert and Yongcho will learn to know each other as well as themselves. Now, together and stronger than ever before, these two lost souls can fulfill their destiny in this unique journey. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1774514/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl]
The film was shot in Tibetan Plateau, including Nagqu Prefecture and Namtso.
2010. China. In Chinese, Tibetan and English.
556. “One and Four”
Directed by Jigme Trinley
This film was a graduation project for a degree at the Beijing Film Academy. Trinley is the son of Tibetan director Pema Tseden.
“Late 1990s. On the Tibetan side of the Himalayas, somewhere in the mountains lives Sanggye, a Forest Ranger. His lonely days are passed trying to stay warm and feeding on the little food that doesn’t get frozen over. Today, he is rather hungover when there is a knock on his door and when he opens it, he is greeted by the barrel of a gun, held by a bloodied and limping man. This man tells Sanggye that he is from the Forestry Police and that he is on a mission to capture a notorious poacher, who he and his partner were chasing but somehow managed to escape. Uncertain whether to trust him or not and with a blizzard coming in, Sanggye decides to help the man but as two more visitors turn up to his cabin, he finds himself in a four-way standoff, having to decide who is telling the truth.” [https://asianmoviepulse.com/2022/07/film-review-one-and-four-2021-by-jigme-trinley/]
China 2021. 1:28
557. “One Day With Rinpoche”
Directed by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam
A documentary about 20 year old Phara Khentrul Rinpoche, an insight into what it means to be a young incarnate lama living in exile at the dawn of 21st century.
2007.
558.” One Way Home”
Directed by Qingzi Fan
“Director Qingzi Fan portrays Tashi and YuJu in her award-winning documentary film. Tashi and YuJu, who have been chosen to study like thousands of other Tibetan children in Tibetan-only schools in China. Qingzi Fan describes on her website that it was incredible for her to learn that for over 30 years there has been a policy of educating Tibetan children thousands of miles away from their families in China to become new elites and then sending them back to Tibet. The “first class” education that these children receive and give them a better life is accompanied by a loss of identity, language and culture. With her film, she wanted to give a voice to these children, who are not reported about in Western media.” [producers]
2017. Tibet, China. In Tibetan, Chinese with English Subtitles
559. “Open Road: The Failed secret Mission to Tibet”
“Following the failed march back to Tibet from India led by Tibetan exiles in 2008, a second mission to Tibet was launched, with prolific activist and writer Tenzin Tsundue at the forefront. This film charts this secret journey as it follows this second group in their unrelenting efforts to reach the border before the opening of the Beijing Olympics.” [producers]
Tibetan with English subtitles. 35 minutes. 2010.
560. “Opening Address to the Conference on Universal Education His Holiness the Dalai Lama”
Provides the basis for the first conference on child education and psychology organized by the Universal Education Association. Lama Tsong Khapa Institute, Pomaia, Italy, 1982.
Wisdom Films, approx. 60 minutes.
561. “Opening of the Heart “
By Ven. Ani Tenzin Palmo
This charismatic down‑to‑earth teacher, subject of the best‑selling Cave in the Snow, talks here about the Six Perfections, which help us face up to and deal with the difficulties we experience in daily life. Wonderfully accessible for Westerners. [producers]
89 min. video. US$ 29.95. Snow Lion.
562. “Oracles & Demons of Ladakh”
Rob McGann
“Human mediums for these spirits, or “Oracles” as Ladakhis call them, play an integral role in the culture of the area. Oracles are called on to divine the future, cure bodily diseases.
Shot onsite in Jammu & Kashmir, Oracles & Demons of Ladakh follows the stories of these shamanic figures across the high altitude deserts of Ladakh. Narrated by leading authorities on Tibet, including Dr. Robert Thurman, the film considers how Oracle practices such as spirit possession, ritual healing, soothsaying and exorcism remain fundamental folk traditions in Tibetan societies to this day. The film includes images from over 50 years of Tibetan history and a soundtrack that features original music by Ravi Krishnaswami, a capella performances by Tibetan vocalist Yungchen Lhamo and previously‑recorded compositions by Philip Glass.” [producers]
71 min. info at: ww.avenueeproductions.com
563. “Origins of Rivers: Omens of a Crisis”
“As the source of most of the major river systems in Asia from China to Pakistan, including the Yellow, the Yangtze, the Mekong, the Salween, the Brahmaputra, the Ganges and the Indus, the Tibetan Plateau has become an epicenter of crisis. With the retreating of its glaciers ‑ what glaciologist Lonnie Thompson has called the “fresh water bank account” of Asia ‑ rivers and lakes have started running lower, pastures have become drier, deserts larger, weather patterns more unpredictable. Indeed, the whole ecosystem of the Tibetan Plateau and its hinterland are now slipping toward a catastrophic environmental disaster which will have continental implications far beyond the plateau itself.” [producers]
http://sites.asiasociety.org/chinagreen/origins‑of‑rivers‑omens‑of‑a‑crisis/
564. “Orphans of Tibet”
Directed by Julie Capel
Each year, groups of Tibetan children secretly flee their homeland over the Himalayas to reach schools in India founded by the government in exile. Entrusted to smugglers, they are risking their lives by illegally crossing the great Himalayan range, a towering rampart between Tibet and India. The director will take us in the Mussorie school, in North India, where two thousand four hundred children have been rescued. They have left behind their family childhood and are now considered as orphans. We will discover the itineraries of Sonam, aged nine, and Dholma, the little new girl of the school. Here in India, they are taught about Tibetan culture and will find out about the history of their country and their ancestors. Sonam and Dholma’s story is that of thousands of Tibetan children. Are they orphans of a lost country or bearers of hope who will save an endangered culture? [producers]
2013. English and Tibeto‑Burman with English subtitles. Alexander Street Press.
565. “Ossian: American Boy, Tibetan Monk”
“Story of a 12 year old boy who has lived, from age four, as a monk in a Tibetan monastery in Kathmandu and is thought to be an incarnation of a high lama.” [producers]
Facets Video, 27 minutes, Purchase price: US$19.95.
566. “Our Lives from Tibet to England,”
Geshe Wangchen, Kalsang and Konchog.
Three learned Gelugpa monks individually recall the story of their lives and give impressions of life in the West.
London and Cumbria, 1984. Meridian Trust, approx. 75 minutes.
567. “Out of This World: A Journey in Forbidden Tibet”
Lowell Thomas Sr. And Lowell Thomas Jr.
Based on their visit to Tibet in the late 1940s. Released in 1954.
Also released as “High Adventure with Lowell Thomas.”
You can check the Tibetan Library 2015 Photo Exhibition of Lowell Thomas at this link: https://goo.gl/LKZttJ For more informaton: visit www.ltwa.net www.facebook.com/tibetanlibrary/
50 minutes. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjVN4M4l7sc
568. “Overcoming Differences: An Historic Public Address by the Dalai Lama”
Produced by Trueheart Productions. Directed by David Karp.
Dalai Lama’s speech at Cornell University on 26 March 1991 to an audience of 12,000. He inaugurated the “Year of Tibet.” “He discussed many important issues based on the relationship of world peace and inner peace…[he] reminded the audience of the fact that we are social animals and must learn to live together in order to achieve happiness as well as to survive.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 90 minutes. Also, Mystic Fire Video.
569. “Overcoming The Fear of Dying”
By H. E. Tui Situ Rinpoche
“Rinpoche discusses death and the bardo to liberate us from our fears of dying and shows how a natural death is a sacred event.” [producers]
3 video cassettes, US$70, Snow Lion
570. “Pad Yatra: A Green Odyssey”
Producer/Director Wendy J. N. Lee
PAD YATRA: A Green Odyssey weaves ancient Buddhist spiritual traditions, global environmentalism, and Tibetan and Himalayan culture into an award‑winning documentary that spotlights the ways a community‑based movement can begin to solve one of the most pressing problems of our time. Viewers are invited to join the adventure of 700 people, trekking across the Himalayas with a call to save the planets 3rd Pole, a glacial region now devastated by the climate chaos associated with global warming. Led by His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, these brave trekkers commit themselves to taking responsibility for the land they tread upon, collecting plastic litter, helping sick animals, and investigating areas devastated by “natural” disasters along the way. Barely surviving injuries, illness, and starvation, the trekkers emerge with new tools to combat climate change, modeling for students how to address alarming global trends at the local level. [producers]
72 minutes, 2013
571. “Pa‑dga’ Living Buddha”
Directed by Wen Pulin.
Shown at the 18th Hong Kong International Film Festival (April 1994). The description read: “Wen Pulin, a Han Chinese, who first visited Tibet in 1989 and started making documentaries about it (including “The Sacred Site of Asceticism”) has now made Nga‑shod his permanent home. Befriending Pa‑dga’ the Living Buddha, today he even subsumes shooting films to build bridges and temples with Pa‑dga’. His latest documentary on Tibet is a record of a devoted man carrying out his daily religious and secular duties, and in a oblique way, an internal odyssey of the film maker himself finding tranquility in his adopted homeland. The film, therefore, like its subject, exudes the effortless serenity of a man at home with his calling and the environment.” [producers]
China 1993, color, 108 minutes.
572. “Pala/Amala”
Directed by Tenzin Phuntsog
“For the two-channel video “Pala Amala,” which translates as “Father Mother,” Phuntsog asked his parents to express “love” in the ways in which it is conveyed daily in their household. The work portrays Phuntsog’s parents engaged in acts of care, walks on the beach reminiscent of their strolls in the sparse landscape of their youths, and other tender moments.” [producers]
2022. short
573. “Palden Gyatso”
Palden Gyatso is a Tibetan monk who spent over thirty years in Tibetan prisons and labour camps for daring to cry out against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Arrested while demonstrating for freedom for his country, he was systematically tortured and beaten during his imprisonment. In February 1995 Palden came to England, invited by Tibet Support Group UK, as part of a tour to tell the world what is happening in Tibet. This programme, drawn from a press conference and other events, captures the incredible courage of Palden and shows how the desire to help his fellow Tibetans kept him alive during horrific conditions. Palden’s story gives a human face to the suffering in Tibet. [producers]
Meridian Trust. 22 minutes. US$26.25.
574. “Panchen shar phyogs su bskyod pa” (Panchens Journey to the East),
Chinese cinema film. Historical epic of the 18th Century.
Robbie Barnett collection.
575. “Paradise Lost”
Directed by Arvind Iyer
“In 2008, Iyer directed Paradise Lost‘, aka ‘Chang Yare’, the controversial music video from Namgyal Lhamo’s upcoming album ‘Highland Supernova’ which was produced by Mumbai‑based Frenchman and music publisher Achille Forler’s record label Silk Road.’Paradise Lost’ was released on the eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.” [producers]
‘Paradise Lost’ was voted the Best Music Video at the 2009 Tibetan music awards
5 minutes. 2008
576. “Paradise With Side Effects (Also titled Learning From Ladakh)”
The film provides fascinating insights into the pressures facing non‑western people as they confront the global economy. Follow two women from Ladakh, or Little Tibet, on a reality tour of London to see what life in the West is really like. The women are exposed to aspects of modern urban life homelessness, old‑age homes, massive garbage dumps that contrast sharply with the idealized media and advertising images impressed upon people’s minds in the less‑developed parts of the world. [producers]
2004. Kanopy Films, produced by Green Planet Films.
577. “Paradox of Our Age”
Ladakh…This is the emotional story of these children as they set off fro their new school, leaving their families behind.” [producers]
India. 2007. 30 minutes. Tibetan with English sub‑titles.
578. “Paths of the Soul”
Producer & Director Zhang Yang
…blurs the border between documentary and fiction to follow a group of Tibetan villagers who leave their families and homes in a small village of Nyima to make a Buddhist – bowing pilgrimage – laying their bodies flat on the ground after every few steps – along the 1,200 mile road to Lhasa, the holy capital of Tibet.
Thought united in their devotion, each of the travelers embarks on the near impossible journey for very personal reasons. Stunningly photographed over the course of an entire year, with non-professional actors and no script…a mesmerizing study of faith. [producers]
China (Tibet). 2016. 115 minutes
579. “Paul Horn ‑ Journey Inside Tibet”
The documentary Journey Inside Tibet features Lama Tenzin making contact with his family for the first time in four decades, while he travels with Paul Horn who records music from a variety of Buddhist monasteries. The DVD release of the film includes a CD of the music Horn committed to tape. [producers]
2001
580. “PAWO”
Directors: Marvin Litwak and Sonam Tseten
It is the story of a 26‑year‑old man, according to the oppression and torture, as hundreds of thousands of Tibetans before him walks the mountains of the Himalaya in a dangerous long walk to start a new life in India. Far away from his family, his home, but close to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Arrived in India, he closes the school top of his class and lives with his cousin in the bustling metropolis of Delhi But feels more and more that freedom begins in the heart.
On March 26, 2012, shortly after his 27th birthday, Jampel be showered with gasoline and ignites. He died in agony from his injuries.
Writer and director Marvin Litwak visited Jamphels friends and relatives, sat on the edge of his mattress in Majnu‑Ka‑Tilla and was inspired by stories of all the people who met him in exile. The suffering hope and longing for freedom of those who grow up without a home.
The film will be shot in the Tibetan language, at the original locations. For now, English and German subtitles are planned. (sic) [producers]
581. “Peace: A Goal of All Religions H.H. the Dalai Lama”
During the 1984 British tour His Holiness gave this talk, stressing that peace must be achieved on the individual level if peace is to prevail in the world at large. Recognising the basic oneness of mankind is the real way to break down national and sectarian differences. Includes a brief meditation on developing compassion and concludes with questions and answers. Translated by Prof. Jeffrey Hopkins. [producers]
1984. 60 minutes. http://meridian‑trust.org/video/peace‑a‑goal‑of‑all‑religions/
582. “Peace of Mind: Peace in action H.H. the Dalai Lama”
His Holiness reiterates his message of how peace in the world will be achieved by the development of peace in each persons heart. He speaks of how kindness, tolerance and concern for other s can overcome even the most frustrating problems in this age of materialism such as economic inequality and global concerns. Mostly in English, translated by Prof. Jeffrey Hopkins. [producers]
60 mins. http://meridian‑trust.org/video/peace‑of‑mind‑peace‑in‑action/
583. “Phantoms of Chittagong” (Tibetan Guerrillas in Exile. India’s Secret Army)
Directed by Kalsang Rinchen
“Tibetan resistance to the Chinese occupation is associated with the Dalai Lama, Buddhism and non-violence. But there was also a Tibetan guerilla army. Their formation took place within the Indian military and with the support of the CIA. In 1964 it was moved to the Indo-Tibetan border area and they waited for years in vain for orders to attack. Contemporary witnesses tell impressively of their experiences.” [producers].
This film was part of the filmmakers BFA degree at SUNY/University of Buffalo and profiles the Special Frontier Force, a unit of the Indian Army created after the 1962 Sino-Indian War and made up of Tibetan refugees. They fought gallantly in the Bangladesh War and lost several dozen of their members without due recognition from the Indian government. [Grunfeld]
2008. In Tibetan with English sub-titles. 35 minutes
See it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xucs_2Tgp7g
584. “Phun Anu Thanu”
Directed by Tashi Wangchuk and Tsultrim Dorjee
The film is about two brothers who falls in love with two sisters.
2006. In Tibetan
585. “Plundering Tibet”
Film by Michael Buckley. Wild Yak Films
A personal take on mining in Tibet… How much can an ecosystem take before it collapses? … Plundering Tibet is a short documentary about the dire consequences of China’s ruthless mining in Tibet. As a Canadian filmmaker, the narrator has a personal take on this because of the involvement of Canadian companies in mining in Tibet‑and the railway to Lhasa. Following the arrival of the train in Tibet in 2006, large‑scale mining of lithium, gold, copper, lead, crude oil, natural gas and other resources is under way to feed China’s voracious industrial sector. None of this benefits Tibetan. In fact, mining pollutes drinking water, kills the livestock, and degrades the grasslands on which Tibetan nomads depend… The documentary uses undercover footage and still photography shot on location in Tibet‑‑including cellphone footage of an anti‑mining protest smuggled out of Tibet. Although some photography of mine sites was shot within Tibet, it is extremely difficult to get to mining sites due to tight security in remote locations. For mining sites in Tibet, the film uses Google Earth flyovers to show what is happening on the ground, hidden from view. [producers]
Canada. 25 minutes. 2014
586. “Political Buddhism; Political Buddhism”
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Political activism, sometimes violent, is on the rise among Buddhists in Tibet and elsewhere.
2008. 9 minutes.
587. “Prayers and Meditation of Avalokiteshvara, The Great Compassionate One”
Teachings by His Holiness 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje
“With its seven days of teachings, this Prayers & Meditation 7‑DVD set is almost like attending the retreat. Avalokiteshvara, the great embodiment of compassion, is an ancient Buddha, who comes back to Samsara to save all sentient beings. Teaching is offered to help practitioners generate pure and vast compassion, and choose to help all sentient beings become free from suffering and achieve eternal happiness.” [producers]
7‑DVD set, 474 minutes. US$40.00. Snow Lion.
588. “Prayers Answered”
Film by Geleck Pasang
A documentary on of the August 2005 visit of the Dalai Lama to Turtuk, a small Muslim village in India at the juncture of the at Pakistani, Indian and Chinese borders. The people speak a Western Tibetan dialect.
“On the invitation and prayers of tribal leaders, the Dalai Lama travels to a poor and remote Muslim village at the India Pakistan border. More than a symbolic gesture, the visit results in an invitation by the Dalai Lama to provided a modern education to children from the village while insuring their religious and cultural heritage. Without this film, this amazing story would never be known or seen.” [producers]
30 minutes. 2007. Can be seen at: http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1591/Prayers‑Answered
589. “Preserving The Monastic Tradition”
Film examines the traditional monastic career as preserved at the Sera Monastery in Mysore, India. 29 minutes. South Asian Area Center, University of Wisconsin‑Madison (608‑233‑3118)
590. “Price of Knowledge” (Gi Kawa)
By Ugyen Wangdi
Bhutanese documentary filmmaker. The 1998 story of 11‑year old Sherab Dorji who must walk three hours to school and another three hours back and his devotion to education even in rural Bhutan. Won an award at the International Film Festival in Nuoro, Italy.
591. “Price of Letter” (Yi khel Gi Kawa)
By Ugyen Wangdi
Followup to Price of Knowledge. This film is about a 12‑day trek of postal runner Ugen Tenzin to Bhutans capital every month. Won the Diane Seligman Award for best documentary.
592. “Prince of the Himalayas”
Directed by Sherwood Hu
Written by Tsering Dorje Chenaktshang and Sherwood Hu
An adaption of Shakespeare’s Hamlet set in ancient Tibet. China, 108 minutes, 2006, in Tibetan.
593. “Prince of the Sun”
Directed by Wellson Chin
Starting Cynthia Rothrock, Conan Lee, Jeff Falcon, Sheila Chan, Lam Ching Ying
A woman helps protect a Buddhist boy from villains who will stop at nothing to prevent him from becoming a Prince. Combines in exemplary fashion the best‑known Tibet stereotypes: monks are masters of telekinesis, levitation. Dematerialization, astral travel and the purely mental conquest of evil, supported by wonderous manifestations of light and magical hand movements. But the myth of Tibetan clergy experienced in martial arts is also fostered in the film: is front of a Buddha statue the nun Benchenk fights with a monk and defeats him.
Martin Brauen, Dreamworld Tibet. Western Illusions, translated by Martin Willson (Trumbull, CT: Weatherhill, Inc., 2004), p. 152.
Hong Kong, 1990, 83 minutes.
594. “Princess Wencheng” (in Chinese: Wencheng Gonjo, in Tibetan: Rgya bzagong jo)
Twenty part TV drama telling the story of the Tang Dynasty princess sent to Tibet to marry King Srongsten Gampo. In simultaneous Chinese and Tibetan with English subtitles.
CCTV (Chinese Central TV) 2000.
595. “Prisonniere a lhassa”(Prisoner of Lhasa)
A film by Marie Louville. Shown at a Brussels film festival in 2006.
Contact BUREAU DU TIBET, 84 bd Adolphe Pinard, 75014 PARISTel. 0146565453 Fax 0146560818. http://www.tibet.net
596. “Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness”
By Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Based on the great modern‑day yogi Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoches Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness, these teachings provide students with the means to realize the nature of reality through a series of meditation practices beginning with coarse, commonsense understanding and progressing through increasingly profound practices designed to help practitioners arrive at complete and perfect understanding. [producers]
Snow Lion, 8 hour DVD, 4 talks, US$48.00
597. “Pure Land”
Directed b y Tenzin Phunstog
“Pure Land (2022), [Phunstog] films a friend who plays a version of the artist: a Tibetan American man photographing the high plateaus in Blackfeet territory (Montana) in search of a resemblance to the landscapes of Tibet. Sending photos to his Tibetan-born mother, he asks her what they make her feel. He attempts to visit her feeling.
Phuntsog’s title plays on the Buddhist concept of Pure Land, a place unimaginable in human life, but that may be right in front of you. Phuntsog extends this concept to describe his experience: what is your relationship to a place only knowable through the work of imagining? Another line of interpretation emerges from Phuntsog’s acknowledgment of Blackfeet land: what does it mean to think of purity while on land that holds five hundred years of Native genocide and resistance?” [https://www.screenslate.com/articles/tenzin-phuntsog-pure-land]
15:27 2022
598. “Qingzang Line”
Directed by Feng Xiaoning
Chinese feature film whose title combines the names of Tibet, or Xizang in Chinese, and the neighboring Chinese provincial Qinghai.
“…workers who toiled on the railroad‑ with a romantic twist. The movie revolves around engineer Yu Mingyuan, whose father died in bad weather while working as a surveyor on the railroad in the 1950s. Two decades later, Yu is a top engineering official working on the railway. Bad weather again emerges as the villain to claim the lives of a colleagues and his first love.
Yu faints due to altitude sickness, and also decides not to visit his dying mother to focus on the railway project. Injecting a dose of romance, Yu is thrown off by an altitude sickness expert who resembles his late girlfriend. Adding to the confusion the expert is dating one of Yu’s colleagues.” [The Rising Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal, 4‑29‑2007]
2007
599. “Queen of Great Bliss” Tsok Puja of Long‑Chen Nying‑Thig
by Wangdu Rinpoche
The Nyingma puja, written by Jigme Lingpa, is devoted to the goddess Vajra Varahi and celebrates the vitality and beauty in our lives and the feminine aspect of divine energy.
Snow Lion, 45 minutes, US$30.00
600. “Queen of Tibet Returns to Shangri‑la”
Canadian film produced by Capital Cities TV Productions.
601.* “Raid into Tibet”
Pathfinder Publications
The only available film of the Tibetan guerilla fighters who carried on their resistance efforts in Tibet from the remote Mustang area of Nepal from 1960 to 1974. George Patterson, author and Tibetan expert, takes the viewer to the secret guerilla camps and accompanies the men on a mission to raid a Chinese military truck convoy. [Grunfeld]
Office of Tibet, 30 minutes. b&w, 16 mm.
Digitalized at the Tibet Film Archive, Rubin Museum, NY. http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org
602.* “Rangzen! (Independence)”
By Veronica Mukhia
“Rangzen which means Independence in Tibetan, is a short documentary on the different perspectives upon Tibet and China of two acclaimed names, Tom Grunfeld and Jamyang Norbu.
The film captures the demonstrations for “Free Tibet” held in New York City by the Tibetans and their supporters. It also delves into a brief but detailed history of Tibet as provided by the two leads with supporting archival footage…” [producers]
2010. 13 min. 10 sec. Can be seen at: http://veronicajerrymukhia.com/portfolio‑rangzen.html
603. “Razor’s Edge”
Directed by Edmund Goulding in 1946. 146 minutes.
The Razor’s Edge is based on a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham starring Tyrone Power and Anne Baxter. Story about an American recovering from the trauma of World War I and looking for solace in India. The 1984 remake (see below) switches the Hindu guru to a Tibetan geshe.
604. “Razor’s Edge”
Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment
Remade in 1984, directed by John Byrum
Staring Bill Murray, Catherine Hicks, James Keach.
While working as a coal miner, Bill Murray’s character saves the life of another fellow who gives him a copy of the Upanishads and tells him that he should go to India. He does just that and meets a resourceful Indian who takes him to Ladakj. There the American becomes the student of a lama and serves as a cook in the isolated monastery. During a long retreat by himself in the mountains, he comes close to enlightenment. He tells his lama: It is easy to be a holy man on the top of a mountain. His teacher believes he is ready to return to the world. He advises him: “The path to salvation is narrow and as difficult to walk as a razor’s edge.”
605. “Recalling a Buddha: Memories of the Sixteenth Karmapa”
By Gregg Eller
“The life story of the Sixteenth Karmapa is told by those close to him in Tibet, the generation of teachers that he trained, and many others that he touched. Filmmaker Eller, who produced Recalling a Buddha, looks closely at HH Karmapa’s enlightened qualities, and frames them within Buddhism’s migration to the West. DVD Extras feature the Black Crown ceremony‑‑shot by an Oscar‑nominated director‑‑a history of the Karmapas, and much more.Full of great interviews with many lamas, including Thrangu Rinpoche, Tai Situ Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Khandro Rinpoche, as well as Tenzin Palmo and others, this feature‑length documentary focuses on the life and activity of HH Karmapa XVI. How he lived and how he died give us the example of an awakened being, a person with a noble heart.” [producers]
3 hours, 17‑minutes. US$39.95. Snow Lion.
606. “Recollecting Tibet”
“Over three years from 2005 to 2008, photophormations worked with the Tibetan government living in exile in Dharamsala, India making ‘Recollecting Tibet’. The Documentary examines and questions the state of the Tibetan people living away from the spiritual homeland, surrounded by westernization and how tourism has been assimilated into their culture. The film travels to Tibet documenting the Chinese occupation and the current climate of oppression. With religious practises being restricted in Tibet by the Chinese and many Tibetan women financially forced into prostitution, how can the Tibetans preserve their heritage? The documentary travels to Kathmandu to hear first hand accounts from Tibetans escaping into Nepal each year by risking their lives on the treacherous journey crossing over the Himalayas. Traversing through differing locations and times, the film becomes a visual chronicle of stories and events undertaken by one obs6erver and camera…We worked with the Tibetan Government and many organisations like the TYC and TWA in Dharamsala.” [producers]
Photophormations, VDB Films Ltd, Oakville, ON, Canada http://www.munen‑mushin.com/film%20tibet.html
607. “Red Days in the Ke Mountains” (Ke shan hong ri)
Chinese film directed by Dong Zhaoqi in 1960.
608. “Red Flag Over Tibet”
Produced by Stephen McMillan and Robert Davidson.
Opens and closes with performances by members of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts. Historical overview of the Tibetan situation with special emphasis on the takeover in 1949‑1950 and the military occupation. Beyond International Group, 1989.
609.* “Red Flag Over Tibet”
American China expert Orville Schell travels around Tibet as a tourist with a hand‑held camcorder. Good footage and interviews with dissidents. [Grunfeld]
60 minutes, 1994, Shown on PBS series “Frontline.”
610.* “Red River Valley” (Honghe gu/Grog rong dmar po)
Director Feng Xiaoning, Shanghai Film and Television Corporation
“A simple country girl while being sacrificed to a river god is rescued by her brother. They narrowly escape death and are separated after falling into the river. The girl is taken in by an old Tibetan woman. She begins her new life as Snow Dawa and become romantically involved with the old woman’s son. One day, while playing in the mountains they rescue two British men buried under the snow. One remains in the valley due to illness and finds the kindness, hospitality and purity in the nature of the Tibetans overwhelming. The other is preparing to return to Tibet at the head of the British army for the invasion of Tibet in 1904. The film was shot on location in Tibet and contains some incredibly beautiful scenes of the Himalayas.” [producers] According to PARADE magazine (8 March 1997) this is a US$10‑$20 million production; “a Romeo and Juliet tale of a Tibetan boy and an ethnic Han Chinese girl who falls in love…it also depicts the British troops who entered Tibet in 1904 and laid siege to the people.” There is a description of the film in China Today, 46:8, August 1997, pp.44‑45. This film is awful, unbelievable, over‑dramatized, superficial, with cartoon characters and historically inaccurate (Tibetans are forever pledging their allegiance to the Chinese state). [Grunfeld]
Approx, 1 hour, 50 minutes, 1996
611.”Refuge”
Producer/Director: John Halpern,
“The movie Refuge begins after the siege of Tibet in 1959. Although there have been many stories of the Dalai Lama and the plight of Tibet since the Chinese invasion, our story focuses on the spiritual developments that have occurred in the West since that time. This story has never been told before. It tells the story of westerners seeking refuge in Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhists seeking economic refuge in the west. It defines the difference between Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism. It is not a story about the invasion of Tibet or the tragedy of its victims. Refuge is filled with beautiful images from Dharamsala and Bodaghaya , India to New York and California.” [producers]
2005, 57 minutes. refugefilm@mindspring.com. http://www.refugefilms.com
612. “Reincarnation and Reincarnate Lamas”
Directed by Greta Jensen.
Includes an interview with the Dalai Lama about the role of reincarnate lamas in Tibetan Buddhism and interviews with tulkus of all ages.
India, 1985. Wisdom Films, 60 minutes.
613. “Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche”
“This is the story of a monk’s search for his reincarnated Rinpoche. The film follows the monk’s footsteps of the monks as he seeks the advice of the Dalai Lama and the Neching Oracle. He then travels in secret to Tibet and brings out the boy. The 4 year‑old is ordained as a monk and returns to his monastery in south India.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 62 minutes. Also, Mystic Fire Video.
614.* “Refuge”
Director/Producer: John Halpern
“The movie Refuge begins after the siege of Tibet in 1959. Although there have been many stories of the Dalai Lama and the plight of Tibet since the Chinese invasion, our story focuses on the spiritual developments that have occurred in the West since that time…It tells the story of westerners seeking refuge in Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhists seeking economic refuge in the west. It defines the difference between Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism. It is not a story about the invasion of Tibet or the tragedy of its victims. Refuge is filled with beautiful images from Dharamsala and Bodaghaya , India to New York and California.
The story of Refuge is told by a series of first-time interviews with renowned filmmakers, artists and accomplished Tibetan masters. From the West we have interviews with Bernardo Bertolucci, the director of Little Buddha; Martin Scorsese, the director of Kundun; Oliver Stone, the director of “Heaven and Earth;” Melissa Mathison, the screenwriter of Kundun and Philip Glass, composer…What makes Refuge fresh and new is its approach to the subject from the point of view that the fall of Tibet has generated a spiritual rebirth in the West and that the Tibetans who have sought refuge here have found their lives renewed by coming to the West.” [producers]
57 minutes. http://www.refugefilm.com
615.* “Religion and Ethics Newsweekly”
Produced by WNET‑TV (New York) and Ricki Green. Reporter: Lucky Severson
Two parts devoted to a “behind‑the‑scenes look at the daily life of the 14th Dalai Lama…he talks about his spiritual philosophy, his meditation practices and his commitment to negotiation and non‑violence…[it, also,] explores how transplanting the ancient religion and culture of Tibet to Dharamsala, India has created an eclectic array of people ‑ Tibetans, Indians and westerners drawn by the living resident legend, the Dalai Lama.” [producers]
Little evidence of any research. Much of the script sounds like the reading of a Dharamsala news release and there is much adulation of the Dalai Lama. The only serious part was an interview with Jamyang Norbu who, as is his wont, raises important and thoughtful issues; none of which are then addressed. [Grunfeld] 13 minutes and 8:30 minutes. 1999, for additional information see http://www.wnet.org/religion
616. “Religion and Ethics Newsweekly”
Produced by WNET‑TV (New York)
Episode 1135: Interview with the Karmapa Lama, July 2008.Watch it at: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1145/profile.html
617. “Religious Investiture of HHDL”
1970. 16mm. http://tibetfilmarchive.org
618. “Remember Tibet”
Tibet Foundation Film
Doboom Rinpoche and Phuntsog Wangyal address the Tibetan community in Britain and Western friends on the anniversary of the Lhasa uprising against the Chinese. Riga, London, 1985.
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes. US$26.25. Also Meridian Trust.
619. “Requiem for a Faith”
Produced by Hartley Productions and narrated by Prof. Huston Smith.
“Set in Gyuto Tantric Monastery in Northern India, this moving film explores the essence of Tibetan Buddhism and focuses on the unusual chants of the Gyuto monks, whose training enables them to chant in chords. The film was shot mainly in Dalhousie, India, where the two Tantric Colleges, Gyuto and Gyume, were re‑established in exile.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 25 minutes, 16 mm. And video (PAL only).
620. “Return to Kham”
French film directed by Bruno Vienne. 1991. 52 minutes.
621. “Return to Shangri‑La”
A made‑for‑TV documentary featuring Lowell Thomas and shows the wedding of the Crown Prince of Nepal Birendra, the festival of Shiva, life in a Tibetan refugee village, and the hunt and capture of a one‑horned rhinoceros.
60 minutes. Capital Cities TV Productions.
622. Return To Tibet
Tibet an independent and reclusive kingdom ruled by a monk king, the Dalai Lama, until its invasion during the 1950s by Communist China and the flight of hundreds of thousands of Tibetans, including their ruler, to India. Since then the Tibetan Diaspora has spread across the world.
50 years later, this 3 minute film presents a kaleidoscope of Tibetan identity, in Tibet and in exile. Following the music of Chris Michell and Bhagdro, with no dialogue nor comments, Return to Tibet, in association with Tibet Films, is the first step of BAB Production into the rich, moving, colourful culture of the Tibetans, where you can feel and share its sufferings… and its hopes. [producers]
623. “Rgya bza gong jo” (Princess Wencheng)
Wenchen Koncho, (CCTV)
Tang Dynasty epic. Several episodes with Chinese and Tibetan actors. 2000.
Robbie Barnett collection.
624. “Richard Gere’s Buddhism”
“Alongside his Hollywood career, Richard Gere has been a committed Buddhist for 30 years. In this interview for Everyman, he reveals how he came to Buddhism and what it means to him.” [producers]
Heritage Buddhist Trust, http://members.aol.com/yeshiuk/index.html
625. “Richard Gere is My Hero”
Script and Direction by Tashi Wangchuk and Tsultrim Dorjee
“A romantic comedy …about four exile friends who live in McLeod Ganj…Nyima…is a diehard fan of the Hollywood star Richard Gere and wishes to become a great actor himself. On behalf of the Tibetan Youth Organisation…fours friends struggle hard to stage a play for the forthcoming annual inter‑youth club drama competition. Two of the friends…fall in love with the same lady…the story is about a triangular love in exile.” [producers]
Tibetan with English subtitles, 1 hour 45 minutes, India, 2007.
http://www.tibetanfilms.com/newfilm.htm
626. “rights… and wrongs”
White Crane Films Production for The Tibet Museum, Dharamsala, a film by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam.
“This 5‑minute piece was made as a video loop. Stark, frontal portraits of former political prisoners from Tibet ‑ young, old, lay and religious ‑ are intercut with images of unrest and police brutality from the Lhasa uprisings of March 1988 and March 1989 and set to haunting music by the English composer, Julian Stewart Lindsay.” [producers]
2000, 5 minutes, Mini‑DVD/Digital Beta. For information: http:///www.whitecranefilms.com
627. “Ritoma”
Director: Ruby Yang
Tibetan nomads have been herders for hundreds of years, braving the bitter cold and the crushing altitude of the Tibetan plateau. Modernity has worked its way into this community slowly, but its taken its toll on this traditional way of life. Overgrazing has reduced the grasslands to a shadow of their former glory. And with more children attending school, managing a large herd is impossible.
In the settlement of Ritoma, the Norlha textile workshop opened in 2007, employing former nomads and monks to create yak‑wool scarves. A few years ago, the workshop built a basketball court and set up a team for their employees. The new game has proved incredibly popular, especially with the men, who take to the court every day at lunchtime and after work, no matter what the weather. And now that they have their first coach, a former college basketball player from the USA, women are starting to play as well. With their new passion for basketball, they are no longer constrained by their traditional roles as homemakers and child‑bearers, heralding the erosion of long‑dominant patriarchal values and a new beginning for the women of Ritoma. [producers]
Hong Kong. 2018. Tibetan/English, Subtitles in English. 57 mins.
628. “Rituals of Resistance”
Director: Tenzin Phuntsog and Joy Dietrich
…a feature documentarypart road movie (filmed in the American West) and part portrait filmtracing three generations of Tibetans in exile. A former Tibetan monk broke his vows and became a guerilla fighter. The filmmakers own mother followed the Dalai Lamas Middle Path and raised her family in America. A young Tibetan man attempted to self-immolate in 2006… [producers]
USA. English and Tibetan. 2018
629. “River”
Directed by Sonthar Gyal
“After her father has fallen drunk with the motorcycle, little Yangchan realises that something is wrong with him. In her village in the Tibetan steppe it is hard to understand why he doesn’t finally visit her sick grandfather. The old man lives in a cave and is considered a saint. Everyone has already made a pilgrimage to him. But Yangchan’s father stubbornly refuses. The mother is expecting the next child and wants peace, but the father has reasons for his irreconcilable attitude.
A touching story – told only from the girl’s point of view – about a deep spiritual wound of the father, which after many years is severely inflamed and brings an entire family to the edge of the abyss. With his second film Sonthar Gyal has carried critics to storms of enthusiasm and has finally stepped out of the shadow of his friend and mentor Pema Tseden.” [producers]
2015. Tibet. In Tibetan with English and Chinese Subtitles
630. “Robert Thurman on Tibet”
“Legends and folklore. Myths and mystery. Tibet harbors secrets‑ ancient and modern‑ of kings, heroes, sages and saints. With humor and insight, Robert Thurman leads a fascinating exploration of this storied land, including how a powerful renaissance spirit took hold of a nation and influenced Buddhism. In three parts: The Ancient Kings and the Arrival of the Dharma; The Later spread of the Dharma‑‑ Saints, Sages and Adepts: and The Dharma State‑‑ Tibetan Lamas, Modernity and the 21st Century.” [producers]
4 hours, Distributor: PBS Video, Purchase Price: US$59.98
631. “Road to Peace”
Directed by Leon Stuparich
“Road to Peace is a documentary about the Dalai Lama. Filmed during The Dalai Lama’s 2008 UK visit, we go behind the scenes to journey with His Holiness and explores the profound effect that His Holiness has on the people who meet him and captures the excitement that follows him on his international message of peace.” [producers]
http://www.roadtopeacefilms.com/about-road-to-peace/about-the-film/leon-stuparich-director-and-producer/
632. “Rock Dog”
Directed by Ash Bannon
For the Tibetan Mastiffs living on Snow Mountain, a dog’s life has a simple riff: Guard a peaceful village of wool‑making sheep from the thuggish wolf Linnux (Lewis Black) and his rabid pack. To avoid distractions, Mastiff leader Khampa (J.K. Simmons) forbids all music from the mountain. But when Khampa’s son Bodi (Luke Wilson) discovers a radio dropped by a passing airplane, it takes just a few guitar licks for his fate to be sealed: Bodi wants to be a rock ‘n’ roll star. Yet that means defying his father’s wishes, heading to the city, and locating the legendary ‑ and reclusive ‑ musician Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard), who needs to write a new song and fast. If Bodi can put a band together, help Angus with his song, and defeat the wolves’ plot to take Snow Mountain, his life will be in tune. Bodi will become what he’s always dreamed of being: More than a dog … more than a Rock God… he’ll be a ROCK DOG! [producers]
Animation. United States. 1:30. 2017
633. “Roots of Infinity”
Japanese film directed by Oguri Kenichi. Image Forum film. 1991. 90 minutes.
634. “Royal Café”
by Tenzin Dazel
The film, which is set in Paris, has Tibetan characters far from the usual Tibetan stereotypes and reveals them as simply men & women all marked by their own desires, disappointments and loneliness,
In Tibetan, English, Swiss German with English subtitles
2016. France, 39 minutes.
635. “Rtse mdang bror bai dka grogs” (dzinthang kor [dor?] bai ga tro, Heartless Lover)
Li Xiaoqin (??),
Film about a Romeo and Juliet romance. Tibetan actors, Tibetan writer. 1984?
Robbie Barnett collection.
636. “Ruoergai at Skyside”
Yadon, a Tibetan singer from Tibetan‑inhabited areas in Sichuan province, brings forth his maiden film ‑ a newsreel [which] focuses on environmental protection progress at the Ruoergai County in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province…”I have the plan to go for higher learning in the Beijing Film Academy,” said Yadon. His dream now is to become a director of good Tibetan‑themed movies like “Himalaya”, which has won nomination as one of the Best Oscar Foreign Language Films in 2000.
http://www.tibetinfor.com 2007
637. “Sacred Art of Tibet”
Directed by Larry Jordan, USA in 1970. 20 minutes.
638. “Sacred Dances of Tibet”
Yantra Productions.
Cham dancing by the monks of Khampagar.
1974. 30 minutes. English.
639. Sacred Heart of Asia
Director Goutam Ghose.
This film contains rare archival footage of ceremonies and ritual public festivals at the Potala, the Dalai Lama’s summer palace and the Jakang temple recorded before China ‘s invasion of Tibet . We witness the siege of Ganden Monastery as well as recent footage, shot under the constraints of government approval, showing the Tibetans striving to rebuild their homes and temples in the wake of China ‘s repression. [producers]
1998, documentary, 50 minutes.
640. “Sacred Landscape and Pilgrimage in Tibet: In Search of the Lost Kingdom of Bon”
by Geshe Gelek Jinpa, Charles Ramble and Carroll Dunham,
“Geshe Gelek Jinpa, a monk of the little‑known Bon faith, takes us on a fascinating pilgrimage, visually and spiritually, through the spectacular landscape of western Tibet in search of the lost, sacred Bon homeland of Zhangzhung. This spiritual adventure is the first book to document the living tradition of Bon, whose origins predate Buddhism in Tibet by hundreds, if not thousands, of years. What makes this narrative so compelling is that it features the voice and perspective of the monk Gelek, giving it an intimacy and knowledge of Bon not found in religious texts.
According to the Tibetan calendar, 2002 was a holy year for pilgrimages, and in the holiest month of that year, Gelek set out from his monastery in Nepal with eleven hardy companions and photographer Thomas Kelly to travel to Kailish, a sacred mountain in western Tibet. Gelek was also on a personal mission to seek out the long‑vanished kingdom of Zhangzhung. At the end of the journey, Gelek finds little that resembles the Bon kingdom. He comes upon crumbling ruins that have all but reverted to their native dust and earth. From this experience Gelek understands that the essence of his faith is not built on these shifting sands but on the bedrock of the changeless Bon teachings.
Included with this book is a fascinating DVD, which allows us to experience this exotic pilgrimage through one of the most remote places on earth.” [producers]
Snow Lion. 60 min. US$65.00
641. “Sacred Music, Sacred Dance”
Monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery in Mundgod, India perform lama dances.
“The team followed the old trade route between Tibet and the north‑Indian plains, a trade that is now much reduced, but as the film shows, still continuing. The folk dances of the region are a revelation, the brilliant colours standing in stark contrast to the barren and harsh countryside. Equally surprising in these seemingly lifeless mountains is the wildlife, including the rare kiang ‑Tibetan Wild Ass and Bharal ‑ the Himalayan blue sheep. The second half of the film follows the climbers on their way up the mountain ‑ staying with them through four days of incessant snowfall, before a finding a route up the northwest face of the mountain. A surprise awaits the climbers when they reach the summit!” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 75 minutes. US$26.25.
642. “Sacred Tibet: The Path to Mount Kailash”
Director: Tom Vendetti
Narrated by Kris Kristofferson. Includes interview with Dalai Lama.2006. 90 minutes.
643. “Sakya”
Created by Zhang Xiaotao
Zhang is a prominent Chinese artist who made two virtual art projects, one an animated film and the other a documentary. Based on footage taken at the Sakya Monastery in 2007 and 2010.
Zhang said: My decision to do this project was connected to the Buddhist influence in my life since I was a child…I was deeply moved when I went to Dunhuang Grottoes for the first time in 1993…Art is the artists personal religion, and the job of the artist is to follow the path of transcendence. Buddhism began its spread into China during the Han dynasty, and brought massive changes to Chinese history and the progression of culture and society. Im very curious about the history of Tibetan Buddhism, with its fusion of religion and politics during the Yuan dynasty. I want to know about the situation of Tibetan Buddhism today. I want to unlock those secrets from within Sakya Monastery. Its all rooted in curiosity.
http://www.artlinkart.com/en/article/overview/b49cvAnl/genres/interview/L
2010-2011.
644. “Samadhi: The Stages of Meditation According to the Sutra and Tantra Traditions”
by the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
The Progressive stages of Buddhist practice through the three yanas that allow us to transform our negative emotions and discover the pure nature of mind ‑ including a discussion of creation and completion stage practices, the five Buddha families and the five wisdoms. [producers]
Snow Lion, 15.5 hours, 11 talks, 6 DVDs, US$110.00
645. “Samsara”
Canadian distributor: Odeon Films. US distributor: Miramax Films
“Paris‑based film‑maker of Indian origin Pandya Nalin Kumar Ramniklal, who was once a tea vendor in Gujarat, has canned his first international feature film…with an international cast…shot at a height of more than 15,000 feet in the inhospitable terrain of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir. Written and directed by Ramniklal, who is better known as Pannalin, Samsara tells the story of a young Buddhist Lama who abandons his vows of celibacy and leaves the monastery to go back to the society. Interwoven in the film is a love triangle involving the Buddhist, his wife and a migrant girl farm worker from Himachel Pradesh. Produced by a multinational company, the film was shot over an arduous 12‑week schedule. Pannalin has broken a record of sorts by shooting with a 150‑strong crew and cast in one of the highest inhabited regions in the world. The film is in the native language of Ladakh, …dubbed in three languages ‑‑ English, German and French. Pannalin said the crew and cast of the film came from 14 countries, including China and Bulgaria. While the protagonist is a Ladakhi‑based actor, the female lead opposite him is Canada‑based Christy Chen and the second female lead is Berlin‑based Indo‑German Neelesha Barthel Vora. A Tibetan refugee from Bangalore has portrayed the part of the villain. ” [The Times of India, October 11, 2000]
646.* “Sand Painting: Sacred Art of Tibetan Buddhism”
Written and produced by Sheri Brenner.
“The ancient art of Tibetan sand painting has been preserved in the monasteries of Indian and Tibet for over 2000 years. In this live program, we have the rare opportunity to watch Tibetan monks of the Namgyal Monastery perform this unique art form. They will create the mandala of Kalachakra, the most sacred of Buddhist sand paintings”
“Entering the world of Tibetan sacred tradition, this documentary explores the meaning of the symbols and rituals within the mandalas that have existed throughout time. These extraordinary images are narrated by Lobstang Samten whose wisdom and understanding provide insight into this sacred art.” [producers]
1991, 30 minutes, color, VHS video.
647. “Sands of Compassion: Creating the Demchok Mandala”
By Bardor Tulku Rimpoche & Karma Thegsum Choling
A visual record of the creation of the Demchok Mandada (Chakrasamvara), one of the most rarely seen and sacred of Tibetan sand paintings…contains short teachings by Bardor Tulku. [producers]
27 minutes. DVD. Snow Lion
648. “Sarahas Doha for the King”
by Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
When Saraha encountered a wisdom dakini and began to engage in non‑traditional yogi practices, the local King tried to convince Saraha to return to a more traditional monastic approach. In response, Saraha sang this doha; hearing it, the King gained realization. [producers]
Snow Lion, 17 hours, 12 DVDs, US$120.00
649.* “Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy”
Produced and directed by Ellen Bruno.
“This film focuses on the personal testimonies of Tibetan Buddhist nuns who in recent years, have taken the lead in resisting the communist China’s illegal occupation of Tibet and brutal suppression of the Tibetan people. The film seeks to understand the basis and inspiration for their non‑violent actions in their struggle against oppressive policies.” [producers]
See Grunfeld video review in Journal of Asian Studies, 56:2, May 1997, pp. 579‑580.
Distributed by Film Library, 22‑D Hollywood Avenue, Ho‑Ho‑Kus, New Jersey 07423 (800) 383‑5548.
1993, 28 minutes, color.
650. “Scham‑Tanze in Einem Tibetischen Lama‑Kloster” (Kumbum Dschamba Ling)
(Cham Dancing at a Tibetan Monastery [Kumbum Dschamba Ling])
Restored and digitalized at the Tibetan Film Archive, Rubin Museum, NY: ‑http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org/
651. “Savage Lover” (Wuqing de qingren)
Chinese film directed by Chen Guojun in 1986.
652. “Searching for Sacred Montain”
Directed by: Shi Lihong and Gary Marcuse.
“The documentary tells the story of Liu Jianqiang, an investigative environmental journalist and Beijing editor of ChinaDialogue who has recently converted to Buddhism. The documentary includes footage of senior Chinese government officials declaring their commitment to an “ecological civilization” that draws on Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and other Chinese cultural traditions as a means of addressing the country’s growing environmental challenges. It also shows that leading Chinese academics are making the connection between such traditions and the protection of vulnerable lands and habitats.” [producers]
U.S.A. 2014. Mandarin and English. 20 muinutes. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ffbGYgwOd8
653. “Searching For Shangri‑La”
“Author Laurence J. Brahm joins forces with China’s most alternative director, Yang Tao, and Mongolian composer San Bao to seek out Shangri‑la through the most environmentally sound regions left in the world, Tibet, Qinghai and Yunnan. The beautifully bound 3 DVD set is a companion series to a book of the same title.” [producers]
http://www.laurencebrahm.com/global‑activist
654. ” Secret Heart of Asia: Inside Tibet” and “Secret heart of Asia: Buddha on the Silk Road”
Taken from a five part series called Beyond the Himalayas (see above). Michael Haggiag Production. Directed by Goutam Ghose.
“…a two part film that follows an international team across the Himalayas to reveal a close up view of the people and history of the most beautiful and remote region on earth…a caravan of jeeps [traveled] the entire 12,000 km route from Bukhara across Chinese Turkestan to Mount Everest.” Part 1: “…contains rare archival footage of ceremonies and ritual public festivals at the Potala…and the Jokhang temple recorded before China’s invasion of Tibet. Part 2: “…follows the trail of Xuan Zang [7th century traveler known as “the Marco Polo of the Orient] from Xian…to Boghgaya in India…” [producers]
Mystic Fire Video.
655. “Secret History: The Nazi Expedition”
Produced by Channel 4 (UK)
Documentary based on an earlier film produced by German television. Examines the role of five German scientists, and SS members, who traveled to Tibet in 1938 under the leadership of Ernst Schaefer. See The Enigma of Tibet, the propaganda film made of the expedition.
One of the scientists, Dr. Bruno Berger, was still alive and filed a formal complaint with the official UK governments Office of Communication (OFCOM). For a complete transcript of the complaint and resolution see http://ofcom.org.uk/tv/obb/prog_cb/obb85/
Broadcast on 12 July 2004.
656. “Secret Tibet”
Produced by Changlochen Tsewang Yonten
Directed by Liu Debin
46 episode film shown on CCTV 8 in early 2013. People depicted are largely from the former Tibetan aristocracy, as is the producer. Producers defend the series as Tibetans talking about Tibet.
657. “Secret Towers of the Himalayas”
Executive producer and cameraman Frederique Darragon (co‑produced by Michael Peissel and the Discovery Channel)
Darragon, traveling with only a Chinese driver, filmed 40 hours and shot some 4000 still photos documenting a series of mysterious towers, some 50 meters tall and dating back perhaps 1200 years, scattered in the valleys along the Chinese border in an area known as the tribal corridor of south‑west China. Darragon believes the towers had varying purposes: watchtowers, symbols of wealth and pride. Daraggon is trying to get them onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. Profits from the film go to the Unicorn Foundation which is dedicated to improving the living conditions of the inhabitants of this area and for sustainable tourism. [I am grateful to Mr. Darragon for this information.]
Shown on the Discovery Channel in the US and around the world.
658. * “Secrets of Shangri‑la”
Written, produced and directed by Liesl Clark
Sky Door Films for National Geographic and France 5
Episode 1: Quest for Sacred Caves
Episode 2: Lost Cave Temples”…follow the adventures of explorers who set out to reach the forbidden Kingdom of Mustang ‑‑ off‑limits to Westerners for 50 years ‑‑ and the unseen treasures these lost caves contains…
In “Secrets of Shangri‑La”…seven‑time Everest summiter Pete Athans and a team of internationally renowned climbers and explorers journey to Mustang, joining forces with archaeologists, anthropologists and art historians to rescue rare Tibetan texts from crumbling, long‑hidden caves before looters reach them. When a political group from a nearby village tries to stop them, an intriguing set of events ensues involving the King of Mustang, the highest lama of the land, and even the local divinities believed to inhabit the area.
In “Lost Cave Temples of the Himalaya” …follow Pete Athans and big‑wall climber Renan Ozturk as they take on the dangerous job of climbing into the crumbling caves for the first time in modern history. Their goals are to get inside the inaccessible cave cities, unoccupied for hundreds ‑‑ if not thousands ‑‑ of years, to document what’s inside and to search for nine legendary cave temples called “kabum.” What they find goes far beyond their expectations, rocking the Himalayan world and rewriting the history of this remote and mystical region. The treasures include a 55‑panel painted mural and piles of old Tibetan manuscript folios, some printed in silver and gold. Each vertical move into a cave opening is a step into the unknown.”
It seems the 2nd film was the original trek to Mustang and the 1st the follow‑up. While both are beautifully filmed, the 1st has more caves, murals, chortens, etc. while the 2nd is more about the rigors of rock climbing in that environment. [Grunfeld]
60 minutes each. 2009 http://www.shoppbs.org
Seems that this has been re-packaged as a NOVA Production by Sky Door Films for WGBH Boston in association with Sky Vision Productions, National Geographic and France Televisions. Entitled Secrets of the Sky Tobs and runs 53 minutes. 2017.
659.* “Secrets of the Tsangpo”
National Geographic Special for National Geographic TV. Produced and filmed by Bryan Harvey Follows the adventures of two Americans (Ian Baker and Ken Storm) and their retinue of Tibetan bearers into the Pemako region of southeast Tibet in search of a sacred waterfall. Frank Kingdon Ward failed in his attempt to reach this waterfall in 1924. Helped by hunters familiar with the region, Baker, Storm and Harvey become the first Americans to reach this 100‑115 ft. falls in gorges three times the depth of the Grand Canyon. [Grunfeld]
1999. Approx. 24 minutes. For info see http://www.nationalgeographic.com
660. “Secular Meditation”
Produced by The Foundation for Universal Responsibility
Talk by the Dalai Lama addressing the benefits of mental peace. “He stresses that a distinction must be made between religious subjects, such as faith and what he calls ‘basic human good qualities,’ such as compassion, love, forgiveness, harmony and brotherhood and sisterhood.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 50 minutes. US$35.00. Also, Mystic Fire Video. Also, Meridian Trust.
661. “Scent of Juniper”
Directed byTashi Wangchuk
… a real-life story about a Tibetan exile folk artist, Tsering Dorjee, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area and his initiative in passing down centuries old Tibetan literature and performing arts to younger generation Tibetans. He does so through the community weekend culture school, which serves these youngsters who were born and raised in the US. [producers]
2014.
662. “Seeds”
Director: Tenzin Dazel
“Beautiful black and white 8mm film captures a day in the life of a group of young Tibetans in New Delhi ‑ mostly call center workers and college students ‑ as they navigate the challenges of the day, looming pressures of tomorrow and haunting echoes of years past.”[producers]
2009. 28 minutes.
663. “Seeds for Tibet: Voices of Children in Exile”
Produced, directed and edited by Toby Beach, Peter Yost, Luke Wolbach
Shot at the Tibetan Homes School in Mussorie, India, this brief film looks at the school, the personal testimonies of several children and an interview with the Dalai Lama. Issues such as the effects of modernization and assimilation on Tibetan refugees is touched on but never pursued. Instead, the film makers take every opportunity to attack the Chinese. Makes for a more knee‑jerk and less insightful film. [Grunfeld]
30 minutes. New Day Films, 22D Hollywood Ave., Ho‑Ho‑Kus, NJ 07423 (1‑888‑367‑9154;http://www.newday.com ).
664. “Sem‑Dzin: 21 Ways of Focusing Mind”
In this lecture the range of meditative practices for focusing or “holding the mind” from Man‑ngag‑de is summarized. Ilfracombe, Devon. Only available to members of the Dzogchen community.
Meridian Trust, 1984, 120 minutes.
665. “Serfs” [Nongnu]
Written by Huang Zongjiang, directed by Li Jun.
A 1963 Chinese film which created a stir when released. The protagonist is a mute, unwilling to speak of the horrors of slavery before the communist era in Tibet. A largely Tibetan cast.
Set in Tibet just prior to the arrival of the PLA, a young orphan, Jampa, toils as a human horse until freed by the PLA. Familiar theme of how China helps ethnic minorities reform their societies.
Available with English subtitles through interlibrary loan from Stewart Library, Weber State University, 801‑626‑6384. 90 minutes
666. “Serjie” (Tshangs sbyod, Desire Realm)
Chinese cinema film. Monk falls in love. English subtitles.
Robbie Barnett collection.
667. “Seven Days in Tibet”
Cyril Payen, a reporter for France 24 spent several days in Tibet as a tourist. This is a 15 minute film he put together from that trip. Subsequent to the showing of this film on French TV, Chinese authorities threatened the reporter, who lives in Bangkok, and possible retaliation.
In French. 15 minutes. 2013. Accessible at:
668. “Seven Dreams of Tibet”
Directed by Jan van den Berg for DNTV/NIS
“In this documentary Tibetan singer Namgyal Lhamo travels to Dharamsala…in search of songs and stories from the newly arrived refugees. Former prisoners of the Chinese tell her of the cruelty inflicted on them.
50 minutes Video. Sale US$295, Rental US$75. Filmmaker’s Library (tel: 212‑808‑4980/fax: 212‑808‑4983) http://www.filmakers.com e‑mail: info@filmakers.com
669. “Seven Years of Tibet”
Written by Heinrich Harrer and Walter Ulbrich
Based on Harrers book of the same name.
79 minutes. UK 1956. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA5o14sxdo8
670. “Seven Years in Tibet”
Directed by Jean‑Jacques Annaud. Produced by Iain Smith. Written by Becky Johnson based on a book by Heinrich Harrer. Sony Pictures.
A major Hollywood film starring Brad Pitt and David Thewlis depicting Harrer’s escape from a British POW camp and trek across Tibet where he was befriended ‑ and enriched ‑ by the lay aristocracy and the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama has approved the film saying “Harrer is one of the few Westerners who is fully acquainted with the Tibetan way of life.” [Grunfeld]
1997, 135 minutes.
671. “SEY KARDO ‑ A Dwindling Festival”
It is a documentary film about an opera festival at Dekyling Tibetan settlement, India. The film showcase how the people of Sey work hard to preserve the ancient old festival, Seykardo. The festival used to be one of the most sought after events in Dowadzong, Southern Tibet before 1959.
http://www.tibetanfilms.com/documentaries.html
672.* “Shadows Over Tibet: Stories in Exile”
Produced by Rachel Lyon and Valerie Mark. Written and directed by Rachel Lyon.
Lioness Films, 1994.
673. “Sham bha lar bskyod pa” (Journey to Shambhala)
Chinese Central TV and Gansu TV1997‑8.
In Tibetan. Robbie Barnett collection.
674. “Shamans of the Blind Country”
Film by Michael Oppitz
Documentary on shamans and magical healing in Northern Magar in western Nepal.1981. West Germany. Two parts, 224 minutes. WSK Productions, Inc. (212‑962‑3413).
675. “Shambhala Sutra”
Director: Laurence Brah
“The Sixth Panchen Lama, Lobsang Palden Yeshe (1737‑1780) wrote the Shambhala Sutra, which serves as a guidebook to finding the kingdom of Shambhala. On one level it literally reads like a roadmap describing places such as Poison Lake, Demon Lake, and one hundred mountains emitting light after dark. These places all exist in Ngari, and director Laurence Brahm has followed the sutra to the lost kingdom of Guge alleged to be the legendary Shambhala. On another level the sutra is not meant to be a literal guidebook at all, but rather a meditation roadmap leading one into a journey within. The sutra also serves as a kind of oracle, of events yet to come, which maybe we have already arrived upon without realizing it.
Through this Tibetan docu‑essay journey, global issues and experimental film ideas are brought together on the Roof of the World. Shambhala Sutra is the culmination of Brahm’s three years of filming in Tibet and contains unprecedented footage within key monasteries of Tibet (where even CCTV is not allowed to film), as well as the only recorded interview with the internationally controversial 11th Panchen Lama Gyaltsen Norbu (recognized by Beijing).” [producers].
2005, 70 minutes. http://www.laurencebrahm.com/global‑activist
676. “Shangshung: The Artistic Treasures of Tsaparang and Tholing”
Directed by Brian Beresford. Produced by Sean Jones.
Within the crumbling walls of the ancient cities of Western Tibet are some of the finest examples of early Mahayana Buddhist art.
Wisdom Films, 1989, 60 minutes. US$44.00. Also, Meridian Trust.
677. “Sherpa High Country”
Produced by Xenia Lisanevich.
Includes detailed footage of the New Year festivities at Thangboche Monastery, the highest in the world at 15,000 ft. Dances of humorous, legendary and exotic types are shown.
1976, 20 minutes, color, 16 mm. Available from University of California, Extension Media Center (415‑642‑0460).
678. “Shielding the Mountains”
Directed by Kunga Lama
“Why have Tibetans become environmentalists? How do Tibetan conceptions of nature different from Western ones? This film explores these questions through the story of two Tibetan environmental leaders in contemporary China” [producers]
2010. 20 minutes. Http://emily.yeh@colorado.edu
679. “Shigatse: One Injection is Never Enough”
Swiss film directed by Jurg Neuenschwander. 1989.
680. “Shining Spirit: The Musical Journey of Jamyang Yeshi”
“In the summer of 2005, Gompo Dhundup and fellow musician, Jamyang Yeshi, were invited to Canada to perform at the “Cultures at Risk” Summit at The Banff Centre. Their music was recorded in India and at the Centre, and the CD “The Karma of Snowland” was released. The most recent CD, “Shining Spirit,” was recorded in Tibet and in Canada in 2006 & 2007. In 2009 they released the film, Shining Spirit: The Musical Journey of Jamyang Yeshi, which documents the recording process that led to the Shining Spirit CD.” [producers]
http://www.taracafeproject.ca/
681. “Short Cut to Nirvana”
by Maurizio Benazzo & Nick Day
Focused mostly on the 70 million Hindu spiritual pilgrims although the Dalai Lama is featured. This is a fun, spunky documentary with unforgettable images (such as the yogi who lifts a man with his penis. Really). [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 85 minutes, DVD, US$29.95
682. “Shower of Virtue and Goodness”
Since 1959, India has extended its hospitality to about 100,000 Tibetan refugees following the Chinese occupation of their country. India, the land of Arya, or the noble ones, from which Tibet received the Buddhist teachings, became the second home for the Tibetans. It provided a fertile and friendly soil on which the Tibetans could preserve their culture and religion.
As a gesture of deep gratitute of the Tibetans to the Indian people, His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed his wish to presenmt a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha. He selected the Buddha Jayanti park in the centre of Delhi, the Indian capital, to be the home of the statue.
The main consecretion and presentation ceremony of Lord Buddha statue was held on 2nd October 1993 to coincide with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. [producers]
1996. 28 min. Tibetan, Hindustani with subtitles English
683. “SIDDHARTHA: The Movie”
Film by Conrad Rooks, based on the novel by Hermann Hesse
DVD additionally offers optional English, German and Spanish, interview with director, original storyboards and script selections. Hesse’s story of young Brahmin who leaves his wealthy parents to become a sadhu. He meets and is awed by the Buddha, but chooses to follow his own path‑‑which leads him to sexual passion, material wealth, frustration and abandonment of the worldly path. This video includes a 30 minute interview with the director Conrad Rooks. The movie is visually stunning.
115 minutes. US$ 29.99 . Snow Lion
684. “Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet”
23 reels of 16mm on 1 DVD.
Reel 1. April ‑ Aug 1931, in an around Gantok residency. 10.04 2. Gyantse and west Tibet. 11.20 3. Gantok residency in Sikkim, 1931‑2. 4. Ha and Paro, Bhutan. 1933 5. Paro, Bhutan. June‑July 1933 6. Bumthang, Bhutan. July 1933 7. Tibet, Aug 1933. Yamdrok Tso,Dekyi Linga and the Potala. 8. In and aroudn Lhasa and Drepung. June ‑ Sept 1933 9. Sera, Lhasa, Yamdrok Tso and Samding. Sept ‑ Oct 1933 10. Gyantse, Tibet, Gantok, Sikkim. Oct 1933‑Jan 1934 11. Sakya and Shigatse, Tibet. 1934 12. Shigatse and Gyantse, Tibet. 1934 13. Ha, Bhutan amd Gantok, Sikkim. 1934 14. Inspecting troops in Tibet, 1934 15. Tibet in 1934 16. Around Yamdrok Tso, Tibet 1934 17. Tsang Po, Tsetang and Samye, Tibet 1935 18. A camp at Nyenyo, 1935 19. Potala Palace, Tibet 1935 20. Tsarong, Drepung. Tibet 1935 21. Sera, Tibet in 1935 22. Potala, a Ladies Party and the Regent in Tibet, 1935‑6. 23. Dekyi Linka in Tibet, 1935.
Production / Donor Details: Frederick Williamson was a British Political officer stationed in Sikkim, Bhutan, and Tibet in the 1930s.
http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/5069
685. “Silent Holy [Mani] Stones”
Directed and written by Pema Tseden (Wanma Caidan)
“The first feature film made by a Tibetan focusing on the tensions between local traditions and the appeal of modern society. Starring Tibetan actors.
Even though large areas of Tibet are still among the most remote places on earth for Westerners, cameras seem to get there without any problems. Cinema‑goers have been able to get acquainted with the Tibetan landscapes and living conditions in recent years thanks to a variety of productions including Die SalzmÄnner von Tibet, Seven Years in Tibet and the Chinese eco‑action film Kekexili. It is about time therefore that authentic Tibetan voices joined the clamor. Wanma‑caidan, recently graduated from the film academy in Beijing, has made a convincing start with The Silent Holy Stones. In a clear style reminiscent of both recent Iranian cinema and of Japanese masters, he shows the life of several Tibetans during a few days of winter in a small village. A young lama is happy to be rid of his religious duties for a few days so he can spend some time with his family. He and his young friend, a living Buddha, thoroughly enjoy watching endless videos of a Chinese television series. With a sequence of minor events ‑ the performance of a traditional Tibetan opera, an unexpected death, a fixer who rips off young people.
Wanma Caidan provides a touching (but never overly saccharine) picture of contemporary life in Tibet, while also looking at the tension between local traditions and the temptations of Chinese kitsch and modern life.” [promo from Rotterdam Film Festival]
“Baima Cedain said he had long dreamed of making a purely Tibetan movie after graduating from the Beijing Academy of Film Arts.
Recent Chinese films about Tibet include Serfs, Red River Valley and The Horse Thief, but these films were all made by Chinese film makers. Very few were in Tibetan or starred or were directed by Tibetans.
Most of these films and some foreign movies take an outsider’s view of Tibet and its people. I want to show audiences what Tibet is like for Tibetans themselves, said Baima Cedain, adding that he does not like the idea that Tibet is a mysterious and bizarre place isolated from the rest of the world.
We want to show the world how Tibetan culture and society has developed, and the spirit and temperament of the ethnic people who live on the plateau, he said.
Tibetans are facing unprecedented changes in their lives. The “collision” between tradition and modernity creates both surprises and confusion. Holy stones engraved with Buddhist scriptures or Buddha images, which can be seen all over Tibet, are witness to the changes on the plateau and in people’s thinking, said Baima.
However, whatever changes occur, the holy status of these stones will never change, just like Tibetan people’s religious devotion and some of our traditions, said the director…
Baima said the story of the journey would be told in the second film and the third film would-be set-in Lhasa itself. Lhasa is the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China
The people in my hometown are the enduring inspiration for my work. I will make more movies for them, said Baima.” [Xinhua, 27 August 2006]
The film won the Maiden Directors award at China’s 25th Golden Rooster awards in 2005, as well as awards at the Busan International Film Festival and Vancouver International Film Festival and the Special Jury Award at the Changchun Film Festival in 2006.
In Tibetan, Chinese subtitles. China 2005 102 minutes
686. “Sir Basil Gould’s film on Tibet 1940″
Colour film of the events surrounding the enthronement of the Dalai Lama but not the enthronment ceremonies itself. Accessible at:
https://www.facebook.com/100057759044442/posts/131600002108634/?d=n
Cambridge University Library. 8:32 minutes
687. “Sisters of Ladakh”
Directed and Produced by Ricardo Lobo
“SISTERS OF LADAKH is an inquiry into the feminine vision of Buddhism. Filmed on location in Ladakh, on the Himalayan border between India and Tibet, this one hour documentary features stunning photography and compelling testimonies of Tibetan nuns. SISTERS OF LADAKH documents their daily activities in an intimate and candid way, encompassing both their religious practices and the interaction with local communities. The nuns also discuss the condition and role of women in Buddhism, the current efforts to overcome gender prejudices and the challenges that lie ahead to build a compassionate world both at the local and global levels. The documentary also features the recent teachings of the Dalai Lama in the region. SISTERS OF LADAKH is a unique look at a vanishing world, bringing to Western audiences a rare contemporary perspective from Buddhist nuns.” [producers]
2007, 52 minutes. Watch it at: http://snagfilms.com/films/title/sisters_of_ladakh/
688. “Six Holy Lamas from Tibet”
British Pathe News newsreel on the visit of six Tibetan monks to London in conjunction with the filming of the movie The Epic of Everest.
UK, 1924.
689. “Skal bzang me tog” (Kelsang Metog)
Contemporary urban family history drama with flashbacks to 1940s. In Chinese and Tibetan. 2001.
Robbie Barnett collection.
690. “Skor‑lam. Prayer Wheels, Amulets, Prostrations”
A “video document” by Wolf Kahlen.
“In this film the artist and Tibet expert Wold Khalen draws an intense picture of one single, but central Tibetan issues: the daily practice of circumambulating…The film method of extremely long takes…and like the 108 beads of the rosary the film takes 108 minutes…[the filming was done from] 1985 until 1990 in various parts of Tibet at all seasons and in other Tibetan inhabited parts of the Himalayas.” [Khalen]
In German. 1985‑90, 108 minutes. See http://www.snafu.de/~ruine‑kuenste.berlin/video11.htm
691. “Skutecny svet” (The Real World)
Directed by: Igor Chaun
Meditative documentary about how a young Czech director sees Buddhism and the people in Tibet and India. Near New Age look at the world with many colorful pictures and New Age music…a two‑part documentary The Real World?. The documentary was filmed in co‑production creative groups Cestmír Kopecký and travel agencies Mandala. Axis consists of two parts trips Czech tourists in Asia under the leadership of Mr. Milan healer Calábka … Experiences Czech tourists during their stay in Thailand, Nepal and Sri Lanka are confronted with new film roles from Prague as visually impressive meditative passages, which resound with quotations from the works Western and Eastern philosophers: Alan Watts, Stanislav Grof, Paul Brunton, Taisen Dešimaru … An unusual document attempts to persuade the viewer to “open their minds” and approached the eastern view of life to open up exotic faraway places, beautiful nature, as well as Buddhist and Hindu traditions as the millennia has shaped … [producers]
Czech, 1998 59 + 75 min
692. “Sky Burial”
Directed/produced by Ellen Bruno
“Sky Burial follows the ritual of “jha‑tor“, the giving of alms to birds in a northern Tibetan monastery ‑ where the bodies of the dead are offered to the vultures as a final act of kindness to living beings. At the Drigung Monastery lamas chant to call the consciousness from the body. Juniper incense is burned to summon the vultures. Special body breakers, or “rogyapas“, unwrap the bodies and cut away the flesh. The bones are crushed and mixed with tsampa, roasted barley flour. The entire body is consumed by the birds, assuring the ascent of the soul.
The sky, or the universe, is where the sacred world lies. To merge with the sky after death is a holy event, one that replaces the sufferings of this world with peace.” [producers]
2005, 15 minutes, color http://www.Brunofilms.com
693. “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”
Director: Kerry Conran
A mystery sci-fi film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Angelina Jolie. When gigantic robots attack New York City, “Sky Captain” (Jude Law) uses his private air force to fight them off. His ex‑girlfriend, reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow), has been investigating the recent disappearance of prominent scientists. Suspecting a link between the global robot attacks and missing men, Sky Captain and Polly decide to work together. They fly to the Himalayas in pursuit of the mysterious Dr. Totenkopf (Laurence Olivier), the mastermind behind the robots.
2004. USA. 1h 47m
694. “Sky Dancer”
Director/Producer: Jody Kemmerer
Sky Dancer is a film about the daily life and teachings of one of Tibetan Buddhisms great female masters. In a world where ethnic and political tensions are driving people apart, we are transported to a community where Chinese and Tibetan students study together and are treated as equals. Khandroma Kunzang Wangmo the matriarch and spiritual leader of a remote area on the Tibetan plateau is one of very few women ever to receive a position of power in Tibetan Buddhism. Even more rare, she is the descendant of two extremely significant and highly respected masters of Tibetan Buddhism. The film is an inside look at the daily life and journey of this extraordinary woman who is a living example of wisdom and compassion in a world that so often seems to be lacking genuine examples of both. [producers]
2006, 46 minutes. Tibetan and Chinese with English subtitles. http://www.skydancermovie.com
695. “Sleepwalking Mongolia. Travels with a Post‑Modern Buddhism”
Filmed, produced, directed and edited by David Cherniack
Cherniack is “an award winning film maker and veteran of CBC’s “Man Alive” series…and a practicing Buddhism for 25 years.” Filmed with a Hi8 Camcorder on a 5 week visit to Mongolia the film is “a highly personal account of his doubts and concerns as he observes the difficult rebirth of Buddhism in Mongolia during a visit of the Dalai Lama [in 1992].”
“The film maker was given behind‑the‑scenes access. As he witnessed the contradictions and excesses of the local form of Buddhism and grapples with the tendency of so many to take faith to non‑Buddhist extremes, it provided fodder for an insight meditation on the nature of doubt and faith in Mahajana vehicle.” [producers]
104 minutes. E‑mail: dcherniack@myna.com . Web site: http://www.myna.com/~davidck
696. “sNang sa ‘od ‘bum”
Chinese TV production. Traditional Tibetan opera with Tibetan actors.
Robbie Barnett collection.
697. “Snow Lotus in the Icy Mountains” (Bingshan xuelian)
Chinese film directed by Xiang Lin in 1978.
698. “Some Questions on the Nature of Your Existence”
Directed by Ritu Sarin & Tenzing Sonam
Commissioned by Thyssen‑Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna
A single‑channel video installation, which explores the rarefied world of Tibetan Buddhist debate. Built around three sets of debates dealing with the basic Buddhist concepts of impermanence, lack of self‑existence, and dependent‑arising, the piece allows the viewer an opportunity to participate in this unique dialectical practice while highlighting its relevance to the modern world. [producers]
2007. 26 mins
699. “Song of Tibet”
Directed by Xie Fei”
An epic romance, wildly romantic and gorgeously shot, which is also a major cultural event. A Tibetan story with an all‑Tibetan cast, sympathetically shot by one of China’s most prominent film makers (“Women from the Lake of the Scented Souls”). At the center is a love triangle and numerous hardships and adventures recalled by an elderly couple who recount the tale of their meeting, flight, combative romance and long enmities and friendships.” [Chicago Tribune, 13 October 2000]
2000. In Tibetan with subtitles.
700. “Songzi Ganbu / Song Zai Gan Bu” [Songtsen Gampo]
Director Yang Jizhi.
In the early part of the 7 th century, Songzai Ganbu becomes the leader of the Tibetans. To consolidate his power he seeks to marry someone from the Chinese court. The story tells how he conveys this message to the Tang Dynasty court, and how he and the Princess Wencheng are at last married in the Tibetan Potala Palace [producers]
Small historical note, the Potala was built centuries after Wencheng arrival in Tibet. [Grunfeld]
1988, China, Tibetan Television Studio
701. “Soul on a String”
Director: Zhang Yang
The film follows a group of Tibetan villagers who leave their families and homes to make a bowing pilgrimage laying their bodies flat on the ground after every few steps along the 2,000‑kilometre road to Lhasa. Though equally devoted to the trip, they all have different reasons: one traveler needs to cleanse bad family karma; another, a butcher, wants to wash the animals’ bloodstains from his soul; and another pilgrim, sensing the end is near, hopes that prayers and prostrations will break the chain of cause and effect determined by his life’s actions. During their months on the road, a baby is born, they meet fellow travelers, and their resolve is put to the test by harsh snowstorms and physical fatigue. But no hardship can deter them from their ultimate goal not even the threat of death, a very real danger in this high altitude where a common cold can take one’s life. [producers]
China. 1 hour 55 minutes. 2016. Chinese / English
702. “Sound of wisdom”
Features the Tibetan Buddhist monks of Gyuto Tantric University, David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir, Philip Glass, Pauline Oliveros, and Terry Riley. Eleven Tibetan Buddhist monks, practitioners of the tantric arts of Tibet, perform their ritual chanting accompanied by Tibetan bells, cymbals, trumpets and long horns. [producer]
1987, Cos Cob, Connecticut, Hartley Film Foundation, 57 minutes
703. “Sounds of Tibet”
The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts perform traditional, ethnic Tibetan dance and music in Dharamsala.
Meridian Trust. 1988. 120 minutes. US$31.50.
704.* “Source of the Mekong”
A film by Michel Peissel. Produced by Tele Images and Hearst Entertainment in association with the Arts and Entertainment Network.
Sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and with the help of the Qinghai Mountaineering Association, Peissel and his crew (Sebastein Guinness, Jacques Falck, Ling Haitao) set out to successfully search for the source of the Mekong. Some of the language used is odd: Qinghai is pronounced Kinghai, the Cultural Revolution began in 1958, Xining is called “occupied country” and Chinese officials are “occupation officials.” Forget the Hollywood visions of what Tibet looks like; this film is the real thing and gives us a rare look into the lives of the highland nomads. Watch it for the scenery and the Tibetan people. [Grunfeld]
About 45 minutes and can be purchased for US$19.95 plus shipping and handling from 1‑800‑423‑1212.
705. “Spirit of Tibet: Journey to Enlightenment”
Directed by Math. Richard; Produced by Gabriella Martinelli and Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche
Narrated by Richard Gere, this film “…is a portrait of the esteemed Tibetan monk, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Regarded as one of the spiritual successors to the Dalai Lama, Rinpoche’s teachings are respected by Buddhist devotees in Tibet and around the world.” [producers]
1998, 46 minutes, 5 seconds. National Film Board of Canada
http://www.onf..ca/cgi‑bin/siteindex?ti
706. “Spiritual Life in a Material World”
“Engaging talk by Geshe Namgyal Wangchen the resident teacher at Manjushri London Centre, full of advice and encouragement for those who live and practice Dharma in the West. Vajara Yogini Institute, France, 1982.” [Wisdom]
Wisdom Film, 60 minutes. US$35.00. Also Meridian Trust.
707. “Spot the Difference”
Film by Vivek Mohan
“This documentary follows the everyday lives of two families living in Shimla, India ‑ one Chinese and the other Tibetan in an attempt to show that economic well‑being and peaceful coexistence are more important than political and religious differences.” [producers]
India. 2006. 29 minutes. English and Hindi with English subtitles.
708. “Srong btsan sgam po” (Srongtsen Gampo)
Chinese cinema film about the Tibetan unifier of the 7th century. Tibetan actors. 1987.
Robbie Barnett collection.
709. “St. Patrick”
1979. 16mm. http://tibetfilmarchive.org
710. “State of Control”
Directed and produced by Christian Johnston and Darren Mann
STATE OF CONTROL is a bold, feature‑length documentary that follos two American filmmakers as they travel undercover in China and Tibet during one of the most precarious times in the countrys recent history.
Their journey begins in hot‑bed areas of Tibetan activism in India and Nepal, before continuing into the most closed off regions of Tibet, during the full scale media blackout that began in 2008 and continues to this day. Their goal is to meet with leading Tibetan activists who are risking their lives to peacefully protest against oppression by the Chinese governments police state in a region kept in the dark.
Traveling undercover, a dangerous cat‑and‑mouse game unfolds as secret police maintain 24 hour surveillance of the filmmakers. Unable to document their intended subjects, they are forced to turn the cameras on themselves as they become the targets. All their moves are followed, leading to hotel break‑ins, equipment theft, and cyber‑hacking and spying ‑ ultimately putting the filmmakers very lives in danger.[producers]
2015. See: http://www.stateofcontroldoc.com
The filmmakers seemed to have had their computers hacked, see
711. “Storm on the Plateau” (Caoyuna fengbao)
Chinese film directed by Lin Feng in 1960.
712. “Storm Over Asia” (“Potomok Chingis‑Khana,” original title)
Director: Vsevolod Pudovkin
In 1918 a simple Mongolian herdsman escapes to the hills after brawling with a western capitalist fur trader who cheats him. In 1920 he helps the partisans fight for the Soviets against the occupying army. However, he is captured when the army tries to requisition cattle from the herdsmen at the same time as the commandant meets with the reincarnated Grand Lama. After being shot, the army discovers an amulet that suggests he was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan. They find him still alive, so the army restores his health and plans to use him as the head of a Mongolian puppet regime. [producers]
1928. 74 min.
713. “Storm Over Tibet” (Sturm uber Tibet, also released as Mask of the Himalayas)
Directed by Andrew Marton,
With Rex Reason, Diana Douglas
Live on‑location stock footage from Harald Dyrenfurth’s unfinished Swiss documentary Mask of the Himalayas, shot in 1934, was deftly interwoven into this B‑film about a stolen religious artifact. Frank Capra uses some of the same footage for Lost Horizon.
1952, USA, 90 minutes.
714. “Strange Spirit: One Country’s Occupation”
“An award winning documentary by Ronny Novick & Rebecca McClen Novick covering 40 years of human rights abuses in Tibet.” [producers]
Rebecca Novick: duckworldtravel@montrose.net
715. “Summer Pasture”
Directed by Lynn True, Nelson Walker and Tsering Perlo
“Summer Pasture chronicles one summer with a young Tibetan nomad family as they struggle to reconcile their traditional way of life with a rapidly modernerizing Tibet.” [producers]
“Locho and Yama are not totally detached from modernity. They trade goods in the nearest town, and Locho listens to music on a battered old cassette recorder. At a county fair shown at the beginning of the film, motorcycles and digital cameras are in evidence. There are rumors of telephone service and paved roads arriving in the not‑too‑distant future.
But “Summer Pasture” is an elegy. Near the end of the film Locho wistfully admits that when their daughter is 6, he and Yama will probably move into town so the girl can go to school. Although he knows it’s the right thing to do, for him it is not a happy prospect.” [New York Times, 14 August 2011.]
2010. 86 minutes. Http://Info@khamfilmproject.org
716. “Sun Beaten Path” (Tai yang zong zai zuo bian)
Directed by Sonthar Gyal
“Nima, a soon-to-be groom, drives a brand new tractor behind his brother and mother who are riding a motorcycle. The mother’s waistband is accidentally caught in the rear wheel, throwing her off the motorcycle. Following too closely, Nima’s trator tragically kills her” [producers]
China, 2011. 86 minutes. Tibetan with English subtitles.
717. “Sunday”
Directed by Lhamo
Spark Film Production Company
A film made by a newly graduating Tibetan student from the Northwest Nationalities University. Perhaps the first Tibetan film that depicts city life (Xining?). This is a story of a Tibetan college student who has waited until the last possible moment to complete a college paper and his efforts to struggle against temptation rather than finish the paper. [Grunfeld]
2011. About 15‑20 minutes. Robbie Barnett Collection.
718. “Sunrise/Sunset”
Directed by Vitali Manski,
Produced by Alexey Kucherenko
“The daily life of the Dalai Lama is brought home with remarkable intimacy in Sunrise/Sunset. Granted total access to His Holiness for 24 hours, this is a day in the life of the Dalai Lama from when he wakes up at 3AM until his bedtime at dusk. Starting with his morning fitness routine and continuing on through the private audiences, press conferences, and blessings he imparts every day, it is a comprehensive and compassionate document of his everyday habits. As the sun begins to set, and with his duties completed, the Dalai Lama sits down with the filmmakers for a wide‑ranging interview covering topics related to the essence of the Universe, the gap between rich and poor, and the role an individual has to play in religion and contemporary society.” [producers]
Snow Lion. 2009.72 min. English, Tibetan, and Russian with English subtitles. US$24.98
719. “Surui me tog” (Suru Flower)
Gansu TV
Contemporary nomad romance. Tibetan writers, Tibetan actors.
1991. Robbie Barnett collection.
720. “Tales of a Good Heart”
By Anjani O’Connell, illus. by Claudia Frey
These adaptations of the Jataka tales‑‑stories of the Buddha’s previous incarnations as animals‑‑teach valuable life lessons in a wonderfully accessible form‑‑for children of all ages.
US$14.95. Snow Lion.
721.* “Talking With the Dalai Lama”
Produced and Directed by John Halpern
Written and Directed by Les Levine
“A never‑before‑seen audience with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama that touches on topics we have never heard him discuss before. The Dalai Lama responds to a variety of questions speaking directly to everyone. This is a unique opportunity to experience the Dalai Lama in a candid and private setting from his living room in Dharamsala, India.
His Holiness is a great storyteller and some of his views on religion and the West are surprising, even shocking, as example, to change religion is very harmful sometimes… It may create more confusion!” [producers]
71 minutes. Http://www.refugeefilms.com
722. “Tanka”
Director: David Lebrun
“Photographed from Tibetan scroll paintings of the 16th to 19th centuries, Tanka is a cyclical vision of ancient gods and demons, an animated journey through the image world of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.” [producers]
Animated. 9 minutes. 1976.
723. “Tantra of Gyuto: Sacred Rituals of Tibet”
A film by Sheldon Rochlin and Mark Elliot.
“An account of the secret Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies performed by monks of the Gyuto Tantric College who use ritual and tantric power to effect change in the individual and his environment. By their inherent potency and disciplined execution, these essential energies bring about direct spiritual phenomena. the lamas have relaxed their traditional secrecy to allow certain chants to be heard publicly, introduced by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Narrated by Francis Huxley, the film includes extremely rare historical footage from the 1920’s to the 1950’s, including footage from the 1933 German expedition to Tibet.” [Mystic]
724. “Tantra: The Experience of Transformation”
“Lama Thubten Yeshe explains Tantric methods for utilizing emotional energy and turning what would usually become a neurotic disturbance into the experience of “blissful wisdom energy.” Lama Tsong Khapa Institute, Italy, 1982.” [Wisdom]
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes. US$44.00. Also Meridian Trust.
Mystic Fire Video, 1974, 52 minutes, US$29.95
725. “Tantric Buddhist Dance of Nepal”
Dance Mandela & Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya,
“The Vajracharyas of Nepal have performed these dances secretly as part of their meditation, rituals and celebrations for over a thousand years. In each dance, the dancer becomes an embodiment of the particular deity. The film quality is not perfect, but the content is…unusual.” [producers]
Video, US$29.95, Snow Lion
726. “Tantric Yogi”
Director: Dorje Tsering Chenakstang
This film focuses on an enormous ngakpa gathering in eastern Tibet that happens once every 60 years. Ngakpa is a Tibetan cultural and non‑monastic spiritual tradition that was founded in the eighth century in which lay people can receive spiritual and cultural education. In following one group of ngakpa as they prepare for the trip from the filmmakers home village, Tantric Yogi offers an intimate glimpse into lives of the ngakpa, as well as the daily practice of this ancient tradition.
2005. China/France. 50 minutes. Tibetan with English sub‑titles.
727. “Tara Tames the Eight Fears: Children Point the Way to Emotional Health Through Music and Dance”
Produced and Directed by Anahata Iradah
In this video children dance, sing and dialogue their way through a Tibetan classic that demonstrates eight emotional challenges. [producers]
80 minutes, Snow Lion
728. “Tashi and the Monk”
Director: Andrew Hinton and Johnny Burke
A conversation about children dealing with trauma following the New York premiere of “Tashi and the Monk” in which a troubled five-year-old struggles to adjust a new life in a Himalayan community for orphaned and neglected children.On a remote mountaintop a brave social experiment is taking place. Former Buddhist monk Lobsang has created a unique community in the foothills of the Himalayas which rescues orphaned and neglected children. Five-year-old Tashi is the newest arrival. Her mother recently passed away and shes been abandoned by her alcoholic father. Wild and troubled, Tashi is struggling to find her place amongst 84 new siblings. Can the communitys love and compassion transform Tashis alienation and tantrums into a capacity to make her first real friend? [producers]
2014. India. In Hindi. 39 minutes. Collective Eye Films. Watch at: https://vimeo.com/95735800
729.* “Tashi Jong: A Traditional Tibetan Community in Exile”
Producer and Photographer: Barbara Green
Narrator: Daikon Bartso. Singer: Thrinley Chodon
“This 45 minute award winning video documentary portrays one of the first Tibetan refugee communities established in India by the renowned spiritual teacher, the 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche…we witness the indomitable spirit of the Tibetan people…All proceeds from the sale of this film support the community of Tashi Jong.”[producers]
45 minutes, video, US$35.00 for public libraries and individuals; US$108 for academic libraries. Contact Daikon Bartso ( Ngagpa@hotmail.com ) or Barbara Green (bcgreen@ibm.net )
Grunfeld review in H‑ASIA (H‑NET video review; www.h‑net.msu.edu )
730. “Tashi Writes a Letter”
Restored and digitialized at the Tibet Film Archive, Rubin Museum, NY:
http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org 25 minutes.
731. “TCY 38th Anniversary Picnic, October 31, 1998″
“Coverage of the celebration of TCV’s [Tibetan Children’s Village] founding anniversary, including a speech by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and song and dance performances by student groups.” [producers]
1 hour. Available from the Tibetan Government in Exile ( http://tibetnews/pubs/videos.html
732. “TCV Inter‑School Song and Dance Competition, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998”
“Students from different branches of the Tibetan Children’s Village School participate in this colorful exhibition of traditional Tibetan music and dance.”
In Tibetan.
Available from the Tibetan Government in Exile http://tibetnews/pubs/videos.html
733. “Tea‑Horse Ancient Road”
Chinese documentary made to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region and broadcast by Tibet People Broadcast TV Station in August 2005 was translated by Tibet TV Station Tibetan Language Translation Office…[and] broadcast [in] two parts every night in golden time on Tibet TV Station Tibetan Channel. [sic]
http://info.tibet.cn/en/news/tin/t20050809_46888.htm
734. “Tea Road to the Skies”
Directed by Wei Ping Zhou, Peter Hercombe, Michel Noll
“It crosses the roof of the world, winding more than 6,000 tortuous kilometres across 20 mountain chains and two desert plateaux. It spans four great rivers, and cuts through the territory of 20 different ethnic groups. This is the ancient Tea Road, which opens Southwest China onto Tibet and thereby Nepal, India, Persia, Mongolia and Russia, and then Europe. The legendary Tea Road, crossed by Marco Polo in 1487, but used by innumerable horse trains for countless centuries before him. Their tracks are beaten deep into the rocks. This series of High Definition films follows in the hoof prints of those caravans which hauled their baggage of tea across the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas to be sold in the markets of South West Asia and dispersed to the entire world.” Documentary. [producers]
Three episodes:
1. In the Kingdom of Green Gold
In the subtropical rainforests of southwest China, the harvest of tea is cultivated and sorted by tea planter families who have lived here for generations.
See it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH0KsBYWu7M
2. In the Heart of Shangri-La
We follow traditional tea caravans on a six-month, 4,000-kilometre journey to the famous tea market in Lhasa, Tibet.
See it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQFc1V-O3A4
3. On the Roof of the World
In the final episode, we’ll observe how these travellers survive the challenges imposed by the long and difficult journey along the ancient Tea Road.
2007. 50 minutes each. English.
735. “Teachings on Lojong Practice” (The Secret Points of Mind Training)
by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
The heart essence of Mahayana mind training was brought to Tibet by the 11th century master Atisha. Because Ponlop Rinpoche…is fluent in English and well‑versed in Western culture, his presentations are remarkably accessible, clear and derailed. [producers]
Snow Lion, 8.5 hours, 3 DVDs, 6 talks, US$72.00
736. “Teachings on Milarepa”
By Gregory Kruglak
“A wonderful accompaniment to new feature film, Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint, this DVD features prominent Buddhist teachers‑‑from Sogyal Rinpoche to Pema Chodron to HH Karmapa to Lama Zopa‑‑talking about what Milarepa means to them, as one of the most colorful and interesting of revered Buddhist masters, whose life encompasses great darknesses as well as light. ” [producers]
175 minutes. US$24.99. Snow Lion.
737. “Teachings on Tantra”
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, with trans. assistance by Gerry Weiner
“Based on Jamgon Kongtrul’s Treasury of Knowledge, these detailed teachings look at the creation and completion stages of Path Tantra in terms of their essence and qualities and includes instructions on different approaches to visualizing. Rinpoche concludes by presenting Sampannakrama (completion) in terms of ground, path, and fruition. Twelve talks recorded using a special multi‑camera live‑mix system that helps evoke the feeling of being truly present at the teachings.” [producers]
6‑DVD set. Snow Lion. US$ 120.00
738. “Tears on the Icy Mountain” (Xue shan lei)
Chinese film directed by Hua Chun in 1979.
739. “Tears of Torture”
A film by Tsering Rhitar
“The agony of Tibet is not only that of all those murdered, of all the monks and nuns tortured, of the thousands deported to Chinese re‑education camps. It is also that of a genuine religious, linguistic and cultural genocide.” [producers]
26 minutes. Available from the Tibetan Government in Exile: http://tibetnews/pubs/videos.html
740. “Tenets”
by Venerable George Churinoff
“My philosophy has two modes: advice and tenets. To children I speak advice, and to yogis, tenets…Based on the idea that the Buddha taught different things to different people in line with their capacitates…this course…is comprised of an introduction o the four major philosophical schools of thought of Buddhism… “[producers]
Snow Lion, 28 hours, 14 DVDs, US$168.45
741. “Tenzin”
Directed by Michael LeBlanc and Joshua Reichmann
TENZIN is the first Tibetan-language feature dramatic film to come out of Canada ,set in Toronto’s Parkdale neighborhood. The film is about “Tenzin”, a young Tibetan Canadian who is struggling to come to terms with the death of his older brother by self-immolation at a Tibetan independence movement demonstartion. The screenplay was written collaboratively by the directors and the main cast members.
Canada. 2021; released theatricly 2023. 74 minutes.
742. “Thang‑stong rygal‑po. The Leonardo of Tibet”
A “video document” by Wolf Kahlen.
Part 2 (Part 1 is “The Demon in the Rock”)
“The Crazy Mahasiddha…1368‑1485 was one of the most illustrious personalities of Tibet in the middle ages…He not only invented and built iron chain bridges…started Tibetan opera, developed medicines…influenced the iconography of paintings, sculpted statutes, composed work songs, invented a revolutionary type of architecture…wrote poetry.” [Khalen] Six additional films on this man are projected.
In German.1985‑90, 90 minutes. See http://www.snafu.de/~ruine‑kuenste.berlin/video6.htm
743. “Tarlo”
Written and directed by Pema Tseden.
Issues of identity, clashes of culture and the nitty‑gritty of sheep‑herding are the themes which drive Tibetan director Pema Tsedens beguiling fable Tharlo. The eponymous central character, a simple shepherd more used to the derisive moniker Ponytail than he is to his given name, finds the certainties of his austere, isolated existence called into question when he is sent to the nearest town to be photographed for an ID card… For the most part, this is a beautifully judged picture from a director to note.
The film also works on an allegorical level as a commentary on Tibet itself. Tseden shows us a country where deep‑rooted traditions and a rich cultural history co‑exist uneasily with the encroaching tide of modernity…When he is informed by the local police chief that he must get an ID card, he is bewildered. I know who I am. Isnt that enough?. But he complies, and with an orphaned lamb in tow, he makes the long journey to the nearest town. The photographer takes issue with his straggly, unwashed hair and sends him across the road to a barbers to be tidied up a little. Its here that he has the fateful encounter that will change the course of his life.
The hairdresser, Yangchuo (Yang Shik Tso) , is a modern young woman. She has cut her hair short, she smokes. Tharlo is slightly scandalised; its the first time he has seen a Tibetan girl smoke. She lazily toys with Tharlo, tugging his stringy ponytail and calling him handsome. He is lost.
Tseden shoots in striking black and white, using long takes and locked shots which give the audience plenty of time to absorb the admirable work by production designer Daktse Dundrup. But where the film really excels is in its use of sound, supervised by Dukar Tserang. review in http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/tharlo‑review/5094966.article
2015. China. 123 minutes
744. “The 3 Principles of the Path”
Two lectures by the Dalai Lama at the Vajra Yogini Institute, France in October 1982. “They introduce the disciple to the principle features of Mahayana practice so that the initiation into tantra has a proper foundation.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 105 minutes. US$52.50.7
745. “The 3 Testaments of Garab Dorje”
“Professor Norbu gives an explanation of the 3 “words” or testaments of Garab Dorje, the first master to transmit the Dzogchen teachings in this epoch.” [producers] Translated from Italian by John Shanne.
Meridian Trust. 75 minutes. 1984. US$48.00 [“Restricted teaching, only available to those having received the appropriate transmission.”]
746.* “The 11th Panchen Lama”
Produced by Shen Yang and Qu Jing
A television documentary in Tibetan, Chinese, English and Mongolian with either Chinese or English subtitles. Comes with accompanying small book. Meant to commemorate the 10thanniversary of the Panchen Lama’s enthronement. Beginning with scenes from the last days of the 10th Panchen Lama in January 1989, this film follows his official Chinese‑selected successor through his selection, enthronement, performing religious ceremonies and visiting around China. At one point when the Chinese narrator says “a meeting of Chinese officials” the English subtitle reads “a rap session with Chinese officials.” [Grunfeld]
Approx. 100 minutes. 2005.
747. “The 14th Dalai Lama in Melbourne”
Produced by Tour of the 14th Dalai Lama (Vic) Inc.
Highlights of the Dalai Lama’s visit in May 1992 addressing crowds of 21,000, planting a Bodhi tree and teachings.
Meridian Trust. 240 minutes. US$52.50.
748. “The 17th Karmapa’s Return to Tsurphu”
“The Karmapas were the first lamas of Tibetan Buddhism to be recognized as reincarnations and are among the greatest spiritually realized masters of Tibet. The first Karmapa vowed to come back for 21 incarnations in order to relieve the sufferings of the world. After the death of the 16th Karmapa in Chicago, he left a letter which led to the discovery of his reincarnation. The 17th Karmapa arrives in triumphal celebration at his original seat at Tsurphu monastery, the home of all his predecessors, shortly after his discovery in Tibet.” [Mystic]
Mystic Fire Video, 100 minutes, US$39.95
749. “The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas”
Directed by Val Guest,
With Peter Cushing, Forrest Tucker
“In this searching fantasy film from Hammer Studios, Peter Cushing is a British botanist on a Himalayan expedition who is persuaded by an American team with questionable motives to help them search the half‑man/half‑beast Yeti.” Based upon a BBC television play, ‘The Creature.’ [Nigel Kneale]
1957, UK, 91 minutes
750. “The American Rimpoche”
Directed by Nikki Appino
Music by Philip Glass
The American Rimpoche is the documentary film about the life of Gelek Rimpoche, a former Tibetan monk now a citizen of the United States. Born in this legendary Shangri‑la, he has lived an extraordinary life spanning continents, customs, and cultures. Framed by archival photos of old Tibet taken by Rimpoches father in the 1930s and 40s, the film traverses the link between one mans job as a modern spiritual teacher and the impact of Tibets myths and practices on Americans seeking direction in an increasingly complex world. [producers]
60 minutes. 2014. http://www.americanrimpoche.com/
751. “The Animated History of Tibet”
Written and directed by Dr. Alexander K. Smith,
” The Animated History of Tibet is a nine-part historical documentary series featuring original artwork, maps, and interviews with leading specialists in Tibetan history and culture from universities across Europe and North America. The series will take viewers on an animated journey through over 1300 years of history, starting with the rise and fall of the Tibetan Empire and the first spread of Buddhism to Tibet in the 7th century CE. Later episodes will focus on the origins of the Tibetan Buddhist sects, the court intrigue of the government of the Dalai Lamas, and the complex and shifting relationship that Tibet shared with the Chinese Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The final two episodes will explore Tibet as an object of European orientalist fantasy and imperial ambition, as well as the invasion and annexation of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China and the origins of the modern Tibetan diaspora.
The Animated History of Tibet aspires to foster dialogue and raise awareness of Tibet’s unique history and the challenges that Tibetans have faced – not just over the last seventy years, but over the course of centuries. By telling Tibetan stories and shedding light on the rich tapestry of Tibetan history, The Animated History of Tibet seeks to promote empathy, cultural exchange, and a deeper appreciation for the experiences of the Tibetan people.” [producers]
US and France. First three episodes released in February 2024. In English and there will be Tibetan and Chinese versions as well.
752. “The Art of Dying”
By C. Jasper Jensen & Majbrill Munck
“…a wonderful and intimate view of life of the people of Mustang and the words that are entirely that of the people shown; lay people, young and old monks, the king, etc…The people of Tibet are shown here in the modern time warp they live in today. Also includes footage of monks in India…explores the approach to death as revealed in the ancient Tibetan scriptures and practiced in local customs throughout the centuries.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 63 minutes. Also Mystic Fire Video.
753. “The Aspiration of Samantabhadra”
By Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
“This prayer presents the path to complete awakening according to Dzogchen and expresses the different manifestations of rigpa, which is our basic awareness, in ordinary life. The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche presents profound teachings on this prayer, with his characteristic sharp intellect, humor and lucidity. Multi‑camera recording system helps give the lively feeling of being at a teaching.” [producers]
Over 10‑hour DVD‑set, 6 talks. US$72.00. Snow Lion
754. “The Banks of the Golden Sands River” (Jinsha jiang pan)
Chinese film directed by Fu Chaowu in 1963.
755. “The Bardo Teachings“
By the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
“A rich trove of teachings and practices on the bardo, this 7‑CD set allows one to have an extensive, in‑depth experience of attending a retreat on this potent material. Rinpoche gives commentary on teachings from Padmasambhava and Karma Lingpa, with additional material on phowa from the Six Yogas of Naropa section of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye’s Treasury of Knowledge. Live‑mix video system makes this a pleasure to watch.” [producers]
24‑hour, 7‑DVD set. US$ 140.00. Snow Lion
756.”The Basis of the Spiritual Path”
The first of a series of teachings given during Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche’s final visit to Britain. Translated by Geshe Namgyal Wangchen. Manjushri Center, London.
1984. Meridian Trust, 150 minutes, color. US$70.00.
757. “The Blade Wheel of Mind Transformation”
By His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama
“Over the course of three days’ teaching hosted by Tibet House U.S., His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama transmits and explains the seminal Buddhist text known as the Blade Wheel of Mind Transformation‑‑a teaching characterized by its focus on practical advice for turning adversity to advantage on the spiritual path‑‑from ignorance and suffering to enlightenment and freedom. Includes an introduction and a summary by Robert A.F. Thurman.” [producers] Filmed live at the Beacon Theatre, New York City.
3 DVD set. 12 hours. US$65. Snow Lion.
758. “The Blue Buddha Lost Secrets of Tibetan Medicine”
Directed by David Suzuki
Made for CBC Television and is part of a documentary series The Nature of Things.
Twelve hundred years ago the people of Tibet developed a comprehensive medical system. They understood how the mind affects the body.
They knew subtle ways of changing the bodys chemistry with medicines made from plants and minerals. They blessed their medicines in lengthy rituals. And they encoded this knowledge in a series of elaborate paintings called thangkas.
This documentary traces the odyssey of traditional Tibetan medicine from its roots in ancient Tibet, to a worldwide interest in its traditional medical wisdom.
We meet several leading physicians in India, as the program introduces us to the basic concepts of this ancient system of healing.
We also trace the fate of the 77 thangkas that comprise the Atlas of Tibetan Medicine, the great mnemonic device that encodes the entire system of healing. [producers]
759. “The Bodhicharyavatara”
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, translation assistance by Tyler Dewar
‘In this engaging, profound commentary on Shantideva’s classic text, Rinpoche explains the physical and mental supports that are the support for bodhicitta, and the characteristics of relative and ultimate bodhicitta. He concludes with practical methods for maintaining bodhicitta. 6 talks, including Q&A.’ [producers]
3‑DVD set. Snow Lion. US$ 72.00
760. “The Buddhists Of Suburbia”
“Buddhism is the fastest growing faith in the West. This programme follows three converts as they undertake physical and spiritual journeys tha will test their faith.
Abhyakirti was born David Weisz in a Jewish family. He travels to Auschwitz, where members of his family were killed, in an attempt to come to terms with the Holocaust. Teresa, a highly qualified IT consultant from Brazil, has decided to give up her well‑paid job to work in a Buddhist restaurant for expenses. Bessie converted when she was nineteen. Seven years later, she returns to Bodhgaya in India to see if it still affects her as powerfully as the first time she was there.” [producers]
50 minutes, Heritage Buddhist Trust, http://members.aol.com/yeshiuk/index.html
761. “The Buriat and Kalmyk Tour”
Directed by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam
July 1991 visit by the Dalai Lama to the Russian regions of Buriata and Kalmyk as well as the Republic of Aginski. He gave Chenrezig initiations.
Meridian Trust. 120 minutes. US$52.50.
762. “The Cat and The Mouse: China and Tibet”
BC Television
“This film is an intimate portrayal of Tibetan resistance to the Chinese occupation. It contrasts the moderate approach of the Dalai lama with that of the young rebels who employ more direct forms of protest. The Dalai Lama sees his best hope in quiet, persistent diplomacy and media support on an international level. The young, exiled radicals secretly cross the border to organize opposition in Tibet. The Cat and the Mouse details the repressive forty‑year occupation of Tibet by China and the human rights violations which has attempted to obliterate the religion and culture. Buddhist monks have been tortured and killed. It follows the dangerous exodus of young dissidents over the ice‑covered mountains to refuge in Dharamsala, India.” [producers]
50 minutes, video. Film makers Library (tel: 212‑808‑4980/fax: 212‑808‑4983) http://www.filmakers.com , e‑mail: info@filmakers.com
763. “The Celebration of the Great Prayer Festival”
Follows the Monlam Chenmo held at Drepung Monastery in Mungod, South India in 1985, presided over by the Ganden Tri Rinpoche, Jamphal Shenpen, the head of the Gelugpa sect.
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes.
764. “The Celestial Dance of Bhutan”
Directed by Manuel Catteau and Florence Tran
In the far reaches of Bhutan, a tiny Buddhist kingdom nestled between Tibet and India, monks gather in the mountains to prepare for several days of dancing and meditation. Each year, monks dressed in celestial robes and wearing wooden masks perform a sacred dance that both purifies and cleanse away negative emotions such as fear, greed or anger. [producers]
2006. 53 minutes. Distributed by Alexander Street Press
765. “The Colored Night” (Caise de ye)
Chinese film directed by Zhang Yongshou in 1982.
766. “The Coral Necklace”
Directed by Shide Nyima
A 2004 made-for-TV movie.
“In a short account of the public screening of The Coral Necklace in Xining, a newspaper wrote that “Drolma’s parents are moved by their daughter’s kindness and compassion. This feature movie illustrates valuable views of a nationalityand its psychology, and shows that human beauty does not rely solely on ornaments, butresides mainly in mind’s beauty”. [in “Performing Compassion: A Counter-hegemonic Strategy in Tibetan Cinema?” by Françoise Robin]
767. “The Coronation of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama”
Indian film directed by Kanwal Krishna in 1939. 20 minutes. Shown at the New York Tibet Film Festival, 1991
768. “The Cremation of Lama Thubten Yeshe”
“When he passed away in California in 1984, Lama Yeshe was accorded the full ritual honors of an accomplished Vajrayana master with a cremation stupa built and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche and Geshe Sopa among those present Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, California, 1984.” [Wisdom]
Wisdom Films, 120 minutes. Also, Meridian Trust. US$52.50.
769.* “The Cup” (Phorpa )
Written and directed by Lama Khyentse Norbu Rinpoche
” It is 1998 and the World Cup has reached the Indian Himalayas. Inspired by true events, The Cup is a delightful comedy about the lighter side of Tibetan life in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery…14-year-old Orygen has a decidedly unmonastic obsession with football. As the cup final approaches, the rest of the monastery is swept along with football fever but there is one problem: with no TV, how will the monks be able to watch the match?…tackles the issues of winning and losing, life in exile and the impact of the modern world on a highly traditional lifestyle.” [producers]
The first feature‑length film ever made in Bhutan. Norbu learned his film skills while a technical consultant to Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha. Cast largely from the Chokling Monastery. It is eligible for a foreign film Academy Award in 2000. Made for US$500,000 with private U.S. funding. Released commercially in the UK, November 1999. In Tibetan with English subtitles. Favorable review in Far Eastern Economic Review, 16 December 1999, p. 45. Also, Tibetan Review, November 1999, p.20.
“It is also a very funny movie, alive with the sense of absurdity and human foible. The case, especially the deadpan Mr. Tobygal (an eminent Tibetan theologian) and Mr. Lodro (his son and a monk), have flawless comic timing. If he were not pledged to a higher calling, Mr. Lordo could become an international child movie star.” [The New York Times, 28 January 2000, p. E25.]
More info: http://www.thecup.co.uk
770. “The Dalai Lama: A Portrait in the First Person”
“By the force of his words, he has turned the disaster of the Chinese depredations in Tibet and the tragedy of his own exile from his roots and his spiritual home into a world‑wide message of peace and strength. In this program, the Dalai Lama speaks of anxiety, anger, enlightenment, tolerance, and compassion. Your enemy, he says, is your best teacher: true compassion is what you feel toward your enemy.” [Catalogue]
Available from Films for the Humanities & Sciences, US$89.95, 24 minutes, color.
771.* “The Dalai Lama. A Visit”
Produced by David Turnley and Robert Weiner for CNN/Time
A brief look at the Dalai Lama’s typical day beginning with exercises at 3:30AM, prayer, and audiences for his people. Includes some comments on his philosophy on life. Part of a larger documentary planned for 1999. Eventually made into hour long documentary “Dalai Lama: At Home in Exile” [Grunfeld]
1998, 10 minutes.
772. “The Dalai Lama Addresses the General Assembly of Tibetans in Exile”
(Tibetan language only). Dharamsala, India, 1984.
Wisdom Publications, 60 minutes.
773. “The Dalai Lama: An Overview of Tibetan Buddhism with a Commentary on Bodhicharyavatara”
Covers three days of illuminating talks including question and answer sessions.
London, April 1988. Wisdom Films, 11 hours.
774. “The Dalai Lama and the Rituals of Reincarnation”
(part two of series: “Birth of a God: The Dalai Lama”)
Robert Thurman, His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso and others “investigate the intricate procedure of identifying a reincarnation Dalai Lama against the backdrop of Tibetan power politics and Chinese expansion, carrying the history of the Dalai Lama forward from the birth of Sonam Gyatso’s successor to the life in exile of Tibet’s 14th spiritual leader.” [producers]
45 minutes
775. “The Dalai Lama: Green Tara Initiation”
“His Holiness performs the common initiation of Green Tara which grants the four empowerments in the form of a blessing. London, April 1988.” [Wisdom]
Wisdom Film, 165 minutes.
776. “The Dalai Lama in Britain 1984”
Produced by the Tibet Foundation.
A series of films of the visit of His Holiness to Britain in 1984.
Wisdom Films.
777. “The Dalai Lama of Tibet: 25 Years in Exile”
Directed and produced by Phil Grabsky.
“The history of the Dalai Lama and his people and the personal and public of His Holiness, with some rare Tibetan and Chinese footage used to examine the Tibetans’ fight to regain independence.” [producers]
Meridian Trust, 52 minutes. US$35.00.
778. “The Dalai Lama: Peace and Prosperity”
Director: Sian Edwards and Richard Wirth
“For three days in October 2007, His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave public talks at a sold‑out Radio City Music Hall. Now, in the first of his talks to be released internationally, audiences will have the opportunity to see the Dalai Lama on film. Peace and Prosperity allows those who were not able to attend his live talks a chance to experience the spiritual leader’s charismatic talk in a fresh manner. After an introduction by Richard Gere, a natural and comfortable tone is set with the Dalai Lama’s nonchalant entrance and relaxed seating style. The talk is primarily aimed at giving those unfamiliar with Buddhism a way to apply the tenets to their daily lives and to give them the tools to achieve peace and prosperity on a personal level‑and in doing so, to expand peace and prosperity on a global level…Richard Gere provides a lovely photo montage while Tom Waits and Phillip Glass supply fitting music videos.” [Tribeca Film Festival, 2008]
2008, 102 min
779. “The Dalai Lama Shall Come Back”
Produced by Franz and Brigitte Alt.
A film shot secretly in Tibet in 1982 for West German television, interviewing Tibetans who suffered Chinese oppression. Also includes interview with the Dalai Lama and his sister.
Wisdom Film, 44 minutes. US$44.00. Also, Meridian Trust.
780. “The Dalai Lama Teachings”
“The Bodhisattva Motivation: Perfection of Concentration,” 1 hour.
“Buddhism and World Peace,” 50 minutes.
“Deity Yoga,” 30 minutes.
“Emptiness and Great Compassion,”, 1.6 hours.
“Excerpt on Meditation,” 1.5 hours
“The Foundations of Buddhist Philosophy,” 50 minutes.
“The Nature of the Self,” 57 minutes.
“Tibet and China,” 50 minutes.
Wisdom Films. These are available only in NTSC.
781. “The Dalai Lama: The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva”
Classic teaching given as a preparation for a Kalachakra initiation in Switzerland.
Rikon, Switzerland, 1985. Wisdom Films.
782. “The Dalai Lama: The Future of Religion”
The purposes for the variety of spiritual traditions and their benefit for humanity. Amsterdam, Holland, 1986.
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes.
783. “The Dalai Lama: Universal Responsibility in a Nuclear Age”
“His Holiness delivers an impassioned speech to the Global Conference of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival, held at Oxford in 1988.” [Wisdom]
Wisdom Films, 30 minutes.
784.”The Dalai Lama Visits Christian and Buddhist Communities”
Ampleforth Abbey and Samye Ling, U.K., 1984.
60 minutes.
785. “The Dalai Lama Visits Washington, D.C.”
“A joyful and incongruous behind‑the‑scenes look at the Tibetan leader’s visit to the U.S. capital’s political scene. From Larry King at C.N.N. to the private offices of Newt Gingrich to a Jewish Seder held at the house where the U.S. Civil Rights Act was signed, we see him moving tirelessly on his campaign for the Tibetan people’s right to self‑determination.” [producers]
Five minute mini documentary. Garthwait & Griffin Films. info@ggfilms.com. 815 15th Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025, office: 650.322.2520, fax: 650.322.2530.
786. “The Dancing Nuns of Kopan”
Produced and directed by Anahata Iradach
“The nuns of Kopan Monastery…are receiving the same training that has previously only given to monks. Here they are shown in Nepal and on tour in the USA…” [producers]
30 minutes, Snow Lion, US$22.00.
787. “The Devotion of Matthieu Ricard”
Directed by George Schouten and Babeth M. VanLoo
“Nearly forty years ago Matthieu Ricard left his native France and a promising career in cellular genetics to become a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in Nepal. He is now a translator, photographer and bestselling author (The Monk and the Philosopher, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill) and an active participant in scientific research on the effects of meditation on the brain. He is involved in a number of humanitarian projects in Tibet and Nepal, where he resides… Filmed on location in Europe, Tibet, India and Nepal, with footage and photographs from Tibet by Matthieu Ricard. [producers]
A portion of the net proceeds from sales of this DVD support Karuna‑Shechen humanitarian projects.
Snow Lion. 67 min. English (and Dutch and French with English subtitles). NTSC/All Region. US$24.95.
788. The Dossier (“Dang An” [original title])
Director: Rikun Zhu
Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser’s efforts to document and present the reality of Tibet were considered a “political problem” by the Chinese Party‑state and she was fired from her job. Since then, she has persevered as an independent writer and has continued to speak out for the sufferings of Tibetan people. Zhu Rikun, the director, came into possession of Tsering’s official dossier which then became the main thread of this film. The first half of the movie is centred around her reading of the dossier; be patient as the theme grows and her interviews document the changed direction her career took including footage from Tibet. [ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3902570/ ]
2014. Switzerland. 128 minutes
789. “The Dzogchen Rite”
The ritual taught by Rinpoche can be practiced on a number of levels and incorporates Chod practice. Ilfracombe, Devon, 1984. Only available to the Dzogchen community.
Meridian Trust, 60 minutes. US$44.00.
790. “The Eight Movements of Yantra Yoga”
By Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, instructor Fabio Andrico, produced by Shang Shung Institute and Angelo Fontana
“Yantra Yoga, or Union of the Sun and the Moon, is one of the more ancient Tibetan yogas, taking its origin from the great masters Humkara and Padmasambhava. From them it was transmitted to the famous Tibetan translator Vairochana and then through a lineage of Tibetan masters. Chogyal Namkhai Norbu is a living holder of this rare and precious Yoga teaching…” [producers]
Video with 32 page booklet, Snow Lion, US$29.95
791. “The Elusive Mountain: Gya”
Sanjay Barnela, Vasant Saberwal & Anjali Khosla .
“…a documentation of an expedition to Mt. Gya, on the Indo‑Tibetan border. At 22,400 feet Gya was still unclimbed, despite several earlier attempts to climb it. The film follows the climbers as they move through the desolate, desert‑like landscape of Spiti in the Indian Himalayas, crossing a series of high altitude passes on their way to the base of the mountain. It is a little known part of the Himalayas. The team followed the old trade route between Tibet and the north‑Indian plains, a trade that is now much reduced, but as the film shows, still continuing. The folk dances of the region are a revelation, the brilliant colours standing in stark contrast to the barren and harsh countryside. Equally surprising in these seemingly lifeless mountains is the wildlife, including the rare kiang ‑Tibetan Wild Ass and Bharal ‑ the Himalayan blue sheep. The second half of the film follows the climbers on their way up the mountain ‑ staying with them through four days of incessant snowfall, before a finding a route up the northwest face of the mountain. A surprise awaits the climbers when they reach the summit!” [producers]
24 min. More info at: www.movingimagesindia.com
792. “The Ends of the Earth”
Directed by Duan Jinchuan
Documentary which follows the lives of a group of Tibetan herdsmen living on the Phala Grasslands in the northwest Tibetan plateau. This film follows the decision of a Tibetan nomad living far from any town who has invested money in a truck that doesn’t work.
140 minutes, 1996 Chinese with English subtitles. Robbie Barnett collection.
793. “The Enigma of Tibet (Geheimnis Tibet)” (sometimes called Secret of Tibet)
Dr. Ernest Schafer was a German explorer and ethnologist who also was a member of the Nazi party and a close associate of Heinrich Himmler. He led 3 expeditions to Tibet (1903‑4, 1926‑28, 1935‑37). During one of these trip he made a movie which was first shown in Berlin in 1943, entitled “Secret Tibet.” It is unclear to me if this is the same as “Untitled Documentary of a German Expedition to Tibet in 1933” (see below).
For more on Schafer see Karl E. Meyer and Shareen Blair Bysac, Tournament of Shadows. The Race for Empire to Central Asia and the Great Game (Washington, DC: Counterpoint Press, 1999) Chapter 21.
205 minutes. (copy available from the Institute for Scientific Films, Goettingen, Germany)
Accessible with English subtitles here: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/194405-geheimnis-tibet
794. ” The Epic of Everest”
1924 silent film by Captain John Noel of the second Everest expedition. Includes performing Tibetans monks who were brought to England. The Tibetan government protested diplomatically. For more, see the note above for “Climbing Mount Everest.”
795. “The Essence of Buddhist Philosophy”
Commentary by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the beginning of the classic Kagyu text by Gampopa, The Ornament of Liberation. He inaugurated the Samye Ling Tibetan Centre in Scotland.
1984. Meridian Trust, 65 minutes, color. US$45.50.
796. “The Essence of Mahayana Buddhism”
“His Holiness the Dalai Lama explains the unified practice of compassion and wisdom with advice to Western practitioners with a question and answer session.” [Producers] At the Samye Ling Tibetan Centre, Scotland, January 1984.
Meridian Trust, 60 minutes, color. US$44.00.
797. “The Ewe goes to Ü” (in Tibetan: Ma mo’i dbus lam)
Directed by Rigdan Gyamtso
“This is the first Tibetan children’s film. The story runs as follows: a ewe has pledged to go to Lhasa on a pilgrimage to pray for the soul of her deceased parents. Everyone warns her of the dangerous wolves marauding around. But the ewe escapes her fatal destiny, after having secured the help of a cunning hare to defeat a big bad wolf who wanted to eat her. Not only to kindness and mutual help suffuse the scenes between the ewe and her neighbours, but the bad wolf is spared punishment, and finally released. When I talked to them, Tibetan viewers and the filmaker underscored the leniency and forgiveness of the ewe and the hare: in Chinese culture, the wolf, a baddie,would have been killed. Not in compassionate and tolerant Tibetan culture, they insisted.” [“Performing Compassion: A Counter-hegemonic Strategy in Tibetan Cinema?’ by Françoise Robin]
2007. In Tibetan
798. “The Experience of Transition”
Three interviews concerned with the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism to the West, with the Dalai Lama, Australian monk Adrian Feldmann and French nun Elizabeth Drukier. Lama Tsong Khapa Institute, Pomaia, Italy.
Meridian Trust. 1985. 30 minutes. US$26.00.
799. The Face of Fu Manchu
Director: Don Sharp
Grisly strangulations in London alert Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard to the possibility of the fiendish Fu Manchu may not be dead after all, even though Smith witnessed his execution. A killer spray made from Tibetan berries seems to be involved and clues keep leading back.
USA. 89 minutes. 1965
800. “The Female Living Buddha,”
Produced by Li Wei, Beijing Film Studio
“Set in 1959, a number of Tibetan aristocrats engage in acts of treason by kidnaping a female living Buddha to India. With the help of the Chinese Consulate, she returns to her homeland.” [producers]
157 min., 2 videocassettes, Language: Chinese with English subtitles
Distributed in the USA by Nan Hai Co., Inc.
801. “The Forbidden Team” (Det forbudte landshold)
Balls Productions. Directed by Rasmus Dinesen & Arnold Krigaard
Film about the history of the very first Tibetan football (soccer) team and its two year struggle to train for their first game against Greenland in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Tibetans lost 4‑1. The match was broadcast to Tibet via Radio Free Tibet.
Denmark. 55 minutes. 2003
802. “The Four Dharmas of Gampopa”
By H. E. Tai Situ Rinpoch
“Rinpoche gives a commentary on a text by Gampopa…Proper practice will clear up delusions leading to the recognition of primordial wisdom, symbolized by Vajradhara.” [producers]
3 video tapes, US$70, Snow Lion.
803. “The Four Noble Truths”
By the Dalai Lama
“In July 1996, the Dalai Lama gave a wonderful teaching in London on the Four Noble Truths, on interdependence and non‑violence and on the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha as ultimate objects of refuge.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 4 videos, 480 minutes, US$108. Also, Mystic Fire Video. Also, Meridian Trust.
804. “The Four Noble Truths and the Four Immeasurables”
By Tai Situ
The Four Noble Truths summarize the range of Tibetan Buddhist teachings…Comprehensive talks by Situ Rinpoche. 2nd audio tracks with Mandarin translation. Much of the proceeds go to support Tai Situ. [producers]
75 minutes, DVD, Snow Lion
805. “The Full Empowerment Into Kalachakra Tantra”
“Restricted teaching. Details on request from those who have received the full Kalachakra Tantra Initiation.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 540 minutes. US$145.00.
806. “The Future of Religion”
The Dalai Lama at the Free University, Amsterdam in May 1986. He “…talks about love and positive feelings and how cultivating these ultimately brings happiness, rather than the acquisition of power and wealth.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes. US$44.00.
807. “The Future of Tibet”
Produced by Lion and Fool Foundation. 199?.
“A 117‑minute documentary, focuses on the U.S. position vis‑a‑vis Tibet and the fallacy behind arguments of “realpolitik”, given China’s trade imbalance with the U.S. (second only to Japan).
This tape incorporates a quick‑moving montage of historical and contemporary footage, not yet seen in other tapes on Tibet; as well as interviews with Congressional leaders.” [producers]
Office of Tibet, 117 minutes, color, VHS video, US$15.00. Also Meridian Trust at US$26.25.
808. “The Future of Tibet and Its Culture”
The Dalai Lama at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, 1984 talking about Tibetan culture and the relevancy of Buddhism to democracy.
Meridian Trust. 78 minutes. US$40.00.
809. “The General Assembly of Tibetans in Exile”
Ths equivalent of a Tibetan Parliament meets once every 2 years in Dharamsala. This film is from April 1985. In Tibetan only.
Meridian Trust. 90 minutes. US$35.00.
810. The Gentleman of San Francisco
Directed by Tashi Wangchuk
The film is about a Tibetan expatriate writer living in San Francisco Bay Area.
This picture also makes for a powerful portrait of life of Tibetan immigrants in USA, and their struggles to keep their identity and values alive.
Can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj5h0JCL‑Kg
2010. In Tibetan.
811. “The Gift of Peace: A Message for All Faiths”
“An interfaith service attended by people from Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Bahai and Buddhist faiths…[The Dalai Lama] spoke of the importance of respecting the variety of paths…” [producers] In Glasgow, Scotland.
Meridian. 1984, 60 minutes. US$35.00.
812. “The Girl Lhari”
Director: Rigdan Gyatso
“Lhari is a young bride sent to a country village to live with her in‑laws, who increasingly use her as a servant and even lock her out at night, with her husband not daring to intervene. Lhari decides to find her own, quintessentially, Tibetan solution to her situation.” [problems]
2005. 25 minutes. Tibetan with English sub‑titles.
813. “The Girls from H.A.R.M.!”
Director: Pat Bishow
Three sexy young women in figure hugging leotards are H.A.R.M.’s agents sent after a stolen Tibetan artifact that can have damaging results if handled by evil people ‑ like those under the pay of the Conclave, a world (bad) world spy ring. [producers]
2000. USA. 88 min.
814. “The Golden Child”
Directed by Michael Ritchie,With Eddie Murphy, Charlotte Lewis, Charles Dance.
Murphy plays Chandler “Chan” Jarrell, a man who tracks down lost children for a living. When the beautiful Kee Nang (Charlotte Lewis), a Tibetan priestess, approaches him with the flattering yet disarming declaration that he is “the chosen one,” his quest for the illustrious golden child (J. L. Reate) begins. Along the way, Chan uncovers secrets within Chinatowns underbelly and encounters a seemingly endless parade of bizarre and dangerous situations, most often spearheaded by Sardo Numpsa (Charles Dance), the devil’s main henchman. Its up to Chan to locate the golden child, then protect him from the evil Sardo, who wont rest until he sees to it that the boy is in his clutches. [producers]
93 minutes. 1986
815. “The Golden Eagle” (Jinse de daying)
Chinese animated film directed by Te Wei and Shen Zuwei in 1976. 50 minutes.
816. “The Good Heart”
By Ven Tenzin Palmo
So many people are alienated ‑ from themselves and from society. With her characteristic warmth, bets‑selling author Tenzin Palmo talks about alienation and how the development of a good heart begins with kindness to ourselves. From teachings given July 2000 in Australia. [producers]
Snow Lion, 60 minutes
817. “The Good Heart: The 14th Dalai Lama Comments on the Four Christian Gospels”
“This video is a summary of the 1994 John Main Seminar held in London. His Holiness gave an extensive commentary of the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John for both Christians and Buddhists. He insists on the need to see the fundamental differences between Buddhism and Christianity ‑ such as a Creator God. But he also highlights the striking similarities and parallels between the lives of Jesus and Buddha, their teachings on non‑violence and the progressive stages of spiritual development.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion.
818. “The Grassland”
A short film, by Pema Tseden (Wanma Caidan) who was born in Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai province and who studied at the Beijing Film Academy. This was his first film upon graduating and the first film produced in China that was completely in Tibetan. Filmed over only 6 days in Gansu Province using 35mm film. Its first public showing in Beijing drew large crowds of Tibetans and it was subsequently shown repeatedly on Chinese television station CCTV‑6.
Pema Tseden is the first Tibetan filmmaker in China and uses film to relate what life is like in China as a Tibetan. He subsequently made three feature films: Silent Mani Stones, The Search and Old Dog.[Grunfeld]
22 minutes. 2004. Robbie Barnett Collection
819. “The Great Escape”
Written and directed by Nidhi Tuli
Four parts:
1. Rezang La (re-enactment of a Chinese military attack on an Indian border post): 45 minutes
2. The Dalai Lamas Escape to India. The Dalai Lamas life from 1935-1959; seems to be taken from his autobiographies. 45 minutes.
3. The Dalai Lamas Escape to India II. The actual trip from Lhasa to India in March-April 1959. 45 minutes.
4. The Dalai Lamas Escape to India, Special Episode. Mostly clips from parts 2 and 3 interspersed with interviews with the Dalai Lama and his youngest brother. 23 minutes.
India. In Hindu, some Tibetan, some English (the 1954 conversation between the Dalai Lama and Mao Zedong is in English), English subtitles. 2016. Available on Netflix.
820. “The Great Test”
A group of Czech engineers were sent to Tibet to help work on truck engines in the high altitude. They documented a trip with several Czech trucks and a motorcycle from Lanzhou to Lhasa.
Czech 1956
821. “The Great Tibetan Laughter Show” (Ha‑Ha‑He‑He, Vol‑I)
Tashi Wangchuk and Tsultrim Dorjee, for Tibet Motion Pictures and Arts
“… a monthly comedy serial, a Tibetan version of a great laughter show… While providing entertainment, the filmmakers, at the same time intend to promote awareness among diaspora Tibetans on various Tibet related and global issues through their humorous show program.
The duo now plans to screen their film in a series of public show and also organize live stage performance of their laughter show mostly in Tibetan communities in India.
Should the first volume work out successfully, Mr. Tashi says, We will be bringing out the second volume of the Ha‑Ha‑He‑He show very soon, adding, It’s about a television set in an India based exile Tibetan family.” [WTN, 6 September 2006]
822. “The Heart of Every Child”
Produced by Saandra Steinfelt and Jesse Cordtz
The Dalai Lama visited Idaho on September 12, 2005, to commemorate the 9/11 attacks of 2001. While he was here he met with children of Idaho. This film documents the Dalai Lama’s visit with children and highlights some of the children blessed and honored by him.
This documentary will follow some of the children honored by the Dalai Lama during his visit and will record their compassion, according to Steinfelt. [WTN, 27 April 2006]
823. “The Heart Of Wisdom”
by the Dalai Lama, trans. by Thupten Jinpa
“The Heart Sutra is one of Buddhism’s most important texts. This masterful DVD is a great resource for studying and understanding the Heart Sutra’s presentation of profound wisdom on the nature of emptiness and selflessness. The Dalai Lama’s teaching includes an overview of Buddhism, background material, and commentary on the text which is essential for attaining an unmistaken view of reality ‑ a view that brings about true liberation from all suffering.” [producers]
12.34‑hour DVD‑set. Snow Lion. US$ 114.60
824.* “The Himalayas”
Directed by Brado Quilici.
Genesis Entertainment/Brando Quilici Productions.
Eight episodes mostly about Nepal and Bhutan and their economies, including the Tibetan carpet industry.
“Himalayan Realities”
“The Legend of Everest”
“The Mighty River”
“Ice on the Move”
“A Kingdom in the Sky”
“Cosmic “Cycle”
“Tibet”
“In Thin Air”
22 minutes each, color.
825. “The Holy Mountain of Tibet”
“Where Tibet, Nepal and India meet rises a 22,000‑foot‑high mountain thought by Hindus and Buddhists to hold at its peak the throne of the foremost gods. This program follows the trail to Mt. Kailash, also stopping to visit shrines and other sacred sites at Tsaparang, the 11th century capital of the old Tibetan kingdom of Guge, at Khojamat, where a stately cloister remained open despite the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and at Lhasa, whose architecture and rich decorative arts illustrate the Buddhist concept of the world.” [Catalogue]
Available from Films for the Humanities & Sciences, US$89.95, 52 minutes, color.
826. “The Hunter and the Skeleton”
A short animated film by Gentsu Gyatso a.k.a. Bin Bai
A spectacular animated version, flash plus thangka, of an Eastern Tibetan folk tale: when a hunter meets a fearsome skeleton monster, are they friends, or enemies? This colourful Eastern Tibetan folk tale is a wonderful combination of traditional Tibetan paintings and a score that combines native Tibetan music with modern influences [producers]
2012. 26:07 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUDUqMA6oxs
827. “The Inauguration of the Women’s Association”
Conceived in Tibet in 1952, the Lhasa Patriotic Women’s Association was inaugurated on 8 March 1953. Film shows the first meeting of the recently revived association in April 1985.
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes, US$26.00.
828. “The Inner Art of Meditation”
By Jack Kornfield”
This is a beginner’s course on insight meditation that helps generate calm and awaken to truth.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 90 minutes, video, US$19.95. Also, Mystic Fire Video.
829. “The Jew in the Lotus”
Produced and Directed by Laurel Chiten
Blind Dog Films
“Based on the best‑selling book by Roger Kamenetz, the film follows Kamenetz as he chronicles a meeting between the Dalai Lama and a group of rabbis ‑ and begins an intense journey that leads him back to his Jewish roots.” [producers]
“‘The Jew in the Lotus’ is a documentary that suggests film may be far from the ideal medium for portraying a spiritual journey that takes a man back to his religion…the Dalai Lama sought to know the secret of the spiritual survival of Jews in the millennia of the Diaspora…A fascinating question, but it is rapidly subsumed and abandoned…beneath the story of Roger Kamenetz…Whatever his gifts as a writer and public speaker may be, Mr. Kamenetz generates little interest and radiates no charisma…for the most part the film makes him appear to be a self‑absorbed neurotic…By the end…Ms. Chiten’s documentary bears an unfortunate resemblance to a 60‑minute infomercial.” [The New York Times, 29 January 1999, p. E20]
60 minutes. The Jew in the Lotus Film Project, Blind Dog Films, P.O. Box 238, Waban, MA 02168 (617‑965‑0712).
830. “The Joy of Living”
Directed by Kelsang Tsering Khangsar
“Documentary about a 70+ year old Buddhist nun, Ani Sonam Tsering, who, since her arrival in Dharamsala in 1959 has devoted her life to taking care of the many street dogs in her community. Filmed over a period of 3 years with a handycam.” [Tibet.net, 31 July 2006]
52 minutes
831. “The King of Darts” (Biaowang)
Chinese film directed by Li Qimin in 1986
832. “The Knowledge of Healing”
Directed by Franz Reichle. Produced by Marcel Hoehn
“…a gentle, optimistic film about the wonders of Tibetan medicine…for which the physicians and researchers interviewed…make dramatic claims…How valid these assertions are, of course, is anybody’s guess…The film introduces Tenzin Choedrak, a leading Tibetan medical authority, and shows him treating the 14th Dalai Lama for a minor aliment…[the film] offers much too much information to be absorbed in one viewing. But from what can be grasped, the movie is not propagandistic mumbo jumbo but an invitation to examine a useful alternative approach to the human and its mechanisms.” [The New York Times, 5 November 1997]
Mystic Fire Video, 90 minutes. Also, Snow Lion. In Tibetan, Russian, Buryat, English, Swiss dialect and German with English subtitles.
833. “The Kunlun Valary” (Kunlun tiegi)
Chinese film directed by Yuan Naizhen in 1960.
834. “The Lama King” “
This 1975 BBC documentary features candid interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and scenes from the daily life of Tibetans in exile in Dharamsala, India, the seat of the Tibetan Government‑in‑Exile. Of special interest are shots of the colorful and dramatic rituals performed to observe the Tibetan New Year and 1959 footage of the Tibetan National Uprising in Lhasa, the Dalai Lama’s Geshe degree examination and his escape to India, including the original BBC broadcast announcing his safe arrival.” [producers]
1979. Office of Tibet, 45 minutes, 16 mm. and 3/4″ videos. Also at http://tibetfilmarchive.org
835. “The Lama, The Yurt and The Oracle. On the Road with a Mongolian Lama”
A “video document” by Wold Kahlen. In German.
Part 1. For part 2 see: “Occupation Lama. On the Road with a Mongolian Lama”
“Wolf Kahlen spent two months with the Mongolian Lama Zagdag on the road, in yurts or on the backs of yaks and horses…[at the Gandan Tegchoeling Monastery in Ulan Baatar and at the Erdene Zu Monastery in Karakorum]…Kahlen..portrays the daily and nightly life, the obligations of the lama on a nomadic trip giving blessings, hope or oracles.” [Kahlen]
1994‑95, 108 minutes. See http://www.sanfu.de/~ruine‑kuenste.berlin/video9.htm
836. “The Last Dalai Lama?”
Directed by Mickey Lemle
“The Dalai Lama’s profile got a boost from filmmaker Mickey Lemle’s 1992 documentary Compassion in Exile, and now Lemle returns 25 years later with this follow-up reexamining the Dalai Lama’s legacy, taking the celebrations surrounding his 80th birthday in 2015 as a departure point. Like its predecessor, the new film will prove of most interest to his holiness’ admirers and devoted followers. But it also offers a good deal of appealing content for broader audiences that may deepen their appreciation for this charismatic leader who has successfully forged widely admired religious and secular roles with a surprising variety of high-profile personalities, including presidents and A-list actors…Cutting back to Lemle’s Compassion in Exile, the new film revisits some of the key interviews from that documentary, when the filmmakers were given unprecedented access to his holiness and his family members. These discussions focus primarily on the sometimes esoteric religious practices of Tibetan Buddhism and the restive political situation inside Tibet, as well as the challenges of resettling Tibetan refugees.” [Hollywood Reporter, 11 August 2017]
USA. 2017, 1:21
837. “The Last Horse Caravan”
Korean documnentary. “
“This is the first part of a six episode series made by the Korean Broadcasting System about one of the most ancient trade routes, which even predates the silk route: that known as the tea and horse caravan road leading from Tibet to southern China.
This part follows traders from the Chawaroong village in south Tibet as their make their way over dangerous Himalayan passes and rivers to be able to sell their produce in Meritz, Yunnan in southern China.
For a large part of the way there are no roads to speak off, and path of the path is dangerous indeed, and it seems that each year someone loses his life, or that of his livestock as they try to get their stock to market.
The traders take a kind of mushroom and a rare herb identified as checkered lilies, and once they get it to market they get a handsome price for them. But the journey is dangerous and hard.” [producers]
In Korean with Chinese and English subtitles. Availablke here:
“Part of the Insight Asia series, Asian Corridor In Heaven is a six-episode HD documentary series co-produced by KBS and NHK about the world’s oldest trade route, the “Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road”. Pre-dating the Silk Road by 200 years, the Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road crossed from the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces of Southwest China over mountainous terrain into Tibet, Nepal, and India. The Caravan Road was not only an important route for the trade of tea and horses, but also a corridor connecting Chinese and Tibetan language, people, religion, and cultures. “
Part 1: The Last Horse Caravan Part 2: Road to PilgrimagePart 3: Tea Makes the Road Open Part 4: The Salt in Yanjing Part 5: Himalayan Salt Part 6: Guge, Mystery of the Lost Kingdom
838. “The Last Monk”
Directed by Sudipto Sen
Swapna, pursuing a course in philosophy, lives in New Delhi, enjoying life with her husband Pushkar, a successful IT professional. It’s been only fifteen days when she has to leave for Ladakh to complete her doctoral dissertation in cultural Buddhism. Sonic, a local Khempo, is her guide on the trip. A relationship develops between the two which is physical but not intended. Does her husband accept her? The film is open‑ended. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Monk ]
2006. India. In English. 110 minutes.
839. “The Last Resort”
Produced by Majo Film
“This documentary is a powerful political statement, suitable for raising awareness of the Tibetan situation. It moves from the spiritual peace of chanting monks in Tibet…to the brutality of hinese soldiers beating up monks in a monastery…” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 28 minutes. US$35.00.
840. “The Life Of The Buddha”
“An investigation into the myth and legend of the Buddha, who lived in India two and a half thousand years ago, whose story is one of the greatest ever told.
Using CGI graphics, expert testimony and the latest archaeological findings, this film dramatises his extraordinary life, from the luxuries of the palace where he was waited on hand and foot, to his dramatic escape from home and his renunciation of worldly goods. The film also reconstructs the spiritual practices he tried and rejected.
His experiences became the basis for a philosophy that is now followed by over 400 million people…The Life Of The Buddha includes interviews with English speaking Buddhists from various denominations. It looks at the key practices of Buddhism and investigates the life‑changing solutions to the problem of human suffering that the Buddha formulated.” [producers]
60 minutes, Heritage Buddhist Trust, http://members.aol.com/yeshiuk/index.html
841. “The Lion’s Roar”
“Documents the extraordinary life, teachings and death of His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa, supreme head of the Kagyu tradition. Narrated by James Coburn.” [Wisdom]
Wisdom Films, 50 minutes, color.
842. “The Lions Roar: the Life and Times of H.H. Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16thKarmapa”
by Center Productions
“A magnificent work ‑ dramatic, richly colorful in both sound and sight. It depicts the life and times of one of Tibetan Buddhisms most respected leaders. It traces the Karmapas lineage from its earliest roots to the 20th century.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 50 minutes, US$29.98
843. “The Lost Country”
A planned film by Indian actress Mandakini and her husband Dr. Kagyur Rinpoche (a former Tibetan monk before he surrounded his vows to marry). The film will start Richard Gere and focus on the issues between China and Tibet. Will be filmed in English. [Times of India, 27 January 2010].
844. “The Lost World of Tibet”
Directed by Emma Hindley for the BBC
“This film is being brought to television as a result of a BBC/British Film Institute co‑production. A recently restored treasure‑trove of colour films from the 1940s and 1950s provides the core of this astonishing film, which allows us to see what Tibet was like before its brutal occupation by China. As members of the aristocracy and the Tibetan government in exile recall, the Tibetans world revolved around a series of colourful religious festivals, taking up 68 days of the year. In The Great Prayer Festival, monks take over from the government for a few days and, whilst ceremoniously whipping their subjects, impose fines for such offences as singing in public or having a dirty house. The film includes a revealing interview with the Dalai Lama, who reminisces about how much he missed his mother and his envy for his brother who got to play with all his toys. The Dalai Lama found himself studying from his rigorous final monastic exams which included publicly debating with his elders at the same time that the Chinese were preparing to take over the country. ”We were just so engrossed in our little pond”, recalls one interviewee. ”We knew nothing, what was happening in the world, what could happen. And so we lost our country”.
2008. This is the extended 90 min version. Special Features: Original 60 minute BBC version: Booklet containing film notes.” [producers]
For purchase at: https://shop.bfi.org.uk/catalogsearch/result/?o=ltibet&q=tibet (8 British pounds)
845. The Love Song on Kangding (Ka‑ng Dìng Qíng Ge)
Director: Ping Jiang
This romantic drama, named for the famous Kangding folk song, focuses on the lasting love between Li Sujie, a young Han Chinese engineer, and Dawa, a Tibetan serf. The couple meet in 1950 when Li arrives with the Chinese army during the establishment of the Ganzi prefecture. Obstacles force a 60 year separation, but their love never wavers. Adding a parallel modern relationship, the story reflects social changes over time and celebrates local culture. [IMDb movie base]
In Chinese. 2010
846. “The Lower Rooms”
Directed by Barry Hunt and Nathan Wilson
The Lower Rooms is the harrowing but uplifting story of a Tibetan refugee and his impact on a local family in Portland, OR. The lead character of Tenzin, in rehabilitation after political torture, comes to stay in the home of Madeline and her daughter Rosie. Rosie’s invasive curiosity and Tenzin’s reluctance to talk of his past create conflict between the two. Rosie’s brush with a cult however builds a mutual need for trust and appreciation between the pair. Eliza Anderson’s nuanced script does not indulge details around the issues of the politics surrounding the characters which prevents the audience from digging trenches and frees the story to become universal and human. [producers]
2015. 75 minutes. USA
847. “The Magical Mountain of Tibet”
Directed by Simon Allix and Florence Tran,
In the heart of the Himalayas, in Tibet, the Mount Kailash is a unique place that is considered sacred by both Hinduists and Buddhists. At an altitude of 6,700 meters, it attracts each year millions of pilgrims in search of spirituality and freedom. From Kathmandu to the Tibetan Wild West, Florence Tran and Simon Allix, two explorers, will take us on their journey and will initiate their pilgrimage with a specific goal: the homage to a loved one and the need for coming back to life [producers]
2013. 53 minutes. Distributed by Alexander Street Press
848. “The Meaning of Human Life and Patience”
Lama Zopa gives a public talk at Conway Hall, London in July 1995. He gives “…practical advice on how to live our lives well and with a minimum of suffering…”[producers]
Meridian Trust. 195 minutes. US$78.75.
849. “The Meaning of Tibetan Buddhist Chanting”
By Ven. Thubten Pende. Directed by Steven Schweitzer
Part of the series, The Eternal Quest. Wisdom Films, 26 minutes.
850. “The Mekong in Tibet and China”
“This program explores the way of life of the people who live near the Mekong’s banks in Tibet and southwestern China. Tibetan shepherds; Chinese fishermen, farmers and traders; the Bai people of the ancient kingdom of Dali; and the Dai people, called “The Free,” go about their business as they discuss their concerns about the overcutting of timber, water pollution and the impact of 14 proposed dams.”
52 minutes, US$89.9. Films for the Humanities and Sciences.
851. “The Message of the Tibetans”
Produced by Arnaud Desjardins.
Made for French TV in 1963, this video was filmed in India, Sikkim and Bhutan and contains footage of major Tibetan teachers from all lineages including H.H. Dalai Lama, H.H. Karmapa, H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, H.H. Sakya Tridzin Rinpoche, Chatral Rinpoche, Abo Rinpoche, a very young Tai Situ Rinpoche and many others. In two parts: “Buddhism” and “Tantrism.” English narration.
CDN$55 for both from Alize Diffusion, 02‑3330 Avenue Dumas, Quebec, PQ, G1L 4S5, Canada (418‑623‑7524). Also available through Snow Lion and Mystic Fire Video. Also, Meridian Trust at US$43.00.
852. “The Nature of Mind”
An overview of Tibetan Buddhism by Kalu Rinpoche, one of the most eminent masters of the Kagyu school, recorded in London.
Wisdom Films, 1987, 150 minutes.
853. “The Nature of Mind”
“Sakya Trizin gives a lucid and profound explanation of the practices of Mahamudra from the Sakya lineage of Drogmi Lotsawa. Rigpa, London, 1984.” [producers]
Meridian Trust, 90 minutes, color. US$44.00.
854. “The Nature of Mind in London”
Ven. Kalu Rinpoche teaches the Nature of Mind.
Meridian Trust. 150 minutes. US$70.00.
855. “The Nature of Suffering”
H. E. Sakya Trizin teachings the nature of suffering and the unsatisfactory nature of samsara. London 1991.Meridian Trust. 50 minutes. US$32.00.
856. “The Nature of the Mind”
By Ven. Ani Tenzin Palmo
The well‑known teacher and author of the best‑selling Reflections on a Mountain Lake and subject of Cave in the Snow, talks here with her characteristic humor and directness on the nature of our mind and what we need to do to purify our misconceptions. [producers]
Snow Lion, 66 minutes.
857. “The Nazi Expedition”
Directed by: Járgen Czwienk & Georg Graffe
This German television (ZDF) documentary explores the 1938 Nazi expedition to Tibet led by Ernst Schäfer. In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler’s Germany presented a glittering surface sheen of technological modernity…But beneath the tread of marching feet and the rumble of tanks on Nuremberg’s Zeppelin Field, there pulsed the rhythms of a different and much older set of beliefs, a philosophy that animated the Nazi Party’s early ideologues and, crucially, the man who stood behind Hitler himself, Heinrich Himmler, chief of the SS.
These beliefs were anything but technological. They were a curious mixture of ancient Teutonic myth, Eastern mysticism and late 19th‑century anthropology. Whether Adolf Hitler took them wholly seriously is open to debate. But Heinrich Himmler certainly did. They lay at the heart of the SS empire he created and which became the most dreaded arm of the Nazi state. They were also the mainspring behind a Nazi expedition to secure the secrets of a lost super‑race in the mountains of Tibet. [producers]
2004. 46:41 minutes
858. “The Need to Balance External and Internal Values”
The Dalai Lama talking about cultivating inner values. Sponsored by the Tibet Society of the UK.Meridian Trust.
90 minutes. US$35.00.
859. “The Only Son”
Directed by Simonka de Jong.
“The Only Son” is a 2013 Dutch documentary, directed by Simonka de Jong. It is a story about the challenge of keeping Dolpo’s ancient culture alive as the area becomes less isolated. The film centers on Pema’s parents’ expectation that Pema will return to Dolpo, Nepal, when he completes his education, marry a Dolpapa woman, and manage the family’s land. As the only son, this is his role in Dolpo’s traditional culture. Pema is torn between his duty to the family and his desire to live the modern life that he now prefers. The film is primarily shot in Karang, a village at 13,000 feet in Upper Dolpo, one of the most remote areas of Nepal.” Documentary [producers]
In Tibetan with English subtitles. Available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCOWKsAaDbo
860. “The Ornaments of Lhasa: Islam in Tibet”
Producer: Gary Henry
Footage and photographs taken of the Muslims in Lhasa in 1997 are richly complemented by a delightful interview with a Tibetan Muslim who describes the history and life of Islam in Tibet, the two Muslim communities living there today and the relationship between the Buddhists and the Muslims. [producers]
USA. 25 minutes. 1998
861.* “The OSS Mission to Tibet: 1942‑1943” (also called “Inside Tibet“)
A unique documentary made by a professional cameraman accompanying the mission led Co. Illia Tolstoy and Capt. Brooke Dolan and sent by President Roosevelt to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to request permission to transport military supplies through Tibet during WW II. Although the commentary by Capt. Dolan reflects many misconceptions held about Tibet at the time, the color footage is an outstanding record of traditional Tibet: the land, the young Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.” [producers] All in color, mostly about Lhasa and the Loshar ceremonies so it is an important historical document. Presumably Dolan took far more footage and film about the rest of their trip should be equally fascinating but I don’t know where that footage is. [Grunfeld]
Office of Tibet, 40 minutes, color, 16 mm. Available at the Motion Picture, Sound and Video Branch, National Archives, College Park, Maryland. Restored and digitalized by the Tibet Film Archive at the Rubin Museum, New York City. http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org/
Approx. 40 minutes. In color. Can be viewed at:
862. “The Path of Non‑Violence”
Produced by Amaryliss Data, Sweden
The Dalai Lama’s visit to Sweden in 1988 speaking about non‑violence and developing altruism.
Meridian Trust. 90 minutes. US$55.00.
863. “The Peaceful Liberation of Tibet”
A Chinese documentary with stirring uplifting music and lots of happy natives grateful for Chinese rule. An excellent example of terribly unbelievable propaganda. However, there is lots of footage from the 1950s, Tibet scholars justifying Chinese rule and the Panchen Lama. [Grunfeld]
30 minutes, English narration.
864. “The Perfection of Wisdom” (Phar phyin)
“The Perfection of Wisdom” (Phar phyin) is the one of the five treatises of Buddhist philosophy. Ngag dbang ‘jam dbyangs, a monk at Bla brang Monastery in Gansu Province, China, earned this degree in 2004. This documentary, filmed and edited by his younger brother, documents the graduation ritual for the thirty monks who achieved this degree. The documentary features Ngag dbang ‘jam dbyangs making 1,000 packages of sugar and raisins, given away at the ritual’s end; debating Buddha’s deeds in La Kha Lama’s quarters the night before the formal ritual; and visiting the monastery halls early the next morning; the formal examination with an assembly of all monastic leaders and monks in the great hall; and congratulations from friends, family members, and teachers. A rare look into a contemporary large Tibetan Buddhist monastery.” [producers]
DVD. 27 minutes. Color. In Tibetan with English subtitles.
http://people.lulu.com/users/index.php?fHomepage=236029
865. “The Pilgrimage. Visit of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa to the Places of Pilgrimages in India”
“This official documentary film of the first visit of H.H. the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje…contains exclusive digital footage of his visits to Delhi, Varanasi, Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Rajghir, and Lake Rewalsar.” [producers]
90 minutes. Snow Lion, US$29.95.
866. “The Power of Truth”
Film by Irene Greve
“Award winning Danish video…explores the Dalai Lamas attitudes towards violence and other topics…wise, funny, heart‑wrenching, the film ranges from the Mount Everest to monks being re‑educated, to Lhasa, to moving conversations with the Dalai Lama, Richard Gere and others.” [producers]
59 minute video. Snow Lion, US$29.95. In Danish with English subtitles.
867. “The Practices of a Bodhisattva”
The Dalai Lama gives a 3 day teaching on the 12th century verse text by Thogme Zangpo in preparation for the Kalachakra Initiation.
Meridian Trust. 1985. 300 minutes. US$108.50.
868. “The Practices of Tranquility and Insight”
By Lama Yeshe Gyamtso
“These talks are based on the Kagyu Lineage Prayer which presents the entire path of practice in the Kagyu lineage. This prayer was composed by Jampel Sangpo, a disciple of the 6th Karmapa, who became a guru of the 7th Karmapa after attaining realization through persevering in the practice of Mahamudra. Lama Yeshe’s teaching emphasizes the third and fourth stanzas relating to tranquility and insight meditation. Lama Yeshe Gyamtso’s talks include detailed practice instructions on several meditation techniques.” [producers]
8 hours 4‑DVD set. US$48.00. Snow Lion
869. “The Precious Garland. A Commentary by His Holiness the Dalai Laa”
By H. H. The Dalai Lama, translated by Thubten Jinpa
“This i9 the Dalai Lama’s commentary on Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland, an Epistle to a King given in Los Angeles in June of 1997. He focuses mainly on the first chapter but includes overviews of the other four and elaborations on important sections.”
Snow Lion, 6 video cassettes.
870. “The Principles of the Spiritual Path”
“Kyabje Zong Rinpoche gives an explanation of the three principle aspects of path, renunciation, bodhicitta and the right view of emptiness. Translated by Geshe Namgyal Wangchen. Lam Rim Centre, Wales.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 1994. 4 hours, color. US$96.00.
871. “The Principles of Tibetan Medicine
Dr. Tenzin Choedak, personal physician to the Dalai Lama, gives a series of talks introducing Tibetan medicine. Rikon, Switzerland.
Wisdom Films, 1985, 5 hours. US$100.00.
872. “The Profound Path of Mahamudra
by H.E. Tai Situ Rinpoche
“This double DVD set features teachings given by Tai Situ Rinpoche at Sherab Ling in Baijnath, India on March 15, 2003 during the week of his 50th Birthday celebration. Mahamudra is the principle meditation of the Kagyu Lineage. Briefly, it involves looking directly into the mind to understand the true nature of reality. Rinpoche gives Mahamudra meditation instruction, including a 28 minute guided session.” [producers]
2 DVDs, 172 min., English with Mandarin option. US$ 65.95. Snow Lion.
873. “The Purpose of Meditation”
Lama Zopa “…shows how neither friends, money nor reputation hold the key to true happiness and satisfaction. Meridian Trust. 1991. 120 minutes. US$52.50.
874. “The Queen of Tibet”
Director: Wu Fa‑Shen
A historical drama of the Tang princess coming to Tibet .
1986, Hong Kong.
875. “The Quiet Revolution: Empowering Women Through Sacred
Dance”
Produced and directed by Anahata Iradah
“In the early nineties, the now late H. E. Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche asked…to bring a group of western women to India to dance scared dances…In 1998 50 dancers and musicians from 11 countries traveled to Indian and Nepal…The Dance of the 21 Taras was preformed in Dharamsala…and elsewhere.” [producers]
40 minutes. Snow Lion. US$25.00.
876. “The Rainbow Road” (Wucai lu)
Chinese film directed by Wei Rong in 1960.
877. “The Razor’s Edge”
Directed by Edmund Goulding.
Larry Darrell returns from the battlefields of World War I to America a different person. His fiancé (Isabel) resigns herself to a delay in the wedding plans when Larry heads off to Paris. There he finds he prefers a simpler existence and begins to read. One book inspires him to visit India and on to Nepal and the mountains of Tibet where he finds spiritual help from a lama. On returning to Paris he finds Isabel and some old friends. Everyone has changed. [producers]
Film version of W. Somerset Maugham’s 1944 novel, starring Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne, Anne Baxter.
1946. USA. 145 min.
878. “The Razor’s Edge”
Directed and co‑written by John Byrum.
“Larry Darrell returns from the battlefields of World War I to America a different person. His fiancé (Isabel) resigns herself to a delay in the wedding plans when Larry heads off to Paris. There he finds he prefers a simpler existence and begins to read. One book inspires him to visit India and on to Nepal where he finds spiritual help from a lama. On returning to Paris he finds Isabel and some old friends. Everyone has changed.” [producers]
1984, USA. Remake of 1946 feature film. Starring Bill Murray.
879. “The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche”
Directed by Tenzin Sonam and Ritu Sarin.
This film is a “two‑part real life drama…narrated by Ian Holm and shows events as they happened. A disciple searches for the child who is the reincarnation of the late Khensur Rinpoche, a revered high lama who had been his master. Once found, the child, a cheerily boisterous, very normal infant only four years old, is ceremonially initiated into the religious life. Once again the Dalai Lama appears, but this time to ambiguous effect. For the way in which a young child is set up in a role likely to last for life will be experienced as wonderful or disturbing depending on the religious outlook of the individual viewer. Either way, this is a fascinating insight and a film of great interest”.[Michael Darviell, What’s On In London, London]
Mystic Fire Video, 62 minutes, US$44.00. Also, Meridian Trust. Also, at: ‑vcmil@uclink.berkeley.edu
880.* “The Religious Investiture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama”
Produced by the Office of Tibet, New York City,
“A colorful documentary record of sequences from the rigorous oral examinations required of the Dalai Lama to achieve his Geshe Lharampa degree (highest order of Doctor of Divinity degree). Some of the footage was filmed in 1958, and the balance in February 1959, only weeks before the Tibetan Uprising and the flight of the Dalai Lama to India. Informative and interesting scenes of the Potala Palace, Lhasa city and surrounding areas, Tsuglagkhang (the Central Cathedral), Ganden monastery (now destroyed), monks, government officials and ceremonial dancers. From the original 8 mm. films.” [producers]
Office of Tibet, 20 minutes, 16 mm. and 3/4″ video. Available at the Tibet Film Archive, Rubin Museum, NY. http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org/
881. “The Return March to Tibet”
Film by Legdup Tsering and Tenzin Palky (Tibet People’s Uprising Movement)
“On 10 March 2008, 101 Tibetan exiles together with a number of international supporters set off from Dharamsala on an epic march to Tibet.” [producer]
India. 2008. 42 minutes. Tibetan with English sub‑titles
882. “The Sacred Arrow” (Original title: “Wucai shenjian”)
Director: Pema Tseden
A Beijing‑Himalaya Audio & Visual Culture Communication Co. production.
A traditional archery competition forms the foundation of this painfully inspirational and optimistic drama unfolding on the rusty and admittedly highly photogenic expanses of Tibet. Director Pema Tseden has made a name for himself as the only working director in China identified as Tibetan, and in his fourth feature, The Sacred Arrow… The one‑two punch of rare material and astounding visuals will ensure the film a long life among film festivals both in Asia‑Pacific and overseas…
The people of Lhalong and Damo have maintained a friendly rivalry and lived in peace for centuries, no matter whose archers dominated the contest from year to year. This year, however, Lhalongs best, Dradong (Renqing Dunzhu), is incensed at losing the legendary Sacred Arrow to Damos finest, Nyima (SonamNyima…), a humble man in love with Dradongs sister Dekyid … His loss is the first in a chain reaction of unfortunate instances, including a head wound for Nyima, the village kids getting into the challenging spirit, and the Lhalong archers eventually stooping to modern conveniences worthy of Oliver Queen to win the next contest. A second humiliating one‑on‑one defeat for Dradong eventually leads him and Nyima at a neutral competition in the city, with the final result declaring them equals. All is forgiven and forgotten in a forced conflict resolution. [Hollywood Reporter,
http://hollywoodreporter.com/review/sacred‑arrow‑shanghai‑review‑713053
China. 2014. 95 mins.
883. “The Sacred Art of Tibet: The Visible Compendium
By Larry Jordan,
“The Sacred Art of Tibet (1972, 28 min.) was inspired by a gallery showing of unique Tibetan thankas, religious scroll paintings, rupas and other sacred images and artifacts. Jordan set out to present a visual experience of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, and the resulting film rises above conventional documentary form to become a beautiful and autonomous work of art in its own right. The Visible Compendium (1990, 17 minutes) is an animated film that took two years to make and is one of Jordan’s most technically refined works to date. It takes the viewer on a trip through idyllic lands where plants smile, an image of a tiger appears in the sun, and nude women wander about comfortably within an enchanted landscape. A beautiful and densely constructed work, rich in enigmatic and allusive images.” [producers]
Distributor: Facets Video, Purchase Price:US$59.95.
884. “The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lama: A Pilgrimage to the Oracle Lake”
Written, filmed and edited by Michael Weise
Narration and music by Steve Dancz
“A remarkable film visiting the sacred sites of the Dalai Lamas in Tibet, a pilgrimage with translator and author Glenn Mullin. This fascinating journey explores the caves where the early Buddhist masters meditated, enters the monasteries where the Dalai Lamas and others taught, and ‑ at an altitude of over 16,000 feet ‑ looks down into the famous oracle lake of Lhamo Lhatso where every Dalai Lama has had prophetic visions. It includes two special 20 minute interviews with Bhutanese master Khenpo Tashi and Glenn Mullin.” [producers]
2006. 2 hours. Wisdom Books http://www.wisdom‑books.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=16108
885. “The Saltmen of Tibet”
Written and directed by Ulrike Koch. Cinematography by Pio Corradi
German film‑maker Koch followed a Tibetan nomadic group that have for hundreds of years migrated across northern Tibet to collect salt from Himalayan lakes. Using a digital video camera (later transferred to 35 mm film) after Chinese authorities denied her request to film with a 16mm camera, Koch and Corradi spent weeks (months?) with the Tibetans filming their trek.
The film received rave reviews in the United States for its “quaintness,” it’s “capture of a dying way of life,” and its “poetry in motion.” [Grunfeld]
1997, 110 minutes in Tibetan with English subtitles.
886. “The Search” [Soul Searching in Tibet]
Directed by Pema Tseden (Wanma Caidan)
” It looks like a documentary, but it isn’t. Filmed near Qinghai Lake in the far western Chinese province of Qinghai ‑ the same area where Pema Tseden was born ‑ the movie uses nonprofessional actors speaking only the Amdo dialect.
The movie follows a film crew looking for a singer to perform the part of Tibetan opera character Prince Drime Kunden. This deeply symbolic character epitomizes selflessness and the virtue of charity; he is a previous incarnation of Buddha, who gave away his children and wife, and all his possessions to those in need and eventually plucks out his own eye… They encounter a Tibetan opera troupe consisting of girls performing stylized dances and using butter churns as props, but who can’t actually sing Tibetan opera. They hear a boy monk in a monastery who recites the English alphabet for his audition, and a Tibetan Charlie Chaplin who leaves them in stitches. The film also features a man who used to sing the part of Drime Kunden and now performs in a nightclub. Drunken and furious, the nightclub singer tells them he hates the role, and asks them whether they really believe love still exists in this world… At the end of The Search, the film crew finds its singer, a teacher whose government job won’t allow him to go home to sing for the traditional festivals. And despite the long search, the film director can’t decide whether he is right for the part ‑ a bittersweet conclusion, perhaps reflecting Tibetans’ dislocation and doubts about their own identity.” [“All Things Considered,” NPR, 30 June 2009]
In 2009 it won the Grand Prize at the Shanghai International Film Festival. The director was born in Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai province and studied at the Beijing Film Academy. This is China’s first full‑length movie made in Tibetan, with a Tibetan director and crew.
2009.
887.* “The Search for Shangri‑la”
Director: Sean Smith; Producer: Sally Thomas
Part of a series called “In Search of Myths and Heros” for Maya Vision International
“[Michael] Wood’s search for Shangri‑La takes him on a thrilling trek through India, Nepal and Tibet. The tale of the magical hidden valley of Shangri‑La was popularized in the 1930s by James Hilton in his novel, Lost Horizon. But, the story of a lost kingdom behind the Himalayas free from war and suffering is descended from a much older Indian myth. When Europeans first caught wind of the tale back in the 16th Century, they set about trying to discover it.
To find the truth behind the legend, Michael follows their track on foot through the Maoist controlled lands of Western Nepal and then on into Tibet. On the way he visits Mount Kailash ‑‑ the sacred center of the world for all Hindus and Buddhists. Eventually, after hundreds of miles on dirt roads, he reaches the fantastic ruins of the lost city of Tsaparang, which he suggests is the real inspiration behind the myth. “One of the oldest myths of humanity, the paradise myth continues to haunt us today, especially in our time of rapid globalization,” Wood concludes. “Whether such a paradise actually existed or not, it represents one of our most basic human desires.” [producers]
Amateurish and over dramatized, the film‑makers didn’t bother learning anything about the culture they were experiencing. It reminded me of the early 20th century travelogues of the lands of the exotic. The crew also crosses from rural Nepal to western Tibet without explanation, as though it was the Canadian and US borders, exchanging horses and trekking for land cruisers and trucks, also without explanation. [Grunfeld]
2005. 60 minutes http://www.pbs.org/mythsandheroes/program_episode.html
888. “The Secret History of the Potala Palace” (Budala Gong Mishi)
Directed by Zhang Yi
Banned after its release and never shown publicly in Tibet or China. Using Tibets leading actors it tells the tale of the 5th Dalai Lama and his regent and their efforts to confuse the Chinese Emperor. In Chinese with English subtitles. At least one copy in the West.
Tibet Regional Theatre Troupe and Emei Films, 1989.
Robbie Barnett Archive.
889. “The Secret of the Ahxia River” (Ahxia he de mimi)
Chinese film directed by Yan Bili, Shen Fu and Wu Zhennian in 1976.
890. ‘The Secret History of the Dalai Lamas’
“The father‑son duo of Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan…French director Jan Kounen and producer Manuel de la Roche are planning [a] …movie…about the history of Dalai Lamas since 14th century…’The Secret History of the Dalai Lamas’… de la Roche, is quoted as saying, ‘It will blend dramatised re‑enactments involving the earlier incarnations with excerpts from an interview with the current Dalai Lama.The makers will also try to get Sharon Stone, the actress who practices Tibetan Buddhism.
Apparently, she will act as a narrator, while another practicing Buddhist Richard Gere is also likely to be a part of the film. According to Roche, the shooting of ‘The Secret History of the Dalai Lamas’ will start later this year in the places like Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and in some other parts of the Indian subcontinent.
The movie is planned to release by the second half of 2010.” [WTN, 19 May 2009]
891. “The Seven‑line Guru Rinpoche Prayer”
By H.H.17th Gyalwang Karmapa “This talk on the Seven‑Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) was the major teaching given by His Holiness the 17th Karmapa on his historic first visit to KTD Monastery in May 2008. His Holiness combined instruction on the meaning of the prayer with his reflections on the history and significance of Guru Rinpoche, along with stories of his personal connection with the prayer. The DVD also includes footage of other events leading up to this teaching.” [producers]
75 minutes. US$24.95. Snow Lion.
892. “The Shadow”
Directed by: Russell Mulcahy Produced by: Martin Bregman, Willi Baer, Michael S. Bregman Written by: David Koepp Music by: Jerry Goldsmith
Starring: Alec Baldwin, John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller, Peter Boyle, Ian McKellen, Tim Curry, Jonathan Winters, Sab Shimono; Universal Pictures.
A Tibetan dagger also plays an important part in the film…and becomes the all‑powerful tool that defeats the evil Cranston, alias Ying Po. Thereupon the reformed villain sets himself up as The Shadow in the service of the good Tulku (incarnate monk) and goes on the hunt for criminals in New York. His greatest opponent is Shiwan Khan who has taken possession of the tulkus ritual dagger. Initially, Shiwan Khan appears to have the upper hand, but in the final battle Cranston is victorious, not least because of the Tibetan ritual dagger, which aids the good with its beneficial power. [Martin Brauen, Dreamworld Tibet. Western Illusions , translated by Martin Willson (Trumbull,
CT: Weatherhill Inc., 2004), p. 150. 1994.]
112 minutes
893. “The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet”
Film by Tenzing Sonam and his wife Ritu Sarin.
Done for the BBC as a “film of filial devotion” based on Sonam’s father’s (Lhamo Tsering) experiences as one of the leaders of the CIA‑sponsored Tibetan guerrilla army. Tsering from eastern Tibet; went to Nanjing in 1940s on college scholarship where he became friendly with Gyalo Thondup. Trained by the CIA in Virginia and Colorado (Camp Hale) in sabotage, laying mines, weapons and explosives as well as dead letter drops. Lived in Darjeeling and traveled to Calcutta to pick up suitcases full of cash from CIA operatives. [“A Secret War in Shangri‑La,” The Daily Telegraph, 14 November 1998]
“This film is for the younger Tibetans, who are unaware of the resistance,” says Sonam, “as well as for the Americans, who don’t know how their own government used and betrayed the resistance.” [Outlook, 15 February 1999]
49 minutes, US$195. Available through cmil@uclink.berkeley.edu
894. “The Shepherdess of the Glaciers”
Directed by: Stanzin Dorjai Gya and Christiane Mordelet
” The documentary The Shepherdess of the Glaciers follows Tsering and her flock of goats and sheep over the course of a year in the Gya-Miru valley in the Far Northern Mountains of Ladakh, India. Tsering at 50 is one of the last shepherdesses who still lives with her herd, and the youngest in her village to drive her 350 goats and sheep in this region of the Himalayas, located between 4,000 and 6,000 meters above sea level. Surrounded by this dry and desolate landscape, she lives under the continuous threat of wolves and snow leopards. Her brother filmed her exhausting work and documents the strong emotional tie between Tsering and her animals, showing a life diametrically opposed to the Western luxury industry which will use the Kashmir wool she produces.” [producers]
France/India 2016, 74 min
895. “The Six Paramitas”
by Tai Situ Rinpoche
“The Paramitas are the six stages of study and practice followed by Bodhisattvas on their way to Buddhahood. With clarity and humor Tai Situ teaches on generosity, morality, patience, diligence, and meditation as well the Prajnaparamita. These teachings were given by Situ Rinpoche during the week of his 50th birthday celebration. There is a second audio track with Mandarin translation. Much of the proceeds go to support Tai Situ.” [producers]
Part 1 & 2 DVD. 95‑minutes. US$39.95. Snow Lion.
896. “The Slightly Demented Vision of Bob Thurman”
By Gill Farrer‑Halls, Tony Pitts and Edwin Maynard
Thurman speaks at the Western Buddhist Teachers Conference. “He includes a radical idea of how to transform western monasticism and deal with the increasing problem of unemployment in western societies which had audiences spellbound.” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 1993. 50 minutes. US$26.25.
897. “The Snow Creature”
Director: W. Lee Wilder
American botanical expedition in the Himalayas stumbles across a Yeti den, capture one and transport it back to Los Angeles, where it escapes while customs officials are debating whether it is animal or human. [producers]
USA. 69 min. 1954
898. “The Son of a Herder”
Director: Tashi Chopel
A herders son, Gonpo Tseden, has just completed training at a vocational school and is eager to reorient his ideals and ambitions beyond pastoral life. But reality presents him with a challenge and burdensome responsibility horse racing, nomadic migration, and an illness in the family all compel him to follow the traditional role and values of a herdsman. This film, gorgeously shot in eastern Tibets Zehok region, shows us an unembellished portrait of the life of a plateau herder, an existence caught between ideals and reality, modernity and tradition, and individual choices. [producers]
China. 2014. 64 minutes. In Tibetan, English subtitles.
899. “The Soldier and the Snow Lions” (see Dixie Cups above.)
900. “The Song of Lodro Thaye: The Vajra Song of the First Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche”
by the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
“The Song of Lodrö Thaye is a doha, a song of realization, written by the First Jamgön Kongtrül Rinpoche. In these recordings, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche’s commentary begins with an extensive and moving teaching on the relationship between devotion and realization. This is followed by commentary on the Ground Mahamudra verses, including the importance of meditating with the view, how the essence of cognitive mind manifests, the reasons why we fail to recognize mind’s true nature, and how ignorance, confusion and wisdom arise. Rinpoche explains that the key point or supreme view of ground Mahamudra is recognizing the various displays of samsara and nirvana to be self liberated. With humor and insight, these talks include advice on bringing teachings to bear on the problems we face in daily life. They include a practice session and several opportunities for questions. Taught entirely in English.” [producers]
5‑disc, 8‑hour, multi‑camera DVD set. Snow Lion. US$ 60.00
901. “The Song of Ultimate Reality”
Commentary by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the Song of Four Mindfulness composed by the Seventh Dalai Lama. Lama Tsong Khapa Institute, Pomaia, Italy.
Wisdom Films, 1985, 90 minutes.
902. “The Sound of Wisdom: Sacred Chant at New York City’s Church of Saint John the Divine”
Produced and directed by Robyn Brentano.
Documents the One World Music Festival of Sacred Chant which brought together the Tibetan monks from Gyuto Tantric College and new music composers Phillip Glass, David Hykes, Pauline Oliveros and Terry Riley.
Wisdom Films, 57 minutes. US$44.00. Also, Meridian Trust.
903. “The Spirit Doesn’t Come Anymore”
A film by Tsering Rhitar.
“The 38 minute‑long film is about Pao Wangchuk, a 78 year old Tibetan ngakpa/lha bab, or shaman, the 13th in the line, who lives in the Hyanja Tibetan Camp in Pokhara [Nepal], and his relationship with his family. Pao Wangchuk is an irascible character who beats his wife and bullies his eldest son and heir‑to‑succeed…The chief appeal of the film is its intimate portrayal of the characters and far from being turned off by Pao Wangchuk’s curmudgeonly, sometimes wicked ways, he becomes a memorable character…The earthy unjudging Tibetan humour is in strong form in this film.” [Himal. South Asia Magazine]
The film won the top award at the first South Asia Film Festival in Kathmandu in 1997. 38 minutes.
904. “The Spirit of Tibet: JOURNEY TO ENLIGHTENMENT: The Life and World of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche:
Film by Gabrella Martinelli, directed by Matthieu RichardA film about Khysentse Rinpoche. “This unique portrait relates Khysentse Rinpoche’s story from birth to death…and to rebirth, highlighting his escape following China’s invasion of Tibet and his determined work to preserve and spread Buddhist teachings.
The film’s outstanding score, arranged by Philip Glass, features authentic ritual and secular Tibetan music, and the eloquent and informative narrative is read by noted actor Richard Gere.” [producers]
46 minutes, US$195. Available at cmil@uclink.berkeley.edu
905. “The Stages of Meditation ‑ Gom Rim Bar Pa”
By H. H. the Dalai Lama
The Gom Rim Bar Pa (the Stages of Meditation) was written by Kamalasila and addresses the central issues and is a meditation handbook for Mahayana Buddhism. The Dalai Lama presents the text and gives his own commentary…This teaching was given at Deer Park, Wisconsin.” [producers]
7 videos, 11 hours. US$100.00. Snow Lion.
906. “The Story of Tsoe”
This is a short documentary film by Sam Wangyal and Andrea Paffetti courtesy of Wild Nomads. Partially narrated by Dr. George Schaller with Wildlife Conservation Society.
“Today we are witnessing rapid changes inside Tibet as China races ahead into the 21st century. While growth and globalization have brought benefits to untold millions, for some, it has spelled disaster. The Tibetan Antelope, called Tsoe or Chiru, lives above the tree line on the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of 14,000 ft and above. They are protected against the sub‑zero temperatures and icy winds of the Himalayan plateau by the softest, finest hair on earth. An undercoat of this extremely fine fur, covered by a coarse outer fleece, enables it to survive winter temperatures of negative 45 degrees Fahrenheit. In a cruel twist of fate, nature’s ingenuity is leading to ruin for this species. Shawls made from this fur, or shahtoosh, meaning “king of wool” in Persian, have long been prized amongst wealthy, fashionable Indian households. But in fact, shahtoosh shawls are produced by actually killing the antelope, a fact publicized in 1993 by world‑renowned biologist, Dr. George Schaller. Despite current laws protecting the Tsoe, poachers shoot the animals before removing this prized undercoat, to be sold off to eager buyers.
With increasing globalization, the popularity of these finely woven shawls has now spread to Europe, America and Japan. Fetching up to 5000 each, they have become a status symbol for those who can afford it, all the while pushing the Tsoe closer towards extinction.
A greater understanding of the tragic and illegal origins of shahtoosh shawls is urgently needed in order to reduce both production and demand, without which the very survival of the Tibetan antelope appears grim.
This film seeks to expose the real story behind the shahtoosh trade. Our hope is that it makes an impact to help end this trade for good, while also shedding light on the problems of greed and vanity which fuel this industry.” [producers]
http://sites.asiasociety.org/chinagreen/story‑of‑tsoe/
907. “The Strength of Spirit”
Directed by Tenzin Rigden
30 minutes
908. “The Stupa of Wisdom”
Produced by Vajra Yogini Editions
Film depicts the Vajra Yogini Institute in France building the first Kadampa Stupa in the west in 1991.
Meridian Trust. 26 minutes. US$30.00.
909. ‘The Sun Beaten Path’
Director: Sonthar Gyal
Nima, a soon‑to‑be groom, waits with his brother at a crossroad for his mothers return from their sisters house in town. His brother rides his motorcycle with their mother on the back seat, while Nima drives a brand new hand tractor behind them. His mothers waistband was accidently caught in the rear wheel of the motorcycle. The force of the fast moving motorcycle pulled their mother off the back seat. Following too closely to the motorcycle, Nimas hand tractor tragically kills his fallen mother. Sorrow and guilt overpower Nima so much that he cannot forgive himself. He heads to Lhasa as a pilgrim prostrating all the way there. However his pilgrimage does not alleviate his grief and guilt. On the way back from Lhasa he meets an old man. Together they cross no mans land. [producers]
China. 2011. 88 min. Mandarin with English subtitles.
910. “The Sun Behind the Clouds. Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom”
Directors: Tenzin Sonam and Ritu Sarin “In The Sun Behind the Clouds, Tibetan filmmaker, Tenzing Sonam, and his partner, Ritu Sarin, take a uniquely Tibetan perspective on the trials and tribulations of the Dalai Lama and his people as they continue their struggle for freedom in the face of determined suppression by one of the world’s biggest and most powerful nations. The filmmakers had intimate access to the Dalai Lama and followed him over the course of an eventful year, which included the 2008 protests in Tibet, the international response to it, the Beijing Olympics, and the breakdown in talks between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government.
Set against this backdrop, the film explores the interplay between the personal and the historic, spirituality and politics, and the tension between the Dalai Lama’s efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the Tibet situation based on compromise and dialogue, and the impatience of a younger generation of Tibetans who are ready to take a more confrontational course. ” [producers]
India. 2009. 79 minutes
911. “The Sweet Requiem” (Kyoyang Ngarmo [original title])
Produced by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam,
Dolkar is a 25‑year‑old Tibetan woman living in Delhi. 15 years ago, she escaped from Tibet with her father, making a perilous trek across the Himalayas. Since then she has suppressed all recollection of that traumatic journey.
But when Dolkar unexpectedly encounters Gompo, the guide who led them from Tibet only to abandon them before they crossed the final pass to freedom, memories of her escape are reignited and she is propelled on an obsessive search for reconciliation and closure.
Following Gompo obsessively through the narrow alleys of Majnu ka Tila, the Tibetan refugee colony in North Delhi, she is sucked into his strange and solitary existence. Flashbacks of her desperate journey with a small group through a harsh and desolate Himalayan terrain punctuate Dolkars growing predicament in the present as Gompo turns out not to be who she always imagined him to be.
Caught up in a web of political intrigue that is much larger than her personal quest, Dolkar must now reconcile Gompos act of treachery that has haunted her all her life with the life‑or‑death situation he now faces.
The two stories moving in tandem, one inexorably forwards in the present, the other unexpectedly backwards in time, both determined by a series of fateful choices, reaches its conclusion as Dolkar and Gompo finally confront each other and the source of Dolkars long‑buried anguish is revealed. [producers]
USA. 91minutes. 2018
912. “The Tachilenbu Temple”
Chinese film made in the 1950s.
913. “The Tale of Lhasas Past” (Lhasa wangshi/Lha sai sngon byung gtam rgyud)
TV drama series based on a Chinese‑language novel, God Without Gender by the Tibetan author Yangdon. Tells the story of Tibetan families in Lhasa over the past 50 years. In Tibetan with English subtitles.
CCTV (Chinese Central TV) 2001. Robbie Barnett collection.
914. “The Talisman”
Directed by: Peter Pau
Yin Feï is an acrobat who traverses the world with his brother and a troop of circus artists. For centuries, a legend says that her ancestors would be charged to ensure the protection of Shakira, a crowned relic, but she does not believe anything of it. Until the day when her former companion reappears with a medallion mentioned in the legend which could lead him to this Buddhist treasure. Yin Feï launches out then in a tour which will make her cross China and Tibet as well as the desert of Dunhuang . But a badly disposed collector is also interested by this relic and is ready with all to have it in his possession. [producers]
2003, Hong Kong / France , karate action adventure, 107 minutes
915. “The Teaching of Buddha in Everyday Life”
H. E. Sakya Trizin, the head of the Sakya sect, gives practical advice on integrating Buddhism into daily life. Rigpa, London.
Meridian Trust, 1984, 90 minutes, color. US$44.00.
916. “The Third Goddess” (Disan nushen)
Chinese film directed by Liu Yuhe in 1982.
917. “The Thread of Karma”
Film by Ritu Sarin and Tenzin Sonam
Follow up to the film makers earlier effort, “Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche.” The film “revisits Phara Khentrul Rinpoche, the reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche, 16 years later at Drepung Monastery in south India and offers a glimpse into the life of a young lama preparing to continue the work of his previous reincarnation.” [producers]
India. 2007. 50 minutes. English and Tibetan with English sub‑titles.
918. “The Three Principles of the Path”
Two lectures by Lama Thubten Yeshe on renunciation, bodhicitta and the right view of emptiness, given as a prelude to a tantric initiation. Vajra Yogini Institute, France.
Wisdom Films 1982, 105 minutes. US$52.50. Also, Meridian Trust.
919. “The Three Testaments of Garab Dorje”
Summary of the entire Dzogchen teachings by the first master to transmit them in this epoch.
Ilfracombe, Devon. Meridian Trust. 1984.
920.* “The Tibet Journal”
Documentary by CNN Beijing Bureau Chief Mike Chinoy about his visit to Tibet in 1988. Chinoy is one of a handful of Western journalists allowed to visit Tibet officially. A fair, even‑handed representation of the situation at the time. The film includes interviews with Chinese officials and dissidents. [Grunfeld]
CNN, 1988, approx. 30 minutes.
921. “The Tibet Within”
Occupied by China in 1949, Tibetans are now a minority in their own country, struggling to preserve their culture, language and identity. Outside Tibet, more than 150 000 Tibetans live in exile. The Tibet within, an independent Canadian documentary directed by Eva Cirnu, is dedicated to showing the struggle for the preservation of the Tibetan culture and identity of the thousands of Tibetans in exile. Through powerful images and moving interviews, the documentary pays homage to the Tibetans courage and determination. It presents their efforts to preserve their art, language and religion, while denouncing the constant violation of human rights in Tibet. [producers]
2013. Canada.
922. “The Tibetan Book of the Dead” (2 parts)
Narrated by Leonard Cohen; Directed by Yukari Havashi and Barrie McLean
“Filmed in Ladakhi, this new video explores the Tibetan wisdom of life and death and boldly visualizes the afterlife according to The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The film begins in Ladakh…then moves to San Francisco where it shows the text’s growing acceptance and use in hospices for the dying…[Part II] presents a vividly detailed account of the contents of the Book of the dead and of the traditional Buddhist teachings…” [Snow Lion]
1994, Part I: 45 minutes, 35 seconds; Part II: 45 minutes, 3 seconds; US$29.95@. Available from the National Film Board of Canada http://onf.ca/cgi‑bin/siteindex?ti ), Snow Lion and Mystic Fire Video.
923.”The Tibetan Book of the Dead, A Way of Life”
Produced by NHK/NHK Creative of Japan, Mistral Film of France and National Film Board of Canada.
“This two part series explores ancient teachings on death and dying. It was filmed over a four month period on location in the Himalayas…A Way of Life contains footage of the rites and liturgies surrounding and following the death of a Ladakhi elder. The Dalai Lama explains his own feelings about death, while other scenes within a palliative care hospice in San Francisco depicts the use of texts to counsel dying AIDS patients…”[producers]
1994, 45 minutes, 34 seconds. Available from the National Film Board of Canada (http://www.onf.ca/cgi‑bin/siteindex?ti ) and Snow Lion.
924. “The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation”
Directed by Hiroaki Mori, Yukari Hayashi and Barrie McLean for NHK Japan, Mistral Film of France and the National Film Board of Canada
This is “…a two‑part series that explores ancient teachings on death and dying. It was filmed over a four month period on location in the Himalayas…The Great Liberation is a docudrama which, in the company of an old Buddhist monk and a 13 year old novice monk, leads us into the very foundations of Buddhist philosophy ‑ the search for compassion and truth. Pema Choden, the lama, and Tubten, the novice, read from the texts of The Tibetan Book of the Dead as they conduct the 49 days of final rites for a deceased Himalayan villager.
1994, 45 minutes, 3 seconds. Available from the National Film Board of Canada http://www.onf.ca/cgi‑bin/siteindex?ti
925. “The Tibetan Dog”
Directed by Masayuki Kojima,
… a Chinese/Japanese animated film co‑produced by Madhouse, China Film Group Corporation and Ciwen Pictures. It premiered at 51st Annecy Film Festival in June 2011. In this film, a young boy named Tenzing leaves for Tibet after his mother passes away to live with his father in the prairies and encounters a true friend in form of a golden Tibetan Mastiff.
2012. Chinese-Japanese. 90 minutes. In Japanese with English subtitles.
926. “The Tibetan Question”
Originally produced for television. “It is a concise examination of the situation in Tibet and gives an opportunity for H. H. the Dalai Lama to present his views on non‑violence being the only means of resolving the Tibetan situation” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 1991. 12 minutes. US$17.50
927. “The Tibetan View of Death”
By Sogyal Rinpoche
The author of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying discusses the Tibetan view of mind as a clear space encompassing the entire universe and presents the view of rebirth and the afterlife as experienced directly by meditation masters. Part of the PBS Thinking Allowed series. [producers]
30 minutes. Video. Snow Lion. US$24.95.
928. “The Tibetan Way of Healing”
Seminar by Dr. Rabgay covering Tibetan medicine and pharmacopeia, massage, acupuncture, moxibustion, yoga and therapeutic ritual. Rigpa, London,
Wisdom Films, 1985, 9 hours.
929. ” The Tibetans: A Life in Exile”
Directed by Robb Bradstock”
After fifty years in exile the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan exile community face an impending crisis that may result in their culture losing its identity and disappearing forever. This documentary examines the difficulties confronting Tibetans in exile as they struggle to adapt to the increasing intrusion of the modern world.Filmed in the colourful town of Dharamsala…the film powerfully illustrates the growing conflict between traditional Tibetan culture and encroaching outside influences.” [producers]
2007. Ireland. 63minutes.
930. “The Trials of Telo Rinpoche”
Directed by Tenzing Sonam and Ritu Sarin
“This absorbing documentary portrait tells the amazing story of Telo Rinpoche, a.k.a. Eddie Ombadykow, a 21 year old from America…He is also a Buddhist monk who was brought up in a Tibetan monastery in India from the age of seven and who was recognized by the Dalai lama as an important reincarnate lama. For the past year and a half he has lived in his ancestral homeland, Kalmykia, a remote Buddhist republic in southern Russia…” [producers]
49 minutes, video. Available at cmil@uclink.berkeley.edu
931. “The Triple Vision”
“H. E. Sakya Trizin gives a general commentary referring to the three views of the world, that an ordinary being, of a practitioner with insight into reality and the totally integrated view of a fully awakened view of a fully awakened master or Buddha. Rigpa, London, 1984.” [producers]
Meridian Trust, 6 hours, color. US$120.75.
932. “The Tyre Quartet” (Chelun sichongzu)
Chinese film directed by Li Xiepu in 1984.
933. “The United States Tours of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama”
20 films with each recording the Dalai Lamas talks on visits to the US including a collection of press conferences. (1980?) Films vary from 20 minutes to 1 hour.
Court Vision Communications, 75 Long Court, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 (805‑496‑5664)
934. “The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen”
by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, trans. by Lama Yeshe Gyamtso
“The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, The Direct Instructions of the Great Compassionate One, is a text written by Karma Chagmey, a prolific writer recognized by the Fifth Dalai Lama as an emanation of the Buddha Amitabha. This text exists in both a short and a long version. The long version is comprised of eighteen chapters. In these talks, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche teaches extensively on the second half of the long version, which begins with a chapter on cultivating bodhichitta followed by chapters on the generation and completion stages of vajrayana practice. The text concludes with teachings on the profound practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. Thrangu Rinpoche’s teachings and commentary on Karma Chagmey’s text are penetrating, clear and accessible to western students. These 16‑hours of DVD recordings, filmed with a new 4‑camera, live‑mix system, are almost like attending the actual retreat that was conducted in Crestone, Colorado, in June of 2003.” [producers]
7‑DVD, 16‑hr. set. Snow Lion. US$ 130.00
935. “The Union of Wisdom and Compassion“
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, with trans. assistance by Tyler Dewar “With candor and humor Rinpoche describes our hang‑ups and how meditation and an altruistic motivation can take us beyond clinging at each stage. These four lively talks are filled with delight, wisdom, and clarity. Dzogchen Ponlop is widely known for his ability to present the teachings accessibly for Westerners.” [producers]
2‑DVD set. Snow Lion. US$ 48.00
936. “The Universal Responsibility in a Nuclear Age”
A global Conference of spiritual and parliamentary leaders discussing hum3an survival, April 1988 at Oxford, U.K. Includes the Dalai Lama.
Meridian Trust. 30 minutes. US$26.00.
937. “The Unknown World”
“1930s, Tibet, expedition through snow covered mountains to Lhasa, “Shangri-La”, Potala Palace, natives watching expedition travel through street, festival, onlookers watching festivities, wrestling match, natives in traditional clothing, man smoking pipe, natives in costumes performing ceremonial dances as musicians play instruments, dignitaries gathering, trumpet blowers sounding approaching event, procession through city to Potala Palace, natives in costumes and masks, ceremonial dances, final ceremony in Potala Palace courtyard, offerings and prayers being made to holy one, people bowing forward in prayer, Dalai Lama seated on throne, Dalai Lama turning head and glaring at camera, Gobi Desert, sandstorm passing through desert, men struggling to hold down tent, camel train through desert, expedition.” [ https://www.travelfilmarchive.com/item.php?id=12430&clip=n&num=10&startrow=0&keywords=The+Unknown+World]
Unlikely that this is Tibet and the “Dalai Lama of Shangri-la” is not the Dalai Lama. It looks like it was filmed in Ladakh and the lama is, perhaps, the 5th Hemis Rinpoche of Ladakh. But these are guesses. [Grunfeld]
8:14. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edTYRJRIE6o
938. “The Unwinking Gaze: The Inside Story of the Dalai Lamas Struggle for Tibet
Producer: Joshua Dugdale
“…an 18 month labor of love for the 33‑year‑old Brit documaker Dugdale, shows Tibet’s spiritual and political leader both realizing with close confidantes and meeting world leaders…The issue of Tibet is of profound importance especially in the run up to the Olympics. The power of this film to change hearts, minds and attitudes in the West and in China will be augmented by its release nationwide [in May].” [Dugdale] [Variety, 4 April 2008].
2008. 70 minutes. http://www.theunwinkinggaze.com In English and Tibetan with English subtitles.
939. “The Uprising of Tsugu Rinpoche” (A lags rtsib gu)
Directed by Sun Zhongguang, Liu Ren
Qinghai TV 1989. Robbie Barnett Archive.
940. “The Velvet Queen”
Directed by Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier
“The wild, mountainous peaks of Tibet – a frigid, gorgeous, inhospitable world that resembles a lunar landscape – are inhabited by antelope, soaring falcons, herds of yak, lumbering bears, and the diminutive but forbidding Pallas’ cat. But for world-renowned wildlife photographer Vincent Munier and his intrepid companion, novelist/geographer Sylvain Tesson, the Holy Grail is the majestic, elusive snow leopard. Their adventurous sleuthing (making themselves as inconspicuous as possible) is punctuated by intimate conversations about the existential nature of their quest. For anyone who has marveled at the infinite mystery and beauty of their pet cat, THE VELVET QUEEN is a not-to-be-missed, swoon-worthy experience. With original music by Warren Ellis and Nick Cave.” [producers]
France. 2021. French with English subtitles. 1:32 minutes.
941. “The Way” (The Way Out Road)
Film made by a graduating Tibetan student from the Central Nationalities University in Beijing. The story of a Tibetan woman who tries to run away from an abusive husband by becoming a Buddhist nun.
2010. About 15‑20 minutes. In Tibetan. Robbie Barnett Collection
942. “The Way Back”
Directed by Peter Weir
Hollywood film starring Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess and Ed Harris. Based on a 1955 novel by Slavomir Rawicz’s The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom. Set during World War II a group fo 5 prisoners escape the Soviet gulag and trek to freedom through Tibet and India.
943. “The Weathermans Legacy”
Director: Pema Tseden (Wanma Caidan)
A documentary …filmed in Pema Tsedens hometown, the film follows a Tibetan shaman who wants to pass down his hailstorm‑stopping and rain‑making skills to a son who would rather run a video‑rental business in the village. [producers]
Made for Discovery Channel Asia in 2004
944. “The Wheel of Time: Kalachakra for World Peace”
Edited by Tenzing Sonam
A record of 10 days of Kalachakra teachings in Rikon, Switzerland.
Meridian Trust. 1985. 60 minutes. US$35.00.
945. “The White Lotus School”
A documentary about His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drupkas initiative to build a school in Ladakh. Shown at the Rubin Museum in New York, 19 December 2007.
946. ” The Works of Ken Feingold‑‑Life in Exile”
By Ken Feingold,
“Life in Exile is Ken Feingold’s ambitious two‑part video examining the philosophy and political predicament of the Tibetan refugee community in India. This thoughtful, moving document reveals the turmoil of a disenfranchised and much‑abused people, while at the same time presenting a clear view of the spiritual and cultural beliefs which have managed to nurture and sustain them through these painful times. It was created in consultation with the Tibetan Government‑In‑Exile and the Private Office of the Dalai Lama.” [producers]
1988, 60 minutes and 30 minutes., Facets Video, Purchase Price: US$59.95.
947. “The World Isn’t Listening”
International Campaign for Tibet on June 2, 1995
Designed for the college age/MTV audience, this film visualizes the horror of China invading Tibet.
This video was used in 180 cities throughout the United States and in 10 countries by students and young people through Students for a Free Tibet and the extensive network of Tibet Support Groups. The International Campaign for Tibet showed it to Congressional Members. The video was also shown at The Milarepa Funds 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 Tibetan Freedom Concerts and during the 1995 Lollapalooza Tour. Richard Gere plays the video during his press conferences. [producers]
4-minute music video. https://www.savetibet.org/the‑world‑isnt‑listening/#sthash.UPsip2mJ.dpuf
948. “The Yogis of Tibet”
Documentary by Phil and Jo Borack, JEHM Films
“Since the invasion of Tibet over 50 years ago, China has systematically destroyed the Tibetan culture. One of the most profound losses is the tradition of the great master yogis. The entire system which supported these fascinating mind masters has been inexorably eliminated.In order to record these mystical practitioners for posterity, the Filmakers were given permission to film heretofore secret demonstrations and to conduct interviews on subject matter rarely discussed.” [producers]
77 minutes, available in VHS/DVD/PAL, US$29.95 http://www.theyogisoftibet.com
949. “Theatre for Development: Trusting the Process”
A Mila Productions film produced for Plan International
Brazilian theater director Augusto Boal developed The Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) during the 1950s and 1960s, from which Boal evolved various forms of theater including Theater for Development (TFD) with children. TFD facilitates children to interact and have dialogue not only among themselves, but with the adults. It also meets the need of children to critical thinking, action and fun…
This film is based on a TFD workshop conducted in Sunsary Morang with children from child‑clubs, staff of PLAN and partner organizations, where the effect of TFD is clearly seen by the end of the workshop. However, change doesnt happen overnight. Such a workshop should only be seen as a small beginning in a long‑term process. [producers]
2004. 30 minutes. Nepali with English subtitles.
950. “They Are One Hundred Years Old”
Director: Dukar Tserang
Touching, resonant, and playful in form, They Are One Hundred Years Old explores themes of reincarnation, religious belief, and a love that literally spans generations. A nomad widow (the directors grandmother) believes that her grandson, Guru, is the reincarnation of her husband, and the young boy grows up with a deep devotion and concern for his aging grandmother. But as he grows older, he must examine his own goals vis à vis his ties to his grandmother and his life on the grassland. [producers]
China. 2014. 100 minutes. In Tibetan; English subtitles.
951. “Thongdrol: Liberation Through Seeing”
‘A visually stunning, feature length, theatrical documentary on the magical Tibetan sacred art form that was developed by the Karmapas.’ [producers] Documentary by Terris Nguyen Temple and Leslie Nguyen. Final cut completed in 2021 but, as of 2023, not released, as far as I know.
90 minutes. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064944420264
A 6 minute trailer available on their Facebook page.
952. “Three Great Monasteries of Tibet: Ganden, Drepung, and Sera”
Directed by Greta Jensen.
Life in the three great Gelugpa monastic universities, which were reconstructed in South Indian following their virtual destruction in Tibet. Mungod and Bylakuppe,
India, 1985.Wisdom Films, 60 minutes. US$35.00.
953. “Three Key Chapters of Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Stanzas on the Middle Way by the Dalai Lama”
“This 3‑day preliminary teaching to the Kalachakra 2004, presents one of the most comprehensive introductions to the key elements of Buddhist philosophy and meditative practice ever offered in the West. His Holiness rounds out the presentation by relating the Nagarjuna chapter to Tsongkhapa’s Three Principal Aspects of the Path.” [producers]
10‑hour, 3‑disc DVD set US$ 42.00. Snow Lion
954. “Three Teachings by Karmapa”
By the 17th Karmapa “H.H. the 17th Karmapa speaking in 2003 on bodhicitta, the guru/student relationship, and shinay and lhagtong meditations. These are the first video teachings by His Holiness to be released publicly. Much of the proceeds go to H. H. Karmapa.” [producers]
97-minute DVD US$ 35.95. Snow Lion.
955. “Tibet”
Chinese made film which “documents the major rites and celebrations of Tibetan Buddhism which still play a key role in the fabric of Tibetan social life.” [Catalogue] Narration in English.
Video, 59 minutes, available from China Books and Periodicals, 2929 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110.
956. “Tibet”
White Crane Films production for the Royal Academy of Art, London written, narrated and edited by Tenzing Sonam. A film by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam
“Using archive footage and images from the Tibetan religious paintings known as thangkas, the film concisely presents a brief history of Tibet emphasizing the growth of Buddhism and its role in the development of the sacred arts.” [producers]
1992, 15 minutes, Beta SP. More information at: http://www.whitecranefilms.com
957. “Tibet”
Produced by Peter Lehman.
Features Dalai Lama’s delegation’s visit to Tibet and the scenes of the countryside and ruins of monasteries razed by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution in 1967‑1976.
Office of Tibet, 1981, 56 minutes, color, 3/4″ video.
958. “Tibet”
Documentary by Briton Felix Greene. Shot in 1976 it also includes archival material on old versus new Tibet.
60 minutes. Patterson Film Distributors: 658 Oak Parkway, Redwood City, CA 94062.
959. “Tibet”
“Part of a series entitled Worlds Together directed by Elmer Hawkes. Focused mainly on ordinary people and how they live…feature stunning close‑ups of men, women and children engaged in everyday activities…The main emphasis is on contemporary culture.” [producers]
For classroom use, grades 7‑12, 87 minutes. 2004. Can be purchased from: http://wwwsocialstudies.com
960. “Tibet” (aka: Tibet ‑ Widerstand des Geistes”)
Film by Clement Kuby
“These motor roads were built after the Chinese invasion. The main reason for these roads is to enable the invaders to cart Tibet’s resources away. The Chinese have felled over 60 % of Tibet’s already scant trees. The forests of eastern and southern Tibet were twice as large as the British Isles. Up to one thousand truckloads a day depart from these areas to China, leaving behind irreparable ecological damage. The effect on the eight main rivers of Asia, which have their sources here, are already catastrophic.” [producers][Same as Tibet: Survival of the Spirit?]
1990. German
961. “Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy”
By Graham Coleman & David Lascelles.
Originally made in 1979 and re‑cut and digitally restored in 2006.
(Part I: Prophecy (2006 title: “The Dalai Lama, the Monasteries and the People”) Tibetan culture has been in exile since the occupation of Tibet by the Chinese in the 1950’s. This documentary profiles the country’s supreme spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, examining the nature of his spiritual and political vision, and looks at contemporary TIBETAN society in the refugee camps of South India. Filmed in Sera, the second largest monastery of old Tibet, and Dharamsala, present headquarters of the Dalai Lama’s administration in exile, the film portrays the Buddhist practices and philosophy which shape the lives of both monks and lay people.
Part II: Radiating the Fruit of Truth. At the Phulwary Sakya monastery, by the great stupa in Baudhanath, Nepal, the monks are preparing to perform a Buddhist ritual of protection. In it, the female deity Tara is invoked to pacify the kind of obstructions and disturbances which people encounter in this world: war, disease, madness, drought, a bad harvest, a long or dangerous journey, etc. The film follows the preparations, both spiritual and physical, for the ritual and shows its performance in detail, with the Tibetan text translated in subtitles.” [Catalogue] Part III: The Fields of the Senses. Set in the majestic landscape of Ladakhi, this film is a study in the divine nature of the mind, body and place. Impermanence, non‑attachment, and the right attitude toward death are three tenets if Buddhism that are vividly illustrated through the film’s observation of the pattern of changes on the face of the mountain, the ritualistic activities of the farmers in the fields, and in the formal ritual invocations and studies of the monks. The film ends with the monastery’s moving ritual response to a death in the community.
Original 4 hours, 2006 re‑cut version only 2 hours 14 minutes. In Tibetan with English subtitles and commentary. University of California at Berkeley, Extension Media Center, 2223 Fulton Street, Berkeley, CA 94720 (415) 642‑0460.
962.* “Tibet: A Case to Answer”
“Vanya Kewley’s 1988 documentary shot inside Tibet under very difficult and dangerous circumstances. Ms. Kewley, a British journalist, secretly dropped out of Chinese‑controlled tour and traveled 4,000 miles across Tibet undercover, far from areas where tourist visit, risking prison and possible death. This documentary features important interviews with monks, nuns and political prisoners who risked further punishments by speaking out about their horrible prison experiences. This film provides view of the systematic destruction perpetrated by the Chinese over the past 38 years in Tibetan “killing fields.” It presents first hand accounts of famine, torture, cannibalism, forced abortion and the exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources.” [producers]
Controversial in that the filmmakers showed the faces of the Tibetans being interviewed and put them at a very high risk for retaliation from the authorities. Some of the nuns were arrested and tortured. [See Robert Barnett, “Ethics in China’s Wild West,” British Journalism Review, 2008: 19:49, p. 54.]
2 hours, color, VHS video.
963. “Tibet: A Culture in Exile”
“An excellent concise compilation of materials on Tibet’s cultural destruction, blending interviews with the Dalai Lama, scholars, Western diplomats and images of Tibetan life in exile. The Tibetans’ effort at cultural preservation contrast starkly with black and white shots of Chinese military brutality.” [producers]
Office of Tibet, 23 minutes, US$20.00.
964. “Tibet: A Lost Nation”
This 1989 BBC production features the current political situation in Tibet with brief political history. Scenes include demonstrations in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, an interview with former Tibetan political prisoners and Tibetan government officials, and an interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
42 minutes, color, VHS video.
965. “Tibet: A Moment in Time”
Directed by William Bacon III; narrated by Lowell Thomas Jr.
“From its glacial peak of 25,436 ft., to the turbulent waters of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the world’s deepest canyon is 19,386 ft. This film offers the first glimpse any Westerner has had since 1900…This is a photographically stunning journey among Tibetans living the life they have for centuries…The latter part of this film contrasts the idyllic lifestyle with the changes brought by the Chinese occupation.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 55 minute video, US$29.95. Also Mystic Fire Video.
966. “Tibet: A Prayer for the Future”
Martin Paul Production.
“This recently completed hour‑long documentary traces Tibet’s history from its origins to the current struggle under Chinese occupation. The documentary includes footage smuggled out of Tibet of the recent uprisings, rare footage of sacred rituals, interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetan leaders and foreign activists, as well as scenes from Tibetan monasteries and villages.” [producers]
1 hour.
967. “Tibet: A Prophecy”
Produced by Thread Cross Films, U.K.
This film features Tibetan communities in India and Ladakhi including scenes of Buddhist rituals.
Office of Tibet, 56 minutes, color, 3/4″ video.
968. “Tibet: A Seed for Transformation”
Produced by Jupiter Video Productions Contains information on China’s nuclear activities, human rights violations and environmental destruction in Tibet. in 1990.
29 minutes, color, VHS video. US$32.00. Also, Meridian Trust.
969. “Tibet Abandoned”
By Anil Sadaragani
“Tibet Abandoned was not going to happen at all. This is because the producer, Mr. L.P. Pontsang of the Tibet India Foundation, for whom I wrote and directed the documentary, wanted to make a fictional romance between a Tibetan boy and Polish girl, to be shot between Poland and India! I pointed out to him that this was his first big film venture and since Tibet was commemorating 50 years of exile by the Chinese (2009), documenting that would be timelier.
Tibet Abandoned questions the impact of the accolades, honors, medals and awards bestowed upon His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama through the years. Have they achieved anything, or have they amounted to mere tokenism?… We got immense support from the Tibet Government‑in‑Exile, Tibetans, world citizens and many close friends as well…We did not travel to Tibet as budget restraints did not allow us to. We did not want to risk being imprisoned in Tibet or China (as crazy as that sounds but true, since many who have traveled to Tibet in the past have been!). At the end of the day, all we want to do is point out that the “support” shown by the world in the form of medals, honors, honorary citizenships are mere tokens of diplomacy. Had we trapped ourselves in Tibet, we would not have been able to achieve this important point in the Tibetan freedom movement. So, we did the next best thing. We met refugees who had just crossed the border at the refugee centre in Dharamsala, who spoke about their ordeal of escaping the oppressed atmosphere in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). We managed to obtain authentic photos (not easily available) only recently snapped in Tibet that were smuggled out from there, showing the gross Human Rights violations taking place there. We got a Chinese‑American to narrate the documentary for us, which adds immensely to our statement about the cause, the world we live in and the human spirit…maybe seeing this documentary will raise questions in people’s minds about the state humanity is in currently. 50 years of Human Rights violations is unthinkable. Imagine if we were in such a situation ‑ exiled from one’s homeland, having to live the life of a refugee in a strange land for the rest of one’s life. 50 years is a lifetime for many and spans at least three generations. We hope this documentary raises pertinent questions in people’s minds. Of course, there are skeptics aplenty and even if we can make one person question the apparent status quo of the situation, we will have achieved our goal.” [January 2011 interview with filmmaker in http://Bollyspice.com ]
970. “Tibet: Beyond Fear”
“With opening words by Richard Gere, this film documents the remarkable courage of Nawang, a 13‑year‑old Buddhist Nun and Bagdro, a 20‑year‑old Buddhist monk who lead freedom demonstrations against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Following a brutal military crackdown, they are arrested and endure horrific torture until a global movement spearheaded by Amnesty International and International Campaign for Tibet culminates in their release. Through the power of a positive mind and inspired by the Dalai Lama, Bagdro and Nawang forgive their former torturers as they find a way beyond fear.
This film was made possible with generous support from the Tibetan community including: International Campaign for Tibet, Students For Free Tibet, Tibet Information Network, The Tibet House, Office of Tibet, the Rubin Museum For Himalayan Art, Amnesty International and Home Planet Productions.
TIBET: BEYOND FEAR documents the history of Tibet, genocide perpetrated by China, Tibet protests and how each individual can help free Tibet.” [producers]
THE POLITICS OF HATE
971. “Tibet: Close to the Heart”
Produced and narrated by Tenzin Khangsar (in French)
“A whole generation of Tibetans are being born and raised outside of Tibet. They live a life that is very different from the one their parents knew. But one thing remains the same: their love for Tibet. 24 year old Tenzin Jimpa and 23 year old Tenzin Khangsar are among more than a dozen young Tibetans from Montreal, Quebec. Their Tibetan community is tiny, less than a hundred people. Nevertheless, the sense of Tibetan identity is not lost. Instead it is vibrant, especially amongst the young. Tenzin Jimpa speaks intimately about her obligation to Tibet, as well as her experiences in Beijing. She was a part of a brave and historic team of Tibetan women‑in‑exile at the Fourth United Nations Conference on Women. Tenzin Khangsar…tells of the significance of March 10 to him and of his recent trip to Tibet, where he met his relatives for the first time. High quality video of his trip is included in the documentary.” [Tenzin Dargyal Khangsar]
9:35 minutes (for info call 1‑514‑448‑9654)
972.* “Tibet ‑ Communism, Land of the Gods”
CNN documentary reported by Andrea Koppel in three parts. Generally fair assessment of the situation in 1994. [Grunfeld]
Approx. 25 minutes.
973. “Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion”
Director: Tom Peosay,
Producers: Maria Florio, Victoria Mudd, Tom Peosay, Sue Peosay
“An explosive expose of the Chinese occupation of Tibet ‑ this ambitious documentary unleashes the volatile history of a land conquered. Ten years of research has resulted in never before seen footage of the richness of Tibet’s culture, the resilience of the people’s will to survive in the face of oppression and the modern day movement to “free Tibet”. Narrated by Martin Sheen, with voice overs by Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Ed Harris, Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion explores the complex web of propaganda, history, politics and emotions that surround this urgent, yet neglected issue.
Director, Tom Peosay’s interviews with political prisoners, exiled Tibetans living in Dharamsala, India and Chinese government officials, depicts constant struggle of opposing beliefs on a daily basis.” [producers] “Mr. Peosay has arranged his complex material with analytical intelligence and solid dramatic instinct. Though the film is plainly partisan, it also finds room for a Chinese government spokesman to explain his position ‑‑ that China is merely doing its duty by bringing Tibet into the 21st century ‑‑ without overtly ridiculing him, a gesture of maturity and respect that seems quite important in the context of today’s cheaply sarcastic and grossly manipulative political documentaries, as pioneered by Michael Moore.
“… A more concise and affecting summation of the Tibetan crisis would be hard to imagine.” [Dave Kehr, New York Times, 19 September 2003, p. B27.]
An impressive piece of propaganda bound to impress those like Dave Kehr who know nothing about Tibet. But given its countless historical inaccuracies (China is not the US’s largest trade partner, the International Commission of Jurists was not an independent human rights organization when it wrote its reports on Tibet, CIA support for the rebels did not end with Kissinger’s visit to Beijing, etc.) and its shameless manipulation of video images (often using video from one era when the narrator is discussing another one, or using Chinese staged propaganda footage without labeling, etc.) this is not the film for those who really want to understand the history and the current situation in Tibet. [Grunfeld].
2002, 100 minutes; http://www.cryofthesnowlion.com/Home.html
974.”Tibet Diary
Producers: US Rainbow Network and China Intercontinental Communication Center
Two 20‑something Americans whose only knowledge of Tibet is what they know from the Free Tibet movement, visit Tibet for a carefully controlled two week trip in September 2004 where, each day sheds new light on Tibetan society and culture in a way that challenges their assumptions… [producers] They no longer support independence not believe what they read in the Western media. After all, one was able to call the US from a cell phone and, The scenery was beautiful, the people were wonderful, and I had a really nice time just seeing different sights.
From the producers website and from articles by the two travelers in China Today (August 2005, pp. 12‑17) this sounds like a terribly superficial film with two extraordinarily naive visitors.
90 minutes. http://www.d3mediagroup.com/whats_new/tibet_diary.htm
975. “Tibet: El techo del mundo” (Tibet: Roof of the World)
“Documentary about life in modern day Tibet, it’s history as well as the conflict between the Tibetans and the Chinese, includes interviews with Tibetan goverment officials as well as the Dalai Lama and their views on the conflict.” [producers]
2004. 60 minutes. Mexico. In Spanish and Tibetan.
976. “Tibet Forty Years”
Chinese documentary made to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region and broadcast by Tibet People Broadcast TV Station in August 2005.
“… a 40‑part TV series, was broadcasted by Tibet TV Station from August 1st, which is consisted of Theme Report, Division Show and Achievement Show, and every part lasts 5‑6 minutes. Tibet Forty Years started to shoot on April 12 in Lhasa, Xigaze and Qamdo at the same time. During the 3 months shoot, the journalists have covered 7 prefectures of Tibet, and reported the great change of 40 years. [sic] [producers]
http://info.tibet.cn/en/news/tin/t20050809_46888.htm
977. “Tibet Hope”
Directed by William Bacon III and, Brad J Swenson
Hope has two children: anger and courage. Anger about the way things are, and the courage to change them.” ‑ Augustine…Eleven years in the making, TIBET HOPE, featuring His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, chronicles the efforts of the Tibetan people to survive the invasion and occupation of their country by the Chinese government…This documentary explores key Tibetan settlements in Kodari, Nepal; Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile in India; and several other strongholds of Tibetan culture in India. Through interviews with monks and lay people, the continuous and systematic oppression of Tibetans and their culture is explored. A poignant interview with a former spiritual prisoner reveals the horrific torture inflicted by Chinese government agents on Buddhist monks. This film was produced not only to document the dire situation of the Tibetan people, but also to encourage international support for a people striving for freedom, self‑determination, and the preservation of their unique culture.” [producers]
2007, 52 minutes
978.* “Tibet in Exile”
Producers: Meg McLagan and Barbara Banks
“This half‑hour documentary follows the dramatic story of ten children who were smuggled out of Tibet to India. Through the children’s resettlement into the schools and community of Dharamsala, the program explores the issues facing Tibetans in exile, and illuminates the current conditions in Tibet that made the children’s escape necessary. The documentary includes interviews with leaders of the community in exile, and including Ms. Jetsun Pema, Director of Tibetan Children’s Village and sister of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” [producers]
The Video Project, Oakland, CA. 1991. US$26.25. Also, Meridian Trust.
979. “Tibet in India”
By Angelique & Michael Pakleppa
“An atmospheric and hauntingly beautiful two part film shot during the inauguration of the new main monastery of the Drikung Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Jangchub Ling, near Dehra Dun in northern India, contains a school for tulkus and the film includes an interview with one young tulku whose favorite pastimes are football and prayers. H.H. the Dalai Lama leads most of the ceremonies and there are many other high lamas participating. Includes some rare lama dances, some of which are only performed once every twelve years and historical footage giving a context to the Tibetan situation in exile.” [producers]
110 minutes
980. “Tibet in Song”
Directed by Ngawang ChoephelNgawang
Choephel, graduated from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in
Dharamsala. In 1995 he went to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar at Middlebury College ‑ returned to Tibet to make a film about the folk music of his homeland. There he was arrested on suspicion of espionage, and sentenced without trial to 18 years in prison. Before his arrest he had sent half of his field recordings to India. This documentary is about the state of Tibetan folk music in present‑day Tibet and his adventure as a prisoner.
“Tibet in Song is both a celebration of traditional Tibetan folk music and a harrowing journey into the past fifty years of cultural repression inside Chinese controlled Tibet. Director and former Tibetan political prisoner, Ngawang Choephel, weaves a story of beauty, pain, brutality and resilience, introducing Tibet to the world in a way never before seen on film.
The beauty of traditional Tibetan folk music is showcased through a variety of working songs, songs about family and the beauty of the land. These rarely seen performances are deftly juxtaposed against startling footage of the early days of the Chinese invasion and a concise explanation of the factors leading to the Dalai Lama’s flight into exile in 1959. Ngawang Choephel sets the stage for a unique exploration of the Chinese impact on Tibetans inside Tibet.
What follows is a heartbreaking tale of cultural exploitation and resistance, which includes Ngawangs’ own eventual imprisonment for recording the very songs at the center of the film. Tibet in Song provides raw and uncensored look at Tibet as it stands today, a country plagued by Chinese brutality, yet willing to fight for the existence of its unique cultural heritage. ” [producers]
http://www.tibetinsong.com/about/
981. “Tibet: Land of Isolation”
James A. Fitzpatrick
An American travelogue produced in 1934. Soundtrack more Chinese than Tibetan and a hodgepodge of Western myths about Tibet.
982. “Tibet: L’armee des ombres” [Tibet: The shadow armies]
Film by Marie de Louville and Michel de Castelvard
Shown on French TV in the “Resistances” series on Channel Antenne 2, Paris; 2 September 1991.
983. “Tibet Lecture: Lowell Thomas, Jr.”
Important historical document of visit to Tibet from around 1949. Old print with no sound; but includes scenes of people picnicking near Lhasa, religious ceremony, European visitors, monasteries, pageant, etc. Similar to Tibet. A Moment in Time?
Approx. 35 minutes, color, restored and digitalized by the Tibet Film Archive at the Rubin Museum in New York City. http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org/
984. “Tibet: Murder in the Snow”
Film by Mark Gould
“Every year, around 2500 Tibetans escape from Tibet by making the dangerous crossing over the Himalayas…In September 2006, at the 6,000 metre high Nanga La, a pass linking Tibet with Nepal, several teams of international mountaineers on the Nepalese side witnessed the Chinese border police shooting at a group of Tibetans attempting to escape from Tibet…This film retells the story…” [producers]
Australia. 2008. 52 minutes. English and Tibetan with English sub‑titles.
985. “Tibet, My Country”
Produced by Adelaide Aglietta, Member of the European Parliament. Directed by Pero Verni, President of the Italia‑Tibet Association.
A documentary depicting events in Tibet from 1949 to the present including some footage of the period prior to that. “…a movie on the social and political situation of Tibet occupied by the P.R.C. since 1950. Mrs. Karma Chukey [writer and narrator] is one of the first Tibetan women who had the possibility to speak to the world directly as a first person about the problems and the terrible conditions of her country.” [producers].
1996, 43 minutes. Available in English and Italian from the Associazione Italia‑Tibet, Via Pinturicchio 25, 20133 Milano, Italy. (e‑mail: P.Verni@agora.stm.il and Piero Verni, Via Ozieri 7, 20129 Milano, Italy.
986. “Tibet. No. 1” (Bod kyi ang dangpo)
By Phuntsog Tashi
A series of comedy sketches from Tibet TV including Drunk Lhakpa and Doctor Lhagpa(writer: Phuntsog Tashi) with additional sketches by Thubten and Migmar and other Tibetan comedians. In Tibetan with English subtitles.
Tibet TV 2000 (?) Robbie Barnett Collection.
987. “Tibet Now: Tibet and China in the 21st Century”
Free Tibet has today launched a new short documentary film about Tibet. Tibet Now: Tibet and China in the 21st Century has been launched to coincide with the Chinese governments celebrations surrounding 50 years of the so‑called Tibet Autonomous Region.
The new 10‑minute film examines all aspects of Chinas occupation, including the legitimacy of Chinas claim to Tibet, its repression and abuse of human rights, its destruction of the Tibetan way of life and its exploitation of Tibets environment and culture. Using recent images and video footage obtained at great risk by Tibetans themselves, the film also reports and celebrates the ongoing Tibetan resistance to Chinas rule. [producers]
2015. https://www.freetibet.org/news‑media/na/new‑free‑tibet‑film‑provides‑truth‑about‑tibet
988. “Tibet of China: Past and Present” [sic]
Produced by the Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio.
Chinese documentary for the 50th anniversary of “democratic reforms” in Tibet.
Shown all over China in February 2009. 2009. 14 minutes. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009‑02/15/content_10824456.htm
989. “Tibet: On the Edge of Change”
Produced by William Bacon
“Most of this video shows life as it was before the Chinese impact ‑ you see the eco‑sensitive traditional methods of farming…the festive religious life…A farming village in East Tibet, nomadic camp and city life are shown in their traditional form. The last ten minutes of the video shows how the Chinese are progressively destroying these people’s lives.” [producers]
58 minutes, 1997. Snow Lion, 1 hour, US$24.95. (800‑544‑8422) (DVD version called Tibet. A Moment in Time)
990. “Tibet: Terre des Braves” (Tibet: Land of the Brave)
Director: Geneviève Brault
A cinematic journey to one of the most remote places on the planet, Tibet: Land of the Brave transports the audience into the everyday lives of Tibetan herders, seen through the eyes of Gyamtso, Marijo and their daughter, Yangchen. Following this Tibetan‑Canadian couple, who are expecting their second child in Tibets snowy mountains, Tibet: Land of the Brave explores how Chinas radical turn toward a market economy has devastating effects on the nomadic lifestyle. [producers]
French with English Subtitles
991. “Tibet: The Cultural Evolution”
Produced by Begische Radio en Televise
Documentary on how Tibetans are reinstating their religious practices inside Tibet since the relaxation of policies in the 1980s.
Meridian Trust. 60 minutes. US$44.00.
992. “Tibet: The End of Time”
“TIME‑LIFE’S LOST CIVILIZATIONS. Narrated by Sam Waterston. Inspired by the popular Time‑Life Books LOST CIVILIZATIONS series, these engaging documentaries use dramatic re‑enactments, brief commentaries by historians and archaeologists, computer graphics, and location footage from 26 countries to retell the stories of ten great civilizations. Each episode focuses on both a different place and a different aspect of civilization, such as the concept of immortality (Egypt), the idea of excellence (Greece), the quest for power (Rome), the denial of history by outsiders (Africa), and the perishability of culture (Tibet). The series is a highly motivating introduction that should spark student interest in ancient history.” [producers]
50 min., Distributor: Social Studies School Service, Purchase Price: US$19.99.
993. “Tibet: The Living Tradition”
Produced by Barry Bryant, Valrae Reynolds and the Samaya Foundation
“The triptych of unique programs draws from the Newark Museum’s outstanding collection of Tibetan art and historical documents. “Visions of Enlightenment” presents the 1000 year‑old history of Tibetan Buddhist sculpture, painting and applique. ‘Music and Dance” presents archival footage from the 1935 Cutting expedition to Tibet along with contemporary color video showing folk dances, opera and monastic dances. “Creating a Sacred Space” shows the design and construction of the new alter built in the museum in 1989. Included is footage of Phuntsok Dorje painting the traditional decoration and the consecration of the alter of H.H. the Dalai Lama.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 60 minutes. Also, from Samaya Foundation, 75 Leonard Street New York, NY 10013 (212‑219‑2908).
994. “Tibet: The Lost Mystery & The Iron Curtain Falls” (The World About Us. Part I & II)
Made for BBCs The World About Us.
Directed by Simon Normanton
“Part I examines the historical events starting from Younghusband’s expedition to Tibet in 1904 and leading up to the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959. Part II examines the events from the flight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and exodus of Tibetan refugees into India and other neighboring countries. This film updates the events to 1982 and also features the highlights of the three fact‑finding delegations to Tibet sent by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” [producers] Heavily British‑centric.
Office of Tibet, 2 hours, 3/4″ video.
995. “Tibet, the Path to Wisdom”
Directed by Hamid Sardar
Ani Rigsang has chosen a nomadic lifestyle in the land of white clouds. The Buddhist nun felt confined in Lhasa, and so today she has taken to the road to reconnect with her countrys spiritual traditions, which are now threatened by rapid modernisation and the reinforcement of Chinese control over the region.
From snowy mountains to green valleys, from monastery to monastery, this documentary accompanies Ani as she makes her way through Tibet. A moving testimony that brings together age‑old traditions and legends, this film takes us through stunning landscapes, revealing to us a contrasting Tibet, jostled by modernisation and the upheavals of its holy geography. [producers]
France, 2018. 52 minutes: Dream Catcher Motion Productions, les gens bien productions for France Télévisions and Ushuaïa TV
996. “Tibet: The Survival of Spirit”
Directed by Clemens Kuby.
“Disguised as tourists, the film crew left their Chinese guide behind and filmed for two months in Tibet without Chinese censorship. The Tibetans take their protests into the streets several times a year resist the occupation government. Their plight is brought home with footage of the Jokhang temple stormed by Chinese police. Eyewitness and survivors detail torture and human rights abuses. Through it all, the Tibetans quietly continue to rebuild their shattered culture.” [Mystic]
Germany. 1989. Mystic Fire Video, 92 minutes, US$29.00.
997. “Tibet: the Truth”
Directed by Chris D. Nebe
Documentary of the official Chinese government position. [Grunfeld]
‘TIBET ‑ The Truth‘ is intended to illuminate the political, social, administrative, and historical realities of Tibet and to briefly clarify the many complex regional issues that have been ignored or oversimplified based on popular Cold‑War culture, rather than truth. The film also explores the surprisingly abhorrent imperialism that shook Asia during the past few centuries and has the lofty goal of creating a more educated cultural bridge between the East and West. [producers]
2013. 60 minutes. USA/China
998 “Tibet Through the Red Box”
Produced by David Henry Hwang
“A documentary adapted from the children’s book of the same name by Peter Sis. The story is based on the story of Sis’ father who visited Tibet in the 1950s to film the building of Tibet’s first roads. Sis’ book examines the struggle to both connect to and separate from his father, transforming this journey into a wild and gorgeous feast for the imagination.” [Hwang]
999. “Tibet: Where Continents Collide”
American film directed by Jonathan Swanked.
1989. 47 minutes.
1000. “Tibet’s Cry for Freedom“
Written, produced and directed by Lara Damiani
First time film maker went into Tibet as a tourist and took film footage. She also has interviews with the Dalai Lama, Lhasang Tsering and Tenzin Tsundue. Filmed in India, China, Tibet and Australia.
Australia. 52 minutes. 2008 http://www.thetibetproject.com English, Tibetan and Mandarin with English sub‑titles.
1001. “Tibets End? Sterilization in the Land of Snows”
Documentary by Dr. Blake Kerr who happened to be in Lhasa in 1987 when protests broke out and were brutally suppressed. This film is about his first trip to Tibet and the demonstrations he witnessed as well as information (and secret filming) about forced abortions and sterilization that he gathered on several additional trips to central and eastern Tibet up to 1998. The film is of historical value but two-three decades old as Tibet no longer looks like it did, and the policies have changed dramatically but there is no acknowledgment of that in the film. Kerr concludes that Chinas policy is genocidal but offers no evidence for this claim.
2015. USA. 85 minutes
Link to trailer in Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/160546102
1002. “Tibets Hidden Kingdom”
National Geographic Television & Film.
In 1865, British authorities enlisted Nain Singh Rawat‑an Indian pundit, or explorer‑to map the mountain passes of Tibet. Forty years later, Singh’s work helped a British army officer named Francis Younghusband lead a military expedition to the city of Lhasa, bringing an end to Tibet’s isolation and forcing the Anglo‑Tibetan Treaty upon the country. This documentary recounts those decades of adventure and the resulting cultural clashes that transpired on the rooftop of the world. It combines archival images and materials with modern color footage of a land that still inspires mystery and a yearning for high‑stakes exploration. Interviews with historians and experts on Tibet are included. [producers[
2010. 31 minutes.
1003. “Tibet’s Holy Mountain”
“Where Tibet, Nepal, and India meet rises a 22,000 foot‑high mountain thought by Hindus and Buddhists to hold at its peak the throne of the foremost gods. This program follows the trail to Mr. Kailash with visits to shrines and other sacred sites at Tsaparang, the 11th‑century capital of the old Tibetan kingdom of Guge, at Khojarnat, where a stately monastery remained open despite the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and at Lhasa, whose architecture and rich decorative arts illustrate the Buddhist concept of the world.”[producers]
52 minutes. Distributor: Snow Lion Publications, purchase price: US29.95.
1004. “Tibet’s Stolen Child”
Film by Robin Garthwait and Dan Griffin
A 60 minute documentary about Gedun Choekyi Nyima, the boy selected by the Dalai Lama as the current Panchen Lama. This film is narrated by actor Patrick Stewart and includes interviews with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel, Jose Ramos Horta, Mairead Maguire, John Hume, the Dalai Lama and others. “This film draws parallels between the Tibet‑China conflict with struggles in Northern Ireland, East Timor and South Africa.” [producers]
More information available at www.ggfilms.com
1005. “Tibetan Buddhism: Cycles of Interdependence“
“Tibetan Buddhism: Cycles of Interdependence filmed in Ladakhi in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (India), this film illustrates the symbiotic relationships between a Tibetan Buddhist lay community and its related monastery. Lay families contribute grain and other produce to support the monastery. One of the male or female members of most families is expected to enter the monastery for life. In return, the monastery educates the laity’s children, its monks enter lay homes to care for the sick and perform life‑cycle rituals, and its monks perform rituals in the fields to improve the harvest. The film concludes with the annual winter festival, when families from the entire valley gather in the monastery courtyard to witness masked and costumed monks invoke the protector deities to insure the survival of the valley, the people, and the monastery.” [producers]
1983, 30 min., Distributor: Center for South Asia, Purchase Price: US$145.
1006. “Tibetan Buddhism: Politics, Power, and the Birth of the Dalai Lama”
(part one of a series, “Birth of a God: The Dalai Lama”)
Robert Thurman, Michael Harris Goodman and Dr. Shagdaryn Bira “examine Tibetan Buddhism, the Lhasa/Shigatse power struggle and intervention by Genghis Khan, subsequent Tibetan alliances with Kublai and Altan Khan to contain Chinese aspirations and the institution of the Dalai Lama.” [producers]
45 minutes. Snow Lion. US$149.00
1007. “Tibetan Buddhism: Preserving the Monastic Tradition”
“Tibetan Buddhism: Preserving the Monastic Tradition focuses on the traditional monastic career preserved by Tibetan Buddhist monks of Sera Monastery in Mysore State, South India. The film documents a boy’s ordination and observes daily activities of cooking, cleaning, building, farming, printing scriptures from wood blocks, painting thankas and molding food offerings. The film illustrates Sera’s scholarly curriculum including memorizing, analyzing and debating six subjects: Logic, Epistemology, the Three Jewels, the Four Noble Truths, the Middle Path and the Great Compassion. Mastery of these six subjects earns one the Geshe degree. The film concludes with observances of the Buddhist Tantras including: making a mandala, training in the tantric voice, taking an initiation, and holding a fire ceremony.” [producers]
1982, 29 min., Distributor: Center for South Asia, Purchase Price:US$145.
1008. “Tibetan Buddhism: The Wheel of Life”
“Tibetan Buddhism: The Wheel of Life focuses on a Buddhist painting of a giant wheel, within the rims and spokes of which are colorful scenes illustrating Buddhism’s major teachings. These include Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths: (1) Suffering, (2) the Cause of Suffering, (3) the Cessation of Suffering, and (4) the Path to the Cessation of Suffering. On the axle of the Wheel are depicted a pig, rooster, and snake (representing ignorance, attachment, and hatred‑‑the three central causes of suffering). The Wheel itself is typically shown clenched in the jaws of Death, dramatizing how sentient beings are bound to the cycle of rebirth, re‑suffering, and re‑death. The film itself, with its narration, demonstrates the ways in which an artistic representation can be used to teach complete philosophical lessons.” [producers]
1991, 30 min., Distributor: Center for South Asia, Purchase Price:US$145.
1009. “Tibetan Buddhist Meditation”
“With Ole Nydahl. The Tibetan Buddhist meditation master takes us step by step through the teaching ‑‑ quieting the mind, focusing on motivations for meditation, and taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.”[producers]
30 min., Distributer: Facets Video, Purchase Price:US$29.95.
1010. “Tibetan Culture” (I)
Directed by: GZ Beauty
The Ongkor Festival Tibetan Bonism. A Taste of Tibetan Food. The Shoton Festival. Tibetan Medicine. Tibetan‑style Residences. The Living Buddha’s Reincarnation System. [producers]
1 hour 14 minutes; 2006.
1011. “Tibetan Culture” (2)
Directed by: GZ Beauty
Tibetan Carving Art. Tibetan Costumes Tibetan Tangka. Tibetan Folk Garments Tibetan Handicrafts. Tibetan Mural. Tibetan Palatial Music. Tibetan Folk Sport Events. [producers]
1 hour 11 minutes; 2006
1012. “Tibetan Culture” (3)
Directed by GZ Beauty
Tibetan Dances and Songs. Musical Instruments of Tibet. The Life of King Gesar. Tibetan Folk Songs. The Buddha’s Warrior Attendant Dance. Tibetan Palatial Music. Tibetan Opera. [producers]
1 hour 13 minutes; 2006
I couldn’t find any information about GZ Beauty although it looks like Beauty Media of Guangzhou. All three films above are available on www.amazon.com for US$17.99 each. Tom
1013. “Tibetan Culture in Transition”
Tibet Foundation Film edited by Tenzing Sonam
Interviews with three generations of Tibetans in exile in Switzerland, those who speak Tibetan, those who are bi‑lingual and those who speak no Tibetan at all.
Rikon, Switzerland, 1985.Wisdom Films, approx. 60 minutes.
1014. “Tibetan Energy Yoga: A Traditional Workout to Liberate and Elevate Your Energy”
By Lama Surya Das
“Join Lama Surya Das to learn eight of Tibet’s most effective energy yoga practices ‑ a quick 30 minute workout to boost your body’s vital energies and elevate your spirits.” [producers]
40 minutes, video (with 11 page study guide), US$19.95, Snow Lion
1015. “Tibetan Envoy Missions”
1978, 1979. 8mm. http://tibetfilmarchive.org
1016. “Tibetan Folk Dance Performances”
Part I & II filmed in 1975, during the 21‑member Tibetan dance troupe’s visit to the United States. They are from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, based in Dharamsala, India.
Office of Tibet, 45 minutes each, 3/4″ video.
1017.* “Tibetan Freedom Concert”
Produced by D. Sirulnick
MTV News: Ultra Sound, MTV Networks
The 1998 concert shown on 21 June 1998 on MTV from Washington DC. Concert interspersed with interviews with performers, audience members and experts on Tibet.
61 minutes.
1018. “Tibetan Girl”
Directed by Jin Huaqing
Documentary about “Drolma, a young Tibetan woman, struggles to negotiate between her Tibetan roots and traditions, and the modern, urban setting of Sichuan, China, where she lives and works.” [producers]
China. 2016. 31 minutes. In Chinese
1019. Tibetan Heritage
Examines the Buddhist education of young Tibetan refugees at Kagyu Shedrup Ling, a monastery in Nepal. Describes instructional methods, curriculum, meditation training and the elements of monastic life. [producers]
1976, 18 minutes, USA
1020. “Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts”
By Nidhi Tuli & Ashraf Abbas
“TIPA in Dharamsala, India, was established soon after the Dalai Lama arrived in exile, with the aim of preserving Tibet’s unique performing arts traditions. This film interweaves personal reflections of the students and teachers as the institute prepares for its annual contest.” [producers]
India. 2009. 37 minutes.
1021. “Tibetan Medicine”
Produced by Russel Pariseau
Features a group of doctors from Harvard Medical College visiting the Tibetan Medical Institute in Dharamsala and examines Tibetan medical systems and also experimentation of Tumo (heat) meditation with Tibetan lamas who practice this type of meditation. 1982.
45 minutes, 3/4″ video.
1022. “Tibetan Medicine”
Dr. Lobsang Rabgay outlines the principles behind Tibetan medicine. Rigpa, London, 1985.
Wisdom Films, 120 minutes.
1023. “Tibetan Medicine: A Buddhist Approach to Healing”
A film by Sheldon Rochlin and Mikki Mahler.
“Ama Lopsang Dolma, Tibet’s foremost female doctor, shows how medicines are made from animal, vegetable and mineral substances and how acupuncture and moxibustion are used during her daily rounds as a practicing physician. Filmed at the Tibetan Medical Center, which was established in exile by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Indian Himalayas and is the only remaining center of Tibetan medicine. The video explores the relationship of physical health to magnetic and other forces in the environment, showing how Tibetan medicine heals both the physical and the psychic being by treating the patient rather than disease. 1975.” [producers]
Mystic Fire Video, Snow Lion, 29 minutes. Also, Meridian Trust but video in PAL Only.
1024. “Tibetan Medicine: An Introductory Lecture”
Tibet Foundation Films
Dr. Lobsang Rabgay has a Ph.D. from Visva Bharati University, India and studied under Dr. Yeshi Dhonden, former physician to the Dalai Lama. “In this talk he outlines the physical and mental principles behind Tibetan medicine…” [producers]
Meridian Trust. 1985. 120 minutes. US$52.50.
1025. Tibetan Muslim
Documentary from students at St. Josephs College, Darjeeling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZR8d6d07qI 2013
1026. “Tibetan Pilgrimage: The Real Tibet”
Produced by Alice Moss,
“This film is an impression of Tibet by an American woman who traveled there in 1992. Her journey lasted three weeks and covered over 2,000 miles by road in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and the adjoining Provinces of Gansu and Qinghai where TIBETAN Prefectures exist. It takes one over the high TIBETAN Plateau along the Qinghai‑TIBETAN highway, over high mountain passes, into monasteries and temples, as well as into Lhasa and around central Tibet.” [producers]
42 min., Purchase Price: US$24.95.
1027. “Tibetan Police”
“Chinese documentary made to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region and broadcast by Tibet People Broadcast TV Station in August 2005 was translated by Tibet TV Station Tibetan Language Translation Office…[and] broadcast [in] two parts every night in golden time on Tibet TV Station Tibetan Channel.” [sic]
http://info.tibet.cn/en/news/tin/t20050809_46888.htm
1028. “Tibetan Portraits”
By Berit Madsen
“I Live in the White Monastery”, Duration: 17 minutes; “My Father’s Prayer Room”, Duration: 8.5 minutes; “The Day of Hundred Thousand Lamps”, Duration: 11 minutes;
“Made originally for a Children’s Ethnographic Exhibition in Denmark, these three ethnographic films from the Tibetan exile society give a sensuous glimpse into Tibetan Children’s life around the big Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal…The films individually focuses on one of the areas of Tibetan cultural reproduction in the Kathmandu exile: The Buddhist monasteries around the stupa; the daily rituals; and the religious practices at the stupa. The stories are tied to the protagonist’s individual experiences. But their statements tell larger stories about exile, human nature and religious belief.” [producers]
37 minutes.
1029. “Tibetan Question”
A news broadcast covering awarding of the Nobel Prize to the Dalai Lama, his views on a non‑violent solution to achieve Tibetan independence from China; includes interviews with pro‑Tibetan Chinese students and scenes of Chinese police brutality and environmental damage in Tibet . [producers]
1986, Orientations Production for Channel Four Television Co., London, 12 minutes.
1030. “Tibetan Refugee”
Why do Tibetans leave their homeland to come to India? The responses of these refugees will shock you and help you to understand the conflict within Tibet. Shot at the Tibetan Refugee Center in Northern India, film is a documentary about what it’s like to be forced to leave your home in Tibet to be able to learn your own native language of Tibetan in India…
This documentary explores the plight of Tibetan refugees and the current state of Tibet through interviews with many of the refugees themselves. Despite China’s insistence that religious citizens of Tibet are fairly treated, the 4,000 refugees that flee Tibet each year claim otherwise, detailing horrifying stories of torture and abuse. This documentary, which was recognized as outstanding by Amnesty International, features an appearance by the Dalai Lama and live music and prayers by the never‑before‑recorded Nechung Monks. [producers]
2001. 55 minutes
1031. “Tibetan Refugee”
Director: Richard Martini
Thousands of Tibetans who’ve escaped from Tibet pour into the refugee centre in Dharamsala India every year. Children whose parents have sent them to an uncertain future, and monks and nuns who were tortured or forced out of Tibet are featured in this documentary. The filmmaker asks the same three questions; Why did you leave Tibet ? What was the journey like? What do you expect to find in India ? Featured are officials from the Tibetan Govt. in Exile, grammy award winner Yungchen Lhamo, Robert Thurman, The State Oracle of Tibet, and his holiness, the Dalai lama. [producers]
2004. 60 min. USA
1032. “Tibetan Refugees: A Struggle Beyond Generations”
Tibetan Refugee Documentary Project (Tokyo)
“…a lively…documentary video, highlights Tibetan refugees’ various attitudes toward the goal of liberating Tibet from Chinese rule. This video‑‑although it features an exclusive interview with the acclaimed Dalai Lama‑‑focuses moreover on youths born and raised in exile, whom the mass media have tended to ignore.” [producers]
Volume One (Volume Two in production). 120 minutes. http://www.10system.com and contact. For more info: Kunihiko Tanaka, kuni@10system.com; 81‑70‑5231‑2759 (ph.); 81‑42‑389‑3767(ph./fax); 304‑3‑52‑4 Hijirigaoka Tama‑Shi, Tokyo 206‑0022, Japan.
1033. “Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation Chakra Healing”
The Third Eye Chakra transcends time. It is located at the brow, above the base of the nose.
The gift of this chakra is seeing ‑ both inner and outer worlds. The energy of this chakra allows us to experience clear thought as well as gifts of spiritual contemplation and self-reflection…The Third Eye is not only the seat of wisdom, but also a seat of conscience. This is where you not only see what is going on, but you also know what it means. This is where your sense of justice and your ethics originate. When your third eye is open, you not only see but you also understand. [producers]
For more information see http://bit.ly/1jvcMU8
1034.* “Tibetan Story”
Produced by Christian Aid.
Film by Ian Dawson Shepard
Directed by Patrick Garland
“The 1965 film examines the problem and needs of the Tibetan people in exile and the assistance provided by Church organizations for their resettlement in a new environment. The film offers a wide selection of scenes from Tibetan settlements in India, with special emphasis on the educational needs of the children, health problems of the refugees, the maintenance of Tibet culture and the future of the Tibetan people.” [producers]
1965. Office of Tibet, 25 minutes, 16 mm.
Digitalized at the Tibet Film Archive, Rubin Museum, NY. http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org/
1035. “Tibetan Stories”
Directed by Russell Avery
This multimedia project is produced by The International Center for Mental Health & Human Rights (ICMHHR) and Kestrel Filmworks
…Tibetan Stories is a short documentary, web‑series introducing audiences to the lives, values and family histories of a group of diverse Tibetan refugees. Their stories give us a deeper, more complete appreciation for the contemporary Tibetan experience in exile. Produced by The International Center for Mental Health & Human Rights and directed by Russell Avery, the series concept is akin to a Tibetan Canterbury Tales, where the moral dilemmas and often traumatic experiences of everyday subjects are explored, in addition to the strength and resiliency each individual finds in overcoming them. Neither objectifying nor victimizing in its tone, Tibetan Stories is a humanistic film series about people ‑ diverse Tibetan people, who are frequently romanticized in the Western imagination, and who have endured much, but are far more than the sum of their suffering. [producers]
For more information, visit http://www.tibetanstories.org
1036. “Tibetan Trinity, Life, Death, Time”
By Vladan Mijatovic Zivojnov, with Kalu Rinpoche, Jamgon Kontrul, and the Dalai Lama
“…the first public appearance of the new incarnation of Kalu Rinpoche, with initiations by HH Sakya Triin, 49 days of funeral pujas in Sikkim for Jamgon Kontrul; and a unique Kalachakra initiation by HH Dalai Lama in a territory especially open for this occasion at Mt. Kailash.” [producers]
130 minutes. US$40.00. 2‑DVD set. Snow Lion
1037. “Tibetan Village Wedding”
“22‑year old Lha dpa’ tshe ring married 19‑year old Tshe ring mtsho in rural ‘ber gtsang mo Tibetan Village, located in east central Mtsho sngon (Qinghai) Province, northwest China. Both have some primary school education. Both are farmers, cultivating wheat, barley, beans, potatoes and edible oil crops. The documentary includes activities the night prior to the formal wedding party; the groom and his companion’s arrival at the bride’s home; women from the bride’s village attacking the groom and his companion and pulling their ears; the companion singing to thwart the women’s attack; the bride and her companions’ arrival at the groom’s home; the bride prostrating three times to the groom’s home’s door protective deity, family god, and the fire deity; gifts; wedding food; orations; singing; the bride’s entourage’s departure; evening celebration. Rare insight into village Tibetan life.” [producers]
DVD. Tibetan soundtrack; English subtitles. 35 minutes. Color:
‑http://people.lulu.com/users/index.php?fHomepage=236029
1038. “Tibetan Woman’s Life”
“34‑year old Sgrolmamtsho married Don’grub at the age of 21 (in 1993) without experience of housework, fieldwork, and fetching wood. Filmed by her husband’s younger brother, ‘phagspadon’grub, in Amdo, the film concentrates on the daily life of Tibetan village women‑‑fetching water, feeding livestock (swine, a cow, a mule), milking, cleaning the stables, cooking, household religious activity, weeding fields, transporting manure to fields, fetching wood for fuel‑along with commentary by Sgrolmamtsho about her life and family. A powerful film owing to its detail and simplicity pervaded by a great sense of intimacy.” (Rare insight into Tibetan village women’s lives.
Tibetan soundtrack; English subtitles. 52 minutes. Color.) [producers] For details see: http://people.lulu.com/users/index.php?fHomepage=236029
1039. “Tibetans Celebrate the Birthday of the Dalai Lama”
His 49th birthday in 1984. In Tibetan and English. Camden, London.
Wisdom Films, 60 minutes. US$26.25. Also Meridian Trust.
1040. “Tibetans in Exile”
Directed and produced by Sanjeev Malhotra
“The basis if this film is not to portray Buddhist or Hindu dogma, but to provide an objective point of view of Tibetan culture that can be appreciated by a diverse audience.”
Five parts: Journey to India; The Child Monk; A Week With the Dalai Lama; Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries; Tibetan Refugees Adapting to Life in India.
For more info: http://www.sanjeevmalhotra.com
1041. “Tibeter (Zentralasien, Ost Tibet) Tanze Buddhistischer”
(Tibetan [Central Asian Eastern Tibet] Buddhist Dances) restored and digitalized at the Tibet Film Archive, Rubin Museum, NY: ‑http://www.tibetfilmarchive.org/
1042. ‘Tibetische Erinnerungen’ (Tibetan Recollections)
Director: Manfred Neuwirth
A personal audio‑visual notebook from Tibet (1988 ‑ 1995). The everyday things, the breathtaking light, the enoyment of the common, the second look, the love for the detail, memories. [producers]
1995. 23 min
1043. “Tibi and his Mothers” (Tibi und seine Mütter)
Director: Ueli Meier
A documentary production by Tibifilm. The film is about a Tibetan refugee boy called Tibi Lhundub Tsering who arrives in Switzerland in 1963 to be adopted by a Swiss family.
“Tibi was placed with his foster mother Ruth Graber. He travelled back to India in 1976 after completing a course in bricklayering and met his real parents again for the first time after he left the Refugee camp in India in 1962. Tibi developed drug addiction after his family reunion trip in Bylakupee Settlement in India. Tibi married in 1986, and had a son. In 1988, he was jailed in relation to drug issue. His marriage collapses after his release. He married again to his second wife Miriam. Today Tibi works as a carer for mentally disabled people in Zurich, Switzerland.
This documentary evokes some controversy. Tibi and his Mothers takes a unique view to the situation of Tibetan refugee children in exile and the effect on their lives due to displacement and estrangement from their families in Tibet.” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibi_and_his_Mothers ]
2013. Switzerland. 75 minutes. In German and Tibetan with English subtitles.
1044. “Tigernase”
Directed by Lobsang Sotrug
“Tanak Jigme Sangpo, “Tiger Nose”, an 80-year-old Tibetan, spent over 30 years of his life in prison. Today he lives in Switzerland as an asylum seeker. The author is a 25-year-old Swiss with Tibetan roots who has never been to Tibet before. The film shows the young filmmaker’s approach to his protagonist and deals with the filmmaker’s identity. The encounter creates a special relationship between the two.” [producers]
2010. Switzerland. Documentary. In German, Tibetan with German Subtitles
1045. “Timber to Tibet”
By Mohan Mainali
“The people of Bhotkhola are Buddhists. Bhotkhola is one of the 20 beyul, which is what Tibetans call the sites of paradise in the Himalaya. The local people and the monks believe Bhotkhola was tucked away among the mountains by the gods so that it would not be disturbed. That is why, they say, it should be preserved and protected from human defilement. Yet, the people have turned to destroying trees that take a hundred and fifty years to mature. Caravans bearing timber to Tibet and bringing back foodstuff to Nepal is a common sight all over Bhotkhola…The importance of natural resources for a place like Bhotkhola that follows a traditional lifestyle cannot be emphasized enough. However, the forest are being destroyed forever. This film deals with the pro‑conservationist tradition and people’s compulsion to cut down the priceless Himalayan forest which will not regenerate once it is gone.” [producers]
28 min.
1046. “Time Physical Existence According to Buddhist Philosophy”
IBM Conference, “Science Revisited” in Regent’s Park, London 1991 brought together scientists and philosophers, including the Dalai Lama. Mostly in Tibet, translated by Thubten Jinpa.
Meridian Trust. 36 minutes. US$32.00.
1047. “Timeless Wisdom: Being the Knowing”
Film by Thubten Chodron & Ajahn Amaro
“Two Western Buddhist monastics, one Tibetan and the other Theravadin, discuss many issues of spiritual life and practice with a large group of students in Seattle.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 60 minutes.
1048. “Tintin in Tibet”
By Stephane Bernasconi
“Tintin and his dog Snowy, along with Captain Haddock set out on a rescue mission in the Himalayas in Tibet to save his Chinese friend Chang Chong‑Chen…” [producers]
France.1991‑1992. 43:10 minutes. Animated.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2bog7w_18‑tintin‑tintin‑in‑tibet_tv
1049. “To Lhasa and Shigatse”
Charles Suydam Cutting, American ethnologist and botanist, visited Tibet in 1930, 1935 and 1937. In 1928 he traveled in Tibetans areas of China. See also his China and Tibet.
Available at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
1050. “To the Third Pole (Zum Dritten Pol)
Directed by Andreas Nickel, Juergen Czwienk
“Norman Dyhrenfurth, a sprightly 90‑year‑old, tells for the first time the fascinating story of his parents’ role in the race to the “Third Pole”, the highest mountains on earth. Two expeditions in the 1930s stand up to their Nazi rivals’ state‑sponsored expedition and beat them in setting world clibing records. In doing so, Guenter and Hettie Dyhrenfurth take the first moving pictures in high altitude during their Himalayan expeditions. Norman is especially well‑suited to present this family saga which spans a time frame of 70 years of mountaineering and film history. He himself took the first Americans to the top of Mount Everest in 1963 and led the first traverse of an 8000‑meter mountain. He participated in seven major Himalayan expeditions, many of which achieved mountaineering “firsts” ‑ and he filmed every bit of it.
The film features mountaineering legends Sir Chris Bonington and Reinhold Messner. In their engaging interviews they put the Dyhrenfurth expeditions into contemporary context and convey an intense compassion for the heroic achievements and tragic failures of this family.” [producers]
German. 2008 86 minutes
1051. “Traditional Music and Dance of Sikkim”
Parts I & II of a documentary by ethnomusicologist Federeic Lieberman, with Michael Moore.
Asian Music Productions, School of Music, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98190. 35 minutes.
1052.* “Tragedy on the Tsangpo”
National Geographic Special for National Geographic TV
Produced and written by Simon Boyce
Four Americans try to kayak down the Tsangpo, “the world’s hardest river” in what they call “the last unclaimed price of exploration.” With a large Tibetan and American support team runs into tragedy when one of the four kayakers dies in the river and the adventure is aborted. [Grunfeld]
1999, approx. 21 minutes. For info see www.nationalgeographic.com .
1053. “Transatlantis”
Director: Christian Wagner
The myth of the sunken city of Atlantis is the focus of an imaginary journey through the mind of the renowned professor Neuffer. He finds himself rapt in a vision which occurs as the autumn mists descend upon the Allgaeu mountains: the mystical island of Atlantis never sunk at all, on the contrary, the sinking of the world’s oceans has meant that the island is now where nobody ever imagined it could be‑on the “roof of the world”‑in the Himalayas. Neuffer and Nele, a young woman, set off to Tibet in search of the land of dreams… [producers]
1995. 116 minutes. Germany
1054.* Travelers and Magicians
Directed by Khyentse Norbu
Filmed in Bhutan by the film maker who did The Cup, the film is about a Burmese official, Dhondup, who regards the US as a paradise and attempts to get there. The film is about his journey within Bhutan and the his fellow travelers.”…Mr. Norbu provides a lot of ingratiating comic moments. His Buddhism is the laughing, playful kind, and does not ask the Western audience…to deal with any uncomfortable complex religious issues. The most conspicuous dreamland in the film…[is] the happy, childlike land of Bhutan, shown as a paradise without poverty or need, presided over by wise old men and inhabited by fresh‑faced young women, Is this Bhutan or the Playboy mansion?: [Film Review, by David Kehr, New York Times, 28 January 2005.]
In Dzongkha, English subtitles. 108 minutes. 2005
1055. “Trembling Mountain”
Directed by: Kesang Tseten
The film follows the residents of Langtang village in upper Rasuwa district, Nepal, following their evacuation to Kathmandu in the aftermath of the April 2015 earthquake. Most residents are taken to a large Gelug monastery where they are slowly provided with basic shelter, limited food and negligible health care. The film maker interviews individuals suffering from the trauma with no psychological support and barely able to cope with the heat and low altitude. He follows the local cheesemaker when a group returns to their villages weeks later searching for bodies and livestock. [producers]
Nepal. 2016. 82 minutes. English, Nepali, Tibetan
1056. “Tribute to our Master: Kyabje Bokar Rinpoche”
By Laurence Guy‑Lentin
“During the 49 days after Bokar Rinpoches passing in the Himalayas, many masters of all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism came to participate in the rituals.” [producers]
76 minutes. DVD. Snow Lion
1057. “Tsampa to Pizza”
Film by Sonam Tsetan
“Tsampa is about two friends in college, Tenzin and Dhondup, who share a room and similar interests in girls, music and sports. But they are clueless about their identity. Born to Tibetan parents in exile, they have learnt to accept their adopted homeland ‑ Dharamsala in Himachal Pradish ‑ as their own and assimilate its culture…I have tried to raise some serious questions in the movie. Like why Tibetan youth are not consistent in their struggle for freedom? Are they losing focus of their goals and priorities in their race to follow the footsteps of the West and the contemporary culture?” [Sonam Tsetan]
India. 2006, 45 minutes. English and Tibetan with English sub‑titles.
1058. “Tsampai Shenkhok” (Loyalty)
Produced by the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, and directed by Jamyang Dorjee
The story of young Tibetans in Lhasa city defying the Chinese occupation forces. The story was adapted from the Indian film Shaheed.
1999.
1059. “Tsarong”
Directed by Dorjicering Chenaktsang
“…documentary film project that explores filmmaking and photography in early 20th century Tibet by one of modern Tibets most distinguished families…TSARONG weaves rare films and photos taken in Tibet in the 1930s to 50s by the Tibetan general, diplomat, and modernizer Tsarong Dasang Damdul (1888-1959), and his son Tsarong Dundul Namgyal (1920-2011) with recent interviews with Dundul Namgyal and other family members, including his wife and children, HH Drikung Kyabgon and Namlha Takla. The Tsarongs were among the few first Tibetans to work with cameras and film, and captured both formal and daily life in and around Lhasa. The aim of the film TSARONG is to bridge that early documentation of Tibetan life and culturethrough Tibetan eyesto a modern audience.” [producers]
In Tibetan with French subtitles. Still in progress as of early 2020.
1060. “Tscham Dances”
1920. 16mm. Http://tibetfilmarchive.org
1061. “Tsezung Lhamo”
Directed by Shidé Nyima
A nomad girl is orphaned on the eve of taking her college entrance exam. She leaves school and returns home to take care of the familys livestock so that she might support her brothers education. This is the story of Tsezung Lhamo, a poignant portrait that examines Tibetan experience at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. [producers]
2016. China
1062. “Tsundu: Becoming a Lama”
“Lobsang Tsundu is a 13-year-old Tibetan boy living and studying to be a monk (Lama) in Kopan monastery, situated on a little hill at the edge of Katmandu valley. Following Tibetan tradition, Tsundu, the middle son, was chosen by his parents to be a monk. This documentary offers a glimpse into Tsundu’s daily life at the monastery and his interaction with his family at home, his understanding of monastic life, and his family’s thoughts about his life in the future. Narration is in the words and voices of Tsundu, his family members, and the abbot of Kopan monastery. This documentary will be of interest to students in middle and high school classes which have a multicultural focus; students of Asian studies, religion, and anthropology; and students of Tibetan Buddhism.”[producers]
1997, 17 minutes. Distributor: Documentary Educational Resources, Purchase Price: US$145. Rental: US$40.
1063. “Tsurphu: Home of the Karmapas”
Produced by Ward Holmes/Tsurphu Foundation
“A documentary of the early days of the rebuilding of Tsurphu Monastery. Filmed in 1988 at Tsurphu, Tibet. A visual description of daily life in the great monastery…[producers]
1990. 60 minutes. (For information see http://www.maui.net/~tsurphu/karmapa Also, Meridian Trust, video (PAL only) US$44.00.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pspPVJ2x6oA
1064. “Tsurphu, the Giant Appliques”
American thanka painter, Terris Nguyen Temple, is making a documentary about the thanka that he and fellow artist Leslie Nguyen created; two giant silk appliques for Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet:
“Tsurphu, the giant appliqués” a trailer of a film of 25 years work for Tsurphu Monastery, Tibet. Home of all 17 Gyalwa Karmapas since 1187. Two artists and a team of Tibetan women make giant appliqués to give back Tsurphu’s lost heritage. 1992-2017.”
Trailer can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a6WPz6xnZY
1065. “TUKDAM: A Question of Life and Death”
Directed by Donagh Coleman
1066. “Tulku 2009”
Directed by Gesar Mukpo
Enlightened Tibetan masters return as recognized “tulkus” ‑‑ reincarnated buddhas. In the 1970s, tulkus began to be born in the West, confusing both the Tibetan system and the lives of the Western children involved. [producers]
Canada. Documentary. 2015. 75 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APuKa5‑WVs4
1067. “Twenty Years in Exile”
ABC‑Television film made in Dharamsala. 20/20 Interview with Dalai Lama narrated by Hugh Downs with Barbara Walters. Good overview of the situation in Tibet, including old footage and an official Chinese response. [Grunfeld]
1068. “Two Tibetan Buddhist Nunneries”
Tibet Foundation Film, directed by Greta Jensen
Documentary on the nunneries at Tilokpur, where Tilopa meditated, and at Dharamsala in India.
Dharamsala, India. Funded by the Himalayan‑American Trust.
Wisdom Films, 1984, 30 minutes. US$26.25. Also Meridian Trust.
1069. “Unconquerable Tibet”
Produced and distributed by the United States Information Agency (or, the Central Intelligence Agency?).
U.S. Government Cold War propaganda film which “portrays the background of communist infiltration into Tibet since 1950, progressive aggression leading to the take‑over by China and the flight of the Dalai Lama. Indicates the Indian reverence for the lama and resentment against threat to Buddhism…Retired by USIA in 1973.” [United States Information Agency]
1959.16 + 35MM motion picture, B&W, 10 minutes.
Available from the National Archives; Motion Picture, Sound and Video Branch, College Park, MD (301) 713‑7060; Fax: (301) 713‑6904.
1070. “Under the Bodhi Tree & the Jewel Ornament of Liberation: His Holiness the 17thGyalwa Karmapa at the 2003/4 Kagyu Monlam“
by Mark Elliott & Lama Karma Chodrak
“During the winter of Kagyu Monlam of 2003/4, HH the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa gave six talks to Westerners on Gampopas The Jewel Ornament of Liberation.” [producers]
Snow Lion, 6 DVDs, over 7 hours, US$70.00
1071.* “Unmistaken Child”
Film by Nati Baratz
“…documentary chronicles the search by Tenzin Zopa, a devoted disciple, for the reincarnation of his revered Tibetan Buddhist religious master, Lama Konchog, who spent 26 years in meditation in mountain hermitages and passed away in 2001 at the age of 84…As an apparent contender emerges, the film follows the young boy as he undergoes the mysterious procedures and tests that need to be passed in order to confirm the reincarnation.” [producers]
Israel. 2008. 102 minutes. English, Tibetan, Hindu and Nepalese with English subtitles.
1072. “Untitled Documentary of a German Expedition to Tibet in 1939”
This rare film of travel through Tibet is believed to have been made by a special German expedition in 1939. The original is in the U.S. Library of Congress and is said to have come from Berlin at the end of World War II. The film although, unedited and without sound, has interesting footage of the Tibetan plateau and people and of the ceremonies and games held during the Tibetan New Year.
45 minutes, B&W, 16 mm. (See “The Enigma of Tibet:” same film?)
1073. “Vajra Sky Over Tibet”
By John Bush
“It’s serious stuff as director, writer and cinematographer John Bush travels over the Tibetan countryside, from sacred site to sacred site, major city to major city, documenting the temples and explaining Tantric Buddhism along the way.
Necessarily, that means explaining the politics as well. Since the Chinese invaded Tibet in 1949 ‑ and particularly since the Dalai Lama, the religion’s most significant leader, was forced to flee in 1959 ‑ the religion has been under attack…Bush filmed “Vajra Sky Over Tibet” entirely within Tibet, and without consent from the Chinese‑controlled Communist government. There’s footage that isn’t likely to be duplicated soon.While the tone is somber, there are still moments when Bush is able to capture the spirits of children playing and monks grinning for the camera, providing a reminder of their humanity as well as their spiritual beliefs.” [WTN, 12 September 2006]
1074. “Vajra Sky Over Tibet”
Written and directed by John Bush
Part of the Yatra Trilogy which includes films on Buddhism in Laos, Thailand and Burma (Dharma River. Journey of a Thousand Buddhas) and Bali, Cambodia and Java (Prajna Earth. Journey into Sacred Nature). Filmed in Tibet without permission from Chinese authorities it combines footage of street life and Buddhist temples. Bush takes his video camera to the capital city of Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse filming pilgrimages to Gandan monastery, the Jokhang Temple, the Palkhor Chode Monastery, and the Dalai Lama’s summer palace in Norbulingka.
87 minutes, US$24.95 at http://www.directpictures.com/vajra.html
1075. “Vajrasattva Practice”
by the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
“Vajrasattva is manifested through loving kindness, compassion and wisdom to benefit all beings. Vajrasattva’s main aspiration is to purify negativities and obscurations that prevent us from experiencing and realizing the profound nature and reality. Purification and realization are not separate endeavors. Purification leads to realization, and realization of the true nature of mind is purification. In these talks Rinpoche provides detailed instructions on the Vajrasattva practice, including an extensive teaching on the four powers that are necessary for purification (support, applying the antidote, regret and resolve or turning away). Furthermore, Rinpoche also teaches three levels of Vajrasattva practice: outer (Kriya tantra), inner (Charya Tantra) and secret (Yoga Tantra).” [producers]
2‑DVD set. Snow Lion. US$ 36.00
1076. “Valley of Flowers
A Pan Nalin Film
“Along the highest mountain passes of the Himalayas, tough, intrepid Jalan (Milind Soman) and his gang earn their living by stealing from unsuspecting travelers. Abiding by their own, unique codes of honour and dividing the spoils equally, all is routine until the arrival of the mystifying, beautiful Ushna (Mylene Jampanoi). Appearing mysteriously after the raid of a pilgrim caravan, Ushna adheres to Jalan, claiming to have seen him in her dreams, and refusing to leave his side. Sensing the unsettlement of the rest of the men, Ushna offers to help them in their endeavours, under condition that they not ask why or how she is able to guide them to success.” [producers]
2 hours, 35 minutes in Hindi and Japanese
1077. “Valley of the Heroes”
Directed by Khashem Gyal
Valley of the Heroes offers a rare glimpse at a pivotal moment of cultural and linguistic transition among Tibetans and Muslims in Hualong County, a remote community in Amdo, Tibet, part of what is now eastern Qinghai Province, China. Over the past several decades, Tibetans living in Hualong have experienced rapid cultural shifts accelerated by language loss today more than 30% are unable to speak their own native language. The film spends time with an assortment of village residents and elders who reflect on the changes taking place in their community, and also documents a unique Tibetan language program that is attempting to address the situation. [producers]
2013. China. 53 minutes. In Tibetan and Chinese; English subtitles.
1078. ” Vast Heart, Profound Mind”
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche “The heart of this teaching is a profound exploration of transforming suffering by changing our relationship to it by bringing it onto the path. How can we learn to see its futility, recognize its role, and even appreciate it? In this DVD Rinpoche‑‑known for his learning, humor, and ability to teach to Westerners‑‑ discusses practical methods for attaining happiness and transforming our lives.” [producers]
8 hour 3‑DVD set. Snow Lion. US$ 60.00
1079. “Vatersland und Troim” (Fatherland and ?)
Directed by Lobsang Sotrug
“As a result of an accident Tashi is stuck in a dark intermediate world of images and meets his family there. Through this encounter with his family members he recognizes his own identity. The film reflects the inner tensions of the question of identity between modernity and the tradition of a young Swiss-Tibetan.” [producers]
2008. Switzerland. In German (Swiss dialect)
1080. “Video Visits: Discovering China and Tibet”
“Enter the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty. Travel to Tibet, a Buddhist culture that remains virtually isolated from the rest of the world. Witness the effects of modernization on the Chinese workplace, a growing industry that has transformed China into an awakening giant.” “From the fertile farmland between the Yellow and Yangtze rivers to the remote mountain monasteries of Tibet, this attractive video tour explores the geography, culture, and people of contemporary China. Colorful physical maps illustrate why China’s culture has remained so cohesive: its natural borders are ocean, mountains, and desert. The program shows the Chinese at work in the fields, where 80% of the people make their living off the land, and in large city factories, where the people are experimenting with Western‑style economic incentives and modern technology.”[producers]
1988, 52 min., Distributor: Social Studies School Service, Purchase Price: US$24.95.
1081. “Visioning Tibet”
Producer/Director: Isaac Solotaroff
“Documentary about ophthalmologist Marc Lieberman, founder (in 1995) of the Tibet Vision Project, who is working to end preventable blindness in Tibet ‑ which has the highest rate of untreated cataract blindness in the world ‑ by 2020. Wonderfully worthwhile film said His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Lieberman makes biannual one‑month trips to Tibet, leading a team of doctors, nurses and technicians he has trained. Together, they run eye camps that provide basic eye care and perform up to 120 cataract operations in four days. To date, the project has restored sight to over 3,000 Tibetans.
The film tells the stories of two of Tibetans ‑ Karma and Lhasang ‑ who have one last chance at restored sight. The film follows the two men as they make the arduous journey to a remote clinic in the hopes of having their sight restored by Tibetan doctors, who have received technology and skill training through the Tibetan Vision Project.
Narrated by Sharon Stone, the film was chosen one of the outstanding documentaries of 1999″ by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The film was shown at over 30 international film festivals and screened on PBS.” [producers]
1082. “Voices in Exile”
Directed, filmed, edited and narrated by Tenzin Wangden Andrugtsang
Executive producer: Joe Mickey; Associate producer: Sazzy Varga
“It began with a simple idea: put cameras in the hands of Tibetans to encourage them to preserve their own culture on film. About five years ago Joe Mickey, a photographer of over 30 years, sent disposable cameras to monks at Drepung Monastery in South India, with whom he had been corresponding,…Thus the Tibetan Photo Project came into being…Fast forward to 2004 when Mickey got a professional movie camera into the hands of Wangden Andrugtsang, a secretary at the office of the Dalai Lama. As Wangden began to learn the process of directing, cinematography and editing, Voices In Exile gradually took form…As the film opens, Wangden narrates a short history of Tibet, with drawings, photographs and archival footage of the first rulers, the lineage of the Dalai Lama, the events leading up to the Chinese invasion in 1949…Voices in Exile moves to current day scenes in Dharamsala in north India, home of the Dalai Lama since four decades and headquarters of the Tibetan Government in Exile. Much of the film is occupied with interviews with teachers, shopkeepers, students, artists, the President of the Tibetan Youth Congress, a woman recently arrived from Tibet and others “particularly the younger generations born in exile” giving insights into the struggle of modern Tibetans living in India. Their thoughts and dreams and the reality of achieving autonomy after decades of Chinese occupation give us a glimpse into the varied viewpoints among the Tibetan diaspora.” [The Tibetan Photo Project Presents “Voices in Exile,” By Sita Stuhlmiller, Light of Consciousness ‑ Winter, 2005]
1 hour 5 minutes. Available on DVD for US$29.95 postpaid at http://www.tibetanphotoproject.com or by mail through The Tibetan Project, P. O. Box 1836, Fort Bragg, CA 95437. (707‑961‑046)
1083. “Volcano”
Produced by Savithri Rathnam, Trishool Productions, India.
This is a PROPOSED US$2 million dollar Bollywood extravaganza to be based on “the modern history of Tibet, its struggle for freedom and the need of the Tibetans for an independent country.” The plan is for a 150 minute Hindi language film complete with music and songs. A 90 minute version (without music) is also proposed to be dubbed in English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese. “The movie is being made with a charitable purpose as we have decided to donate all the after‑tax net profits of this film from exhibition in the Indian market for the welfare of the Tibetan refugees in India. “Contributions can be sent to Trishool Productions, A‑412, External Affairs Hostel, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110 001, India. [Grunfeld]
1084. “Voices of the Stone”
by Dorje Tsering Chenaktsang
Little known to the outside world, the Land of Snows is seeing a craze for minerals as wild and desperate as the gold rush was in the United States 150 years ago. Voices of the Stone follows two entrepreneurs as they attempt to enter the mining market, and the various paths and choices they face. The film is set against the vast and majestic landscape of northern Tibetits fauna, its herdsmen, their customs and the struggle for survival; the pilgrims and the small anecdotes of daily lifethese are shown in slow motion as one of planet Earths ultimate primeval environments. [producers]
2016. In Tibetan with English subtitles. 70 minutes
1085. “VZPOMÍNKA NA TIBET” (Remembrance of Tibet)
From 1953‑1955 two Czech film makers, Vladimir Sis and Josef Vanis, were sent to China to teach documentary film‑making. During that time they went to Tibet to document the building of the roads into Tibet then underway. The film was shown in Czechoslovakia and then withdrawn. It resurfaced in 2019. They published a beautifully produced book of photos taken from their film stock (On The Road Through Tibet, translated by Iris Unwin (London: Spring Books). This except below is from a Czech film website and I assume is about the film, although the Google translation makes it seem it could be about the book. I would appreciate anyone who reads Czech to help me here. [Grunfeld]
Vydalo vydavatelstvÍ PrÁh.
JedinecnÁ vÝpravnÁ publikace predstavujÍcÍ unikÁtnÍ soubor fotografiÍ porÍzenÝch v Tibetu, kde se zrodila jedna z nejvetšÍch kultur lidstva. ReisÉr VladimÍr SÍs a kameraman Josef Vaniš tu natÁceli a fotografovali v letech 1953 a 1955, tedy v poslednÍch chvÍlÍch starosvetskÉho klidu. ArchivnÍ snÍmky zachycujÍ tibetskou krajinu, jejÍ lid, jeho zvyky, lidovÉ kroje, klÁšternÍ architekturu, interiÉry chrÁmu a palÁcu, z nich mnohÉ jsou dnes promeneny v ruiny. O knize platÍ totÉ, co napsal reisÉr VladimÍr SÍs o Tibetu: “Nacichneš, poutnÍku, kdy tudy budeš prochÁzet… poklonÍš se nejen umenÍ, nÝbr I puvodu všÍ tÉ nÁdhery a nadpozemskÝch miliard: ‘moudrosti, vedenÍ, ucenÍ’.”
Google translation:
Published by Publishing Threshold.
Unique narrative publication presenting a unique set of photographs taken in Tibet, where he was born one of the greatest cultures of humanity. Director Vladimir Sis and cinematographer Josef Vaniš have filmed and photographed from 1953 to 1955, in the last moments of old‑world peace. Archival photos capture the Tibetan landscape, its people, its customs, folk costumes, monastic architecture, interiors of temples and palaces, many of which are now transformed into ruins. The same is true of the book he wrote about the SIS director Vladimir Tibet “Nacichneš pilgrims when you browse this way … worship is not only art but also the origin of all this splendor and ethereal billion ‘wisdom, leadership, learning’.”
1086. “Wangdrak’s Rainboots”
Directed by Lhapa Gyal
“It’s the rainy season in the mountains of Tibet. Good for the grain, bad for the little Wangdrak. He is the only pupil of the village school who has no rubber boots and regularly runs the risk of getting his feet wet on the way to school. To make matters worse, he is exposed to the ridicule of the other children. He therefore desires nothing more than to have a pair of rubber boots. But his father has no money to buy him some, and other worries plague him anyway. The silent stubbornness with which Wangdrak pursues his goal determines the further course of the story.
Based on a novel by Tserang Dondrup, the film pays loving attention to the boy’s condition and tells the story from his point of view. The film tells in a calm and aesthetic visual language a timeless story from rural Tibet, in which people are embedded in their traditions and in which modern civilization has left hardly any traces. Wangdrak’s Rain Boots is Lhapal Gyal’s first feature film and premiered at the Berlinale 2018.” [producers]
2018. Tibet. In Tibetan with English subtitles.
1087. “Warrior Songs: King Gesar”
Co‑produced by the National Film Board of Canada
Directed by Renee Blanchar “The legendary warrior‑king Gesar of Ling is brought to life in this sweeping interpretation of an ancient Tibetan saga. Featuring performances by Yo Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax and Peter Serkin, Warrior Songs blends the music of Peter Lieberson, dance and storytelling to recount the deeds of Gesar, the enlightened sage, as he battles the demons which threaten to enslave humanity to become warrior‑king of Ling.” [producers]
1997, 58 minutes, 40 seconds http://nfb.ca/cgi‑bin/siteindex?ti
1088. “We Are No Monks”
By Pema Dhondup
“…the first Tibetan feature film… an attempt to ask…viewers if the Tibetan struggle can take a violent turn in the future… ‘We are no Monks’ …depicts a story of four friends living in McLeod Ganj, [where it was filmed] the exile headquarters of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The cast includes Bollywood villain Gulshan Grover who plays a local cop. Gulshan did the role without any compensation…Gulshan, in an interview with TibetNet on the sets of the film in April, said, The films made so far on Tibet has been only about either monks and monasteries or earlier years of Tibet. No one has touched the topic of today: Tibetan youth who have been living in exile, about their problems, their thinking and their confusions. That reflects the problem of the entire youth. So the film is very fascinating”. [TibetNet, 3 January 2004]
Premiered in Dharamsala in January 2004.
1089. “We Home Chaps”
Directed by Kesang Tseten”
In the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, a group of former pupils [including Tibetan exiles] visits the school where they had spent their childhoods…a Presbyterian orphanage founded by Scottish missionaries 100 years ago…The schools centennial celebration becomes a lyrical reflection of being nurtured by a colonial institution in a post‑colonial world.” [producers]
2002, 50 minutes, video, http://www.fimakers.com, rental US$75, purchase US$295
1090. “We Will Meet Again in the Land of the Dakini”
“Now in her eighties, Dojljin Kandro Suren, is a Buddhist lama and spiritual guide for thousands who come to her from all over Mongolia and Russia. After 70 years under Communism, she is the only remaining keeper of the Chod lineage in Mongolia.” [Snow Lion]
Snow Lion, 30 minutes. Also, Mystic Fire Video.
1091. “We’re No Monks”
A film by Clear Mirror Pictures and Wilderness Films India Ltd.Written and Directed by Pema Dhondup
“… the first ever feature film about exile Tibetans [and the first feature film by a Tibetan]…Shot on location around McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, and Tibetan camp Delhi, India, it is a story about the dreams, aspirations and desires of four friends who under social, political and economic frustrations plot to become terrorists. Clear mirror is spoken “me‑long” in Tibetan. It is an ancient symbol of power and equanimity and is said to have properties of projecting the identified facts of any object unfiltered.” [producers]
pema@clearmirrorpictures.com
1092. “Werewolf of London”
Director: Stuart Walker
The juice of a rare Tibetan flower is the only thing that keeps Dr. Glendon from turning into a werewolf during a full moon. [producers]
75 min. 1935. USA
1093. “Western Buddhist Teachers Conference with H. H. the Dalai Lama”
By Gill Farrer‑Halls, Tony Pitt and Edwin Maynard.
March 1993 meeting in Dharamsala shows teachers meeting with the Dalai Lama for a four day conference.
Merdian Trust. 960 minutes. 125 British pounds.
1094. “Western Students of Buddhism in India 1985”
Tibet Foundation Films directed by Greta Jensen.
Includes an interview with the Dalai Lama on the spread of Buddhism in the West and the views of Westerners studying Buddhism in India. Wisdom Films, approx.
60 minutes.
1095. “What Remains Of Us” (Ce Quil Reste de Mous)
Co‑producers: Francois Prevost, Hugo Latulippe, Kalsang Dolma and The National Film Board of Canada
“What Remains of Us talks to Tibetans within Tibet…The filmmakers smuggled a videotape into the country that shows a five‑minute message by the Dalai Lama. The Tibetans then talk on camera about the message and their lives, an act that puts them at risk of imprisonment by Chinese authorities…nobody is identified by name…Tibetans who were interviewed were asked if they wanted to see the Dalai Lama’s message. About one quarter declined…another quarter, after watching the video, didn’t want to be filmed talking about themselves and their feelings about the Dalai Lama… [The film] took seven years to make.”
[Toronto Globe and Mail , 20April 2004]. See, also, Robert Barnett, “Ethics in China’s Wild West,” British Journalism Review, 2008: 19:49, pp. 55‑56.
It has come under considerable criticism from Tibet support groups for putting Tibetans in jeopardy by filming them expressing loyalty to the Dalai Lama and for having, erroneously, advertised the film as being endorsed by the Dalai Lama when he was, in fact, critical of it. http:///www.nfb.ca/whatremainsofus
1096. “Wheel of Re‑Birth”
A film by David Cherniack Films for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Man Alive” series.
“This documentary shows the process and methods of finding a reincarnate lama, using the search for Zong Rinpoche’s reincarnation as an example. Scenes include a rare glimpse of the Nechung oracle going into a trance to help select the correct incarnation. Includes an interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 1989.” [producers]
30 minutes, color, VHS video.
1097. “Wheel of Sharp Weapons”
By Venerable George Churinoff
The Wheel of Sharp Weapons is a classic of Mahayana mind training. [producers]
Snow Lion, 14 DVDs, 28 hours, US$168.45
1098. “Wheel of Time”
Written and directed by Werner Herzog”
“The title refers to the creation of a mandala; …twice in the movie, first in Bodh Gaya, in northern India, where Mr. Herzog shot most of the film with a 16‑millimeter camera in 2002, and then the following year at an exhibition hall in Graz, Austria. On both occasions, the Dalai Lama is present, although in India a serious illness precluded his full participation. Mr. Herzog is even granted a brief interview with the Dalai Lama, who speaks in soothing generalities about how each of us is the center of the universe and how all religions seek the same thing.
But “Wheel of Time” is less about words than about being plunged into an intensely devotional world, feeling its tug and sensing its extreme austerity. The movie might as well have been called “An Immersion in Tibetan Buddhism.” With minimal explanation, it puts you right in the center… “Wheel of Time” is gentler than many of Mr. Herzog’s other documentaries exploring the physical and psychic limitations of human experience. In standing back and commenting dryly on scenes of mass devotion, he lets the spectacle speak for itself. In one scene, the pilgrims nearly riot as monks toss dumplings that are supposed to bring good fortune into the crowd
In a kind of sidebar, “Wheel of Time” also depicts the pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, the 22,000‑foot Tibetan mountain sacred to Buddhists and Hindus…” [Stephen Holden, With Herzog, Inside a World of Devotion, [The New York Times, June 15, 2005]
80 minutes
1099. “When the Dragon Followed the Sun”
Directed by Dirk Simon
“Forty years after the beginning of the Chinese invasion, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama compromised in the late 80s on the idea of a free Tibet and offered China the option of a genuine autonomy instead. This adjustment in approach was the beginning of a conflict that is tearing apart Tibetans inside and outside Tibet. The Dalai Lama is without question the leader of all Tibetans. However, they also desire freedom and independence more than anything else.
Seven years in the making, When The Dragon Swallowed The Sun shows an unprecedented inside perspective on the Tibetan community in exile, its young generation and their struggle to free their homeland Tibet. In full HD quality, this film reveals an internal conflict that has been dividing Tibetans and hindering their movement for decades. It also provides scenes from India, Beijing and Chinese occupied Lhasa (Tibet’s capital) that have never been filmed before in such quality
Also, for the first time, this film introduces the only officially recognized descendant of the Great Religious Kings of Tibet. Continuing a 1400-year-old lineage, 18 year old Lhagyari Trichen Namgyal Wangchuk was crowned by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in June 2004 in Dharamsala, India. With exclusive footage from the coronation, intimate interviews and access to the family’s archive material …
With the countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the controversy about the Olympic torch route as the backdrop, the film uses exclusive interviews and breathtaking environmental footage…” [producers]
2009. 115 minutes. English and Tibetan
1100. “When the Iron Bird Flies”
A Chariot Documentary Film produced by Victress Hitchcock & Amber Bemak
In 1959, the Chinese invasion of Tibet threw open the doors to the mysterious realm of Tibetan Buddhism. Suddenly, this ancient tradition was thrust out of it’s cloistered society into the mainstream of western culture. Fifty years later, Tibetan Buddhist teachers trained in practices nurtured in monasteries and caves in the Himalayas are jetting around the world, presenting the words of the Buddha to rooms full of international lay practitioners who are hungry for a true spiritual path.
When the Iron Bird Flies traces the astounding path of one of the world’s great spiritual traditions from the caves of Tibet to the mainstream of western culture and asks: In these increasingly chaotic modern times, can these age old teachings help us find genuine happiness and create a saner, more compassionate 21st century world? [producers]
2012, USA, 96 min.
1101. “White Lotus”
American experimental film directed by Denise Kisabeth.
1999. 30 minutes.
1102. ” White Tara: The Blessings of Healing and Longevity”
with Gehlek Rimpoche; interview with Philip Glass
“Known for his skill as a teacher of Buddhism in the West, Gehlek Rinpoche (the author of The Tara Box) brings the experience of the healing power and protection of White Tara, through teachings and guided visualizations to heal and balance both mind and body. The DVD contains a 1‑hr. teaching/meditation on Tara plus a 15‑min. interview with Philip Glass. The 53‑min. CD has more teachings and meditations on how Tara protects us from fear.” [producers]
Snow Lion. US$22.00
1103. “Why Are We Silent?
“Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Goldie Hawn, Alanis Morissette, Julia Roberts, Sting and Adam Yauch recite portions of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights in support of Tibet. This PSA [Public Service Announcement] has been shown on TV and in theatres in Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Tasmania, the U.K. and USA. It has played in film festivals in New York, Seattle, Telluride, Barcelona, Taos, Palm Springs, Sonoma, Beverly Hills, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Geneva, Switzerland. Available on 35mm as well as video.” [producers]
Sixty second Public Service Announcement ‑ Garthwait & Griffin Films, info@ggfilms.com, 815 15th Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025, office: 650.322.2520, fax: 650.322.2530.
1104. “Wild Awakening”
By Dzogchen Ponlop
“This mahamudra teaching is both profound and visually beautiful. In these five talks, recorded at KTD Monastery and recently edited by Peter Elias, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche provides teachings based on his book, Wild Awakening, The Heart of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. With humor and insight, Rinpoche begins by explaining the meaning of Wild Awakening. He discusses our motivation to practice and presents the view of mahamudra as well as the role the guru/student relationship plays in moving us along the path to enlightenment. Rinpoche then teaches the essence of mahamudra meditation‑‑resting in the true nature of mind by looking nakedly, resting naturally and relaxing at ease.” [producers]
5‑DVD set, 8 hrs. Snow Lion. US$ 60.00
1105. “Wind and Clouds Over Tibet” (Xizang Fengyun/Bod ljongs dus gyur)
A high-quality TV series about the Tibetan resistance to the arrival of the Chinese in 1950 and the uprising of 1959, including recreations of the CIA missions. So realistic that 2 of the 25-hour series had to be censored before it could be shown in Tibet. In Tibetan with English subtitles.
CCTV (Chinese Central TV), 2000. Robbie Barnett Archive.
1106. “Windhorse”
Produced by Paul Wagner. Written by Julia Elliot, Thupten Tsering and Paul Wagner
“A feature film about Chinese human rights abuses in Tibet…shot clandestinely in Tibet [in October 1996] and in Nepal…WINDHORSE tells the urgent, contemporary story of an aspiring Tibetan pop singer who wins favor with the Chinese government of occupied Tibet, but faces a crisis of conscience when her cousin, a Buddhist nun, is imprisoned and tortured for her religious beliefs…The film stars Tibetan‑American singer Dadon as the aspiring pop star and Jampa Keslang as her brooding, Chinese‑hating brother.” [producers]
“…often laughably simplistic script…an over‑didactic piece of pro‑TIBETAN pamphleteering masquerading as a dramatic feature…the characters are as stereotyped as any in Chinese propaganda…Characterizations are mostly one‑dimensional, with the Chinese portrayed as hissable villains…The picture’s dramatic shortcomings are a pity, as Windhorse is put together with skill, makes clever use of an obviously limited budget and is smoothly edited throughout…” [Derek Elley, Reuters/Variety, 7 January 1999]
“The most fascinating aspect of Windhorse is the footage shot on hidden video cameras inside Tibet and smuggles out of the country…but the effect is to turn the Tibetan tragedy into a pale imitation of the 1940s studio movie about resistance and collaboration.” [Village Voice, 4 May 1999]
In March 1998 the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC unsuccessfully attempted to have the film withdrawn from the Washington International Film Festival arguing that the film depicted events that were “completely false.
97 minutes, English subtitles. For information contact Julia Elliot at jelliott@div.harvard.edu
1107. “Winds of Change”
Part of a series “Earth Story” BBC production
Plate tectonics is the movement of the super‑continents as they split apart. They also collided and joined back together again. When they did, mountains, such as the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau, were formed…This comprehensive explanation details how any oscillation in this pattern can result in typhoons and crop failures.
Available from Films For the Humanities & Sciences, 50 minutes, color, US129.00.
1108. “Women of Tibet. A Quiet Revolution”
Directed by Rosemary Rawcliffe
This film was awarded a 2009 Emmy in the historical/cultural special feature category”…chronicles the story of one of the great movements of nonviolent resistance in modern history. In March 1959, an estimated 15,000 unarmed Tibetan women took to the streets of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, to oppose the violent occupation of their country by the Communist Chinese. The surviving exiled elders are the last generation of women left to tell the story and to transmit the cultural legacy they carry. These women, having survived decades in prison and perilous escapes across the Himalayas, along with their daughters and granddaughters, today, have become the architects and builders of a new Tibet in exile.” [producers]Part 2 of a planned trilogy; first film was “Gyalyum Chemo ‑ The Great Mother.”
1 hour. Frame of Mind Films, 1009 Kains Avenue, #2, Albany, CA 94706, Phone: (510) 524‑1926, Fax: (510) 558‑8799,
E‑mail: ‑ rosemary@frameofmindfilms.com, and www.womenoftibet.org
1109. “Women of Tibet: Gyalyum Chemo, The Great Mother”
Produced and directed by Rosemary Rawcliffe
Gyalyum Chemo‑‑The Great Mother recounts the compelling story of an ordinary village woman who gave birth to the boy who was destined to become His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. To the Tibetan people she is “Gyalyum Chemo” or “Great Mother of Tibet.” This award‑winning life story of Dekyi Tsering, the mother of the Dalai Lama, weaves together a rich life history of anecdotal threads and personal reflections from her children, grandchildren and friends who share the details of her long and full life. We are guided and inspired by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who speaks candidly of his admiration and respect for his mother and the powerful impact she had on him. He describes how his mother helped shape the man he is today, and how the relationship between healthy family and healthy humanity all begins with a mother’s love. The film also explores the mythic stories of the Great Mother archetype throughout history with commentary from three acclaimed storytellers including Marion Woodman, Alice Walker and Angeles Arrien. They each describe how the Great Mother archetype manifests in all aspects of our lives and in the art and iconography from all religious traditions and cultures to inform our sense of a mythic and mystical realm.
60 minutes. US$29.95. Snow Lion.
1110. “Women, Wisdom & Spirit”
Producer and director Rosemary Rawcliffe
“Third of a trilogy on women in Tibet. This film …highlights the wisdom, devotion and strength of women both past and present, East and West, who practice a tradition that has been shrouded in mystery and mysticism for most of Western history….shot on location in India and North America, features rare interviews with today’s most important leaders in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Respondents include: His Holiness, the Dalai Lama; the Venerable Khandro Rinpoche; and, Sakya Jetsun Chimey Luding, whose personal story of heroism and courage as a dharma teacher and mother of five is an inspiring example of juggling a full spiritual practice with the demands of family life…Distinguished Buddhist scholars Dr. Elizabeth Napper, Anne Klein, and Judith Simmer‑Brown discuss the powerful transformative tradition of the female Dakini figure in Tibetan Buddhism and its continuing influence on women of all ages and traditions.” [producers]
2006. 1 hour. Frame of Mind Films, 1009 Kains Avenue, #2, Albany, CA 94706, Phone: (510) 524‑1926, Fax: (510) 558‑8799, E‑mail: rosemary@frameofmindfilms.com and www.womenoftibet.org
1111. “Wonders Of The Himalayas”
“A film tracing the origin of Tibet’s Lamaism, was filmed in Tibet by Tibetan cinematographers in the summer of 1995, from King Songtsang Kampo’s ancient castle, Yumbulakan, to his residence in Tsetung, to Lhasa’s magnificent temples, monasteries, and palaces, including His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama’s summer palace, Norbulingka. With King Songtsang Kampo’s marriage in 640 AD with Chinese emperor, Tai Tsung’s daughter, Princess Wen Cheng, and her statue of Sakyamuni from China’s ancient capital, Chang An, as a main historical thread, this film focuses on the sources and the origins of Tibet’s unique Buddhism, its arts, architecture, and culture. Through the local assistance, many sites which were previously prohibited from filming, were for the first time captured by our crew. Our historical research materials are based the Tibetan texts, and Tibetan history books, published outside China, which are referenced with sources from India, the U.S., Britain, and China.” [producers]
1997 (re‑released 1999), 50 minutes, US$99.95 plus postage and handling.
Oracle Pictures, a subsidiary of ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS CORP, P. O. Box 491693, Los Angeles, CA. (310) 556‑FILM, E‑mail: awang19851@aol.com
1112. “Words Of My Perfect Teacher“
By Lesley Ann Patten & Kent Martin
“Teacher follows three students on a quest they hope will lead to wisdom. The catch is the teacher. Soccer obsessed, charismatic film maker, and citizen of the world: Khyentse Norbu may be one of the worlds most eminent Buddhist teachers, but its a job description he slyly rejects at every turn. Featuring appearances by Bernardo Bertolucci and Steven Seagal. Filmed in the UK, Bhutan, Canada, the US, and in Germany at the World Cup, Words of My Perfect Teacher was made during the course of a year that included attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, months of tension as India and Pakistan went to the brink of nuclear war, multiple suicide bombings in Israel, a stock market drop that plunged the world to new depths of economic uncertainty, and the US war on Iraq…The films point of view is inspired by Buddhist philosophy ‑ which says that we can’t really change human behavior until we learn to deal with our mind…” [producers]
103 min. More info at: www.wordsofmyperfectteacher.com
1113. “World Peace”
The Dalai Lama “…explains how disagreements and conflicts, whether personal, national, religious or political, are created by ourselves and therefore subject to change…”[producers]
Westminster Abbey, London. Meridian Trust.1984, 60 minutes. US$35.00.
1114. “Xi Zang xiao zi” (A Kid From Tibet)
Director: Biao Yuen
“A monk from Tibet is sent to Hong Kong by his master. He is to recover a magical bottle to which he has the cap from a lawyer. When these items were united long ago, they protected Tibet from invasion by the evil Black Section of Esoteric Buddhism. The monk meets and protects a woman who is acting as the agent for the lawyer, and the Black Section fight to gain the magical bottle for themselves.” [producers]
Hong Kong, 1992.
1115.* “Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl”
Directed by Joan Chen
“A chamber yarn about lost innocence during the Cultural Revolution that packs a surprising punch under its naive, abstract telling…based on a novella by Yan Geling…shot without official clearance from China’s Film Bureau in a remote location on the Sichuan‑Tibet border in 1997…with funding coming from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China…post‑produced in California. The picture starts off with a young teen, Xiu Xiu, about to leave her family in Chengdu for a spell in a remote corner of Tibet. Its 1975 when the Cultural Revolution has virtually played out…cut to a year later and she is riding the range in Tibet, an exemplary student but without the right political connections to get sent home…worn down by the realities of their tough existence, her ideals are shattered…she trades sex for promises from passers‑by and officials, still hoping her favors will earn her the right to return home…”Xiu Xiu” has the emotional patterns of a mainland Chinese movie, even though direction and performances are reined in. The ending is genuinely moving, without going over the top.” [Variety, 3 March 1998.]
The movie was filmed surreptitiously in a Shanghai film studio and in Tibet after the censors rejected the film script. In December 1998 the film won 7 Golden Horse Awards (Asia’s Oscars) including best actress (Lu Lu) and best actor (Lop Sang).
China, in Mandarin, color 1 hour 39 minutes, 1999.
1116. “Xizang Fengyun” (Bod dus gyur/Wind and Clouds over Tibet)
Chinese Central TV History of 1950s conflict between the CCP, the old Tibetan government and the CIA. Chinese writers and Chinese and Tibetan actors.
2000. Robbie Barnett collection.
1117. “Xue Qing Ma” (The Xueqing Horse)
Shanghai Film Studio.
Peoples Liberation Army going after bandits in Tibet in the 1950s.
1979. China. In Chinese.
1118. “Xueshan lei” (Rgang ri mig chu/Snow Mountain Tears)
Cinema film about the 1930s Long March of the CCP. 1960s. Chinese crew.
Robbie Barnett collection.
1119. “Y na na : woman of a thousand places”
Author: Yvette Torell
Features the women of four minority groups in southwestern China and Tibet especially their customs and rituals which are being transformed as they assimilate into mainstream China. [producers]
1992. Tara Films
1120. “Ya‑ya”
Director Sun Yu. Changchun Film Studio
In 1935, in a serf owner’s manor in Tibet, Tibetan girl Yaya is in love with Luosang, a young carpenter. When the two marry, the Master Gabo drives Luosang from the manor. The following year, Yaya gives birth to a daughter, but Luosang disappears, and Yaya never sees him again. Yaya dies. Fifteen years later, Luosang, now a People’s Liberation Army deputy divisional commander, leads an army into Tibet. He learns of his wife’s death, and that their daughter, age four at the time, had been sold to a tribe called the Jimi, who had renamed the girl Yaya. He learns that Yaya now runs a military supply depot. Gabo, now the head of an anti‑Communist rebel force, tries to destroy the depot, but Yaya leads a brigade of liberated serfs to resist Gabo’s forces. With help from the PLA, Yaya’s force puts down the rebellion. Yaya is at last reunited with her father Luosang. [producers]
1979, China, color, 12 reels. In Tibetan. Robbie Barnett collection.
1121. “Yak Dung”
Director: Lanzhe
For nomadic families on the Tibetan Plateau, yak dung is a renewable and readily available energy source for staying warm, making sacrifices and providing light. Yak dung is also used to build homes and fences, fertilize grass, and as a medicinal ingredient, detergent, and material for sculptures. It is an indispensable part of the Tibetan culture and livelihood. Living with yak dung is part of a lifestyle that has coexisted with nature for centuries. But more and more people on the plateau are drifting away from this way of life.
Having never made a film, Director Lanzhe attended film training workshops organized by the Shanshui Conservation Center, a Beijing‑based environmental NGO that works in Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Shaanxi provinces in western China. Its program Eyes of the Village Nature and Culture trains and empowers amateurs to make films to document lives in their own habitats. Many of these trainees, such as Lanzhe, were picking up a camera for the first time in their life. [producers]
China. 2010. 50 min. Tibetan with English subtitles.
1122 . “Yak of Tibet”
Wild Discovery series for the Discovery Channel
LJM Productions Produced and Directed by Lesley Hammond and Jenny Walsh
A nature documentary about the importance of yaks to Tibetan culture and economy. Good footage of rural Tibet. [Grunfeld]
1997, 40 minutes; http://www.discovery.com
1123. “Yangrilla / Tibet Ka Jadoo” [Tibets Magic]
Director M. Bhavnani.
1938, India, Hindi.
1124. “Yansi”
A Crestone Film. Directed by Mark Elliott
Narrated by Yangsi Rinpoche, the young teacher gives a first-person account of his experience of growing up in, and coming to terms with, his unique inheritance. Beginning with his enthronement at age four before a crowd of fifteen thousand people in Kathmandu, Nepal, he is placed in the care of the previous Khyentse Rinpoches regent, Rabjam Rinpoche at Shechen monastery. With unprecedented access, the film chronicles his life during his training in Tibetan philosophy and various rituals, along with learning English, intimate family visits, and meetings with masters within (and without) of his lineage.
Filmed largely in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan and in Nepal, Yangsi presents everyday events in a reincarnations life… Yangsi follows this process up to the age of eighteen, when he for the first time assumes the role of the teacher, embarking on a world tour to continue the work of his predecessor, to be of service to sentient beings. [producers]
2012. 82 minutes
1125. “Yantra Yoga: Meditation with Movement”
“The unique system of Tibetan yoga, a series of movements which link the breath with the mind, thereby influencing the flow of subtle energy in the body, ultimately bringing the mind into its natural condition. Dzogchen Community, U.K.” [producers]
Meridian Trust, 60 minutes.
1126. “Yartsa Rinpoche” (Precious Caterpillar)
Director: Dorje Tsering Chenaktsang
Cordyceps sinensis (in Tibetan, Yartsa‑gunbu) has been called Tibets golden worm and The Viagra of the Himalayas. When it was discovered 30 years ago as a natural remedy, it became a boon to Tibetan nomads. Today, some nomadic Tibetan communities bring in as much as 80% of their income collecting it. Yartsa Rinpoche follows Darlo, an elder in the Amdo region, who with his family forms a group of 30 that treks 800 kilometers to collect the worm, while exploring its larger implications. [producers]
2014. 101 minutes. China / France. In Tibetan with English subtitles.
1127. “Yasmina’s Yatra”
Director: Ryan Klatt
“Dream‑like in narrative and rich in imagery, Yasmina’s Yatra was shot completely on‑location in central Asia. “As I traveled through Little Tibet five years ago, I was struck by the other‑worldly qualities of the landscape. I knew that I must produce a work here. While in Asia I developed a fascination for the mysterious and exotic,” Klatt explained. The film follows a young woman named Yasmina as she journeys through the high altitude deserts of central Asia and into the afterlife. Like his protagonist, Klatt also journeyed through these deserts to create the piece. He describes his inspiration as coming from his travels, and the differences he observed in cultures surrounding death.
“Death took on new meaning as I watched the cremation of a young girl, her face melting off her skull in the cheerful morning sun as people bustled around. Perceptions of death and afterlife vary so vastly; 10,000 virgins are awarded as recompense for a noble Islamic death, yet in the secular West a quiet suicide is regarded as a criminal act,” he said. [The Manitobian, 10 February 2010].
In Hindi, Ladaki and Spitian. http://Klattgallery.com
1128. “Yeti”
A film by Akhil Bali
“YETI The mighty Himalayan man, is a myth now. Tibet as a free nation and the existence of Tibetans as the rightful people of Tibet is being made into a myth by the Chinese government. YETI is a symbol of hope for all Tibetans, praying to become the Mighty Himalayan Spiritual Nation once again. It’s the story of Tibetans born in India, living a dream of going back to their free country one day.
YETI is a non‑profit collaborative film project that will be released online on 8th August 2008 when the Olympic Games start in Beijing. The objective of this film project is to reach student communities worldwide and to gather support for the peaceful struggle of the Tibetan people in the age of weapons and wars. It will also attempt to provide the viewer with an understanding of the Tibetan Uprising Movement at this critical point in Tibetan history. Can Tibetans get their country back from Communist China by using flags and prayers against their modern weapons?” [producers]
1129. “Yixi Zhouma” (Ye shes sgrol ma/Yeshe Drolma) Also known as Song of Tibet
Directed by Xie Fie (Head of the Beijing Film Academy).
Reflecting on her abduction by the man who would become her husband and lifelong partner, Yeshe Drolma tells her granddaughter, It must have been my bad karma that fated me to be with him. Everyones fate is decided by Buddha thereby expressing an important theme of the film: the integration of religion into every aspect of Tibetan life.
Song of Tibet (Yeshe Drolma in Tibetan and Chinese) features a young woman named Dawa, who leaves the metropolis of Beijing behind to see her grandfather in his dying hour. Dawa in a sense is a stand‑in for us, the audience. Although Dawa is ethnically Tibetan, she lives a world apart from her Lhasa grandparents, whose love affair on the Tibetan grasslands began in 1950 and has managed to survive the twists and turns of Chinese politics, including the turbulent period of the Cultural Revolution. In a series of flashbacks, the elderly grandmother Yeshe Drolma tells Dawa of her first meeting with would‑be suitor Gyatso, a wild man of the Tibetan region known as Kham, and their subsequent separations and reunions.
Song of Tibet is based on a novel by the Tibetan author Trashi Drolma…. Song of Tibet was filmed almost entirely in Tibetan and is subtitled in Chinese and English. While the English subtitles adequately convey the plot, they occasionally omit interesting details. While the film is set in contemporary Lhasa , through flashbacks we are transported back in time back to the Tibetan countryside just after the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949…
The director also portrays present‑day Tibet as the object of international fascination it has become: at one point the camera zooms in on a foreign tourist with a telephoto lens, and a major character just happens to be a multilingual tour guide for the Tibet Museum. The Potala Palace, now a museum itself, seems to loom over nearly every scene set in Lhasa. One gets the sense that Yeshe Drolma herself is a living relic from a bygone age whose story must be told while there is still time.
Mainstream Chinese culture is nowhere and everywhere in her love story: over the previous decades the song, dance, chivalry and uninhibited romance of China’s ethnic minorities have come to occupy an important space in the Chinese imagination. Meanwhile, the modern east‑coast urbanite is represented by Dawa, whose crumbling relationship with her Chinese boyfriend Xing Xing stands in stark contrast to the undying love between Yeshe Drolma and Gyatso…
Song of Tibet is noteworthy for its prominent featuring of the role of religion in everyday life, even as it oversimplifies that relationship. We see lamas name Yeshe Drolma’s child, offer prayers for her dying husband and even care for her in her darkest hour. The director maintains neutrality over the 1959 uprising in Tibet; viewers should keep in mind that this is not a historical drama but a love story that more or less glosses over the major historical events of the decades in which it is set. Even so, it says volumes about what Tibet has become in the collective Chinese imagination.[Mark Frank, University of Illinois,
http://www.aems.illinois.edu/publications/filmreviews/songoftibet.html ]
Song of Tibet is available for purchase online at http://www.asiapacificfilms.com
In Tibetan, English and Chinese subtitles. 2000. 95 minutes.
1130. “Yodha”
Directed by Sangeeth Sivan
A young Tibetan lama, Rinpoche is pursued into hiding in Nepal by an evil cult leader (Puneet Issar). Meanwhile, Ashokan (Mohanlal) and Appukuttan (Jagathi) are cousins in a constant game of one‑upmanship in their village. An astrologer’s advice results in the two landing up in Nepal to seek their fortunes, while vying for the hand of anthropologist/photographer Aswathi (Madhoo). Rinpoche ends up in Ashokan’s care, who with Aswathi must protect him from the cult. [producers]
1992. 149 minutes. India. Language: Malayalam
1131. “Yogmo” (The Servant)
Foreign TV soap opera series from Brazil, the first dubbed into Tibetan.
1132. “Young Jigme”
Director: Lui Cuilan
This documentary is about a young novice monk Jime who is struggling on whether to stay in his small Buddhist monastery in Northeastern Tibet or to return to his monastic robe and become a layperson. Three years ago, Jime came to this monastery at age 17 when he got tired of school. In his third year, Jime saw half of the monks left the monastery for various reasons. In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, it is not uncommon for a novice monk to leave the monastery to return to lay life. Yet once fully ordained, a novice monk is expected to stay in the monastery for the rest of his life. One day, while dreaming about his future professions as a layman, a phone call from the senior monks informed Jime that the monastery does not have enough fully ordained monks to hold the annual summer retreat this year and Jime may need to take the full ordination soon. By recording these moments in Jimes life, this documentary aims to share with its audience a young Buddhist monks quest for the true value of life. [producers]
China. 82 minutes. 2014
1133. “Zhuowasenmu”
Directed by Jia Mu.
1984. China.
FILMS ABOUT WHICH I HAVE ONLY SPOTTY INFORMATION:
1. In 1924 a professional photographer named F. V. Bokhanov was part of a Soviet delegation which visited Tibet. Bokhanov was permitted to travel around the country making a documentary film while taking 700 still photographs. In 1927 another Soviet mission to Tibet took “several hundred” photographs. [Alexandre Andreyev, “Soviet Russia and Tibet: A Debacle of Secret Diplomacy, “The Tibet Journal, 21:3, Autumn 1996.]
2. Ilya Salkind, producer of “Superman” is planning a horror movie about a romance between an American anthropologist and an abominable snowman in Tibet.
3. An organization called “Tibetan Communications” (?) wants to finance and produce a film to rebut the Chinese film “Dalai Lama” (above) which relies heavily on filmed interviews with Tibetans who were participants in the events they describe. The Chinese film, not surprisingly, supports Beijing’s interpretation of history. This group apparently wants to do the same thing: conduct filmed interviews with participants who will describe an interpretation of history which the Dalai Lama and Tibetan exiles subscribe to. The plan calls for a script to be ready by 27 February 1998 and the film itself by 6 July 1998. The people behind this are Kunsang Paljor, Gedun Rabsel, Pema Thinley, Pema Dhondup. [See Press Release by Yangchen Dolkar in Tibetan Review, February 1998]
4. A film about Tibet was made, under Chinese government supervision, by a Rupert Murdoch‑owned film‑making company called Natural History New Zealand. Released in 1999 it has, according the Far Eastern Economic Review (27 July 2000), done very poorly at the box office grossing only US$175,000 in a year. The film is said to have cost US$450,000.
5. A series of five 30 second videos commissioned for the Tibet Film Festival in New York City by curator Somi Roy. They were screened hourly in October 1991 on the Sony JumboTron in Times Square in New York City.
6. A list of what, I think, are films/videos on Tibet and Buddhism in French and German. It appears on a site for the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. I cannot make out any details:
http://www.unifr.ch/sr/fr/liens/videos/liens_videos_G.htm
7. Planned (as of March/2009) film by French producers Manuel Collas de la Roche and Alain Mamou‑Mami. They plan to make a docu‑drama about the 14 incarnations of the Dalai Lama. It will be shot mostly in Mongolia. “We want to tell the story of this 500‑year old soul,” says Mamou‑Mami, “and not about Tibet’s politics.” The plan is to have it ready for the Cannes Film Festival in 2010.
Actresses Sharon Stone and Carole Bouquet had agreed to do voice‑overs. [Tibetan Review, March 2009, p. 22]