The Question(s) of Tibet - World Affairs Council

DOCUMENTARIES/FILMS ABOUT TIBET
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.
FILM REVIEW: http://www.aems.illinois.edu/publications/filmreviews/songoftibet.html
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. Song of Tibet is appropriate for middle school students and
above. It is relevant for courses in Asian religions including Buddhism, gender relations,
geography, world history.
LEAVING FEAR BEHIND – 2008 (24 MINUTES)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8048230761996582635#
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. With the global spotlight on
China as it rises to host the XXIX Olympics, Tibetans wish to tell the world of their plight and
their heartfelt grievances against Chinese rule. 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.
THE UNWINKING GAZE – 2008 (69 MINUTES)
http://www.linktv.org/programs/unwinking‐gaze
The Unwinking Gaze offers a unique, behind‐the‐scenes insight into the recent working life of
Tibet’s would‐be saviour and revered world icon the Dalai Lama. This documentary was filmed
over a period of three years with exceptional access showing the daily agonies of the Tibetan
leader as he tries to strike a balance between his Buddhist vows and the realpolitik needed to
placate China. David and Goliath is played out in front of us as the world’s emerging
superpower and the Dalai Lama walks a tightrope over an issue of global importance. The
Unwinking Gaze is not 3 years in the life of the Dalai Lama. It is his life’s work in 3 years. This film
takes you inside the Titanic struggle of one of the great spiritual and political figures of our
time, as he tries to lead his people to a peaceful resolution with China.
THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS: TIBET’S STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM – 2008 (79 MINUTES)
http://thesunbehindtheclouds.com/
In The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom, 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 his representatives 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 solution 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.
World Affairs Council Teacher Resource Packet – The Question(s) of Tibet February 28, 2011
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