----- Original Message -----
From: ATC National Office
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2001 10:26 AM
Subject: Tibetan Film Festival
Dear ATC Member in VIC
"Four Days in Tibet"
Cinema Nova, 8-11 March 2001
In celebrating Tibet's National Uprising Day, March 10 2001, The Australia
Tibet Council Victoria Branch in association with Cinema Nova presents
'Four Days In Tibet', a film festival aimed at raising awareness and
support for the Tibetan struggle for freedom, fundamental human rights and
cultural survival.
"Four Days In Tibet", the first Tibetan Film Festival in Melbourne is a
showcase of films made by a
nd about Tibetan people. A diverse collection of local and international
documentaries explores the
struggle of Tibetans to retain their culture and identity in the face of
oppression, jail, human r
ights abuses and exile. The feature films presented at the festival paint a
breathtaking picture of
one of the worlds most ancie! nt and rich cultures set amongst the
grandeur of the Tibetan plateau
and The Himalayas. 'Four Days in Tibet' will appeal to those interested
in Buddhism, music, human
rights, cultural diversity and conservation, world politics, film lovers
and the many fans of His H
oliness the Dalai Lama. And of course Tibet supporters and lovers will be
fascinated
The festival will also feature a photo exhibit and guest speakers,
including Chope Paljor Tsering,
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's representative in Australia, academics
Gabriel Lafitte and David Temp
leman, and Buddhist lama Traleg Rinpoche. Speaking after sessions of their
own films will be Victor
ian filmmakers Peter Thomas ("The Teacher"), Amiel Courtin-Wilson,
("Chasing Buddha") and John Murr
ay, ("The Plight of the Tibetans and the Dalai Lama"). Also speaking will
be Magda Szubanski and re
presentatives of the Tibetan Community and the Australia Tibet Council.
FESTIVAL DETAILS
Venue: Cinema Nova, Lygon Street, Carlton
Dates: March 8 - opening night starts 7.30 pm
March 9 - starts 3:45 pm
March 10 and 11 - starts at 12 noon
PRICES
Opening night $25 - tickets sold through ATC on 0407 878 645 and Tibet
Handicrafts, Smith St Collin
gwood
All other sessions $15 and $11 concession - tickets sold through Cinema Nova
Festival Pass $65/50 concession - 6 sessions excl.opening night
For more information contact Cinema Nova or visit www.atc.org.au
FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Thursday 8 March 2001 - Opening night (7.30 - 10.40 pm)
Films:
1. Windhorse (1998, 97 min, Paul Wagner)
2. Escape from Tibet (1995, 50 min, Nick Gray, UK)
Speakers: Chope Paljor Tsering Gabriel Lafitte
MC: Magda Szubanski
Music: Tenzing Tsewang, Beliska
Friday 9 March 2001
Session 1 (3.45 - 7.00 p.m.)
1. Tibetans: Restless in Exile (41 min, Amanda Collinge, Australia)
2. Seven Years in Tibet (2 hr 16 min)
Session 2 (7.30 - 11.00 p.m.)
1. Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy (1993, 28 min, Ellen Bruno)
2. The Teacher (2000, 36 min, Peter Thomas)
3. Kundun (1997, 120 min, Martin Scorsese)
Saturday 11 March 2001
Session 3 (12.00- 3.10 p.m.)
1. A Stranger in My Native Land (1998, 32 min, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing
Sonam, UK)
2. Tibet (1992, 15 min, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam)
3. Little Buddha (1993, 123 min, Bernardo Bertolucci)
Session 4 (3.45 - 7.00 pm)
1. The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche (1991, 62 min, Ritu Sarin and
Tenzing Sonam)
2. Missing in Tibet (1997, 30 min, Garthwait & Griffin)
3. In Search of Buddha (73 min, Paolo Brunatto)
Session 5 (7.30 - 10.50 pm)
1. Tibet's Stolen Child (1999, 60 min, Garthwait & Griffin)
2. Nomad's Land (1999, 20 min, Alex Gabbay)
3. The Cup (1999, 93 min, Khyentse Norbu, Tibet/Bhutan)
Sunday 11 March 2001
Session 6 (12.00 - 3.25 pm)
1. The Plight of the Tibetans and the Dalai Lama (53 min, John Murray,
Australia)
2. The Lama of Greystanes (1999, 13 min, Anne Delaney, Australia)
3. Horse Thief (1986, 98 min, Tian Zhuang Zhuang, China)
Session 7 (3.45 - 7.00 p.m.)
1. Chasing Buddha (1999, 52 min, Amiel Courtin - Wilson, Australia)
2. Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh (1993, 59 min)
3. The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet (1998, 49 min, Ritu Sarin and
Tenzing Sonam)
Session 8 (7.30 - 10.35)
1. The Jew in the Lotus (1998, 58 min, Laurel Chiten)
2. Himalaya (1999, 104 min, Eric Valli)
FILM DETAILS
Windhorse (1998, 97 min, Paul Wagner)
Windhorse tells the urgent, contemporary story of an aspiring Tibetan pop
singer who wins favour wi
th the Chinese government of occupied Tibet, but faces a crisis of
conscience when her cousin, a Bu
ddhist nun, is imprisoned and tortured for her religious beliefs. The
singer and her brother join f
orces to secretly videotape the testimony of their cousin and sneak it out
of Tibet. A unique aspec
t of the film is that several crucial scenes were shot clandestinely inside
Tibet. In October of 19
96, a small film crew of Americans and Tibetans, including two actors,
entered Tibet and secretly f
ilmed for one week with a digital video camera. The rest of the film was
shot on sets in Kathmandu
and at remote locations 12,500 feet in the Himalayas. Winner of several
awards including Best Indep
endent Film and Best Director at the 1998 Santa Barbara Film Festival.
Escape from Tibet (1995, 50 min, Nick Gray, UK)
Escape from Tibet shows for the first time the dangerous escape route used
by Tibetan refugees, cli
mbing over the Himalayas to flee Chinese repression. They travel 1600 miles
through harsh terrain w
ith no maps or specialist clothing. The journey takes them from sub-zero
temperatures at 19,000 fee
t to the searing heat of Kathmandu. Before they are registered as refugees,
some face deportation a
s illegal aliens. In Kathmandu, escapees are met by an official of the
Tibetan Government-in-Exile
and only if they are granted refugee papers, may they continue their
journey to Dharamsala. Tibetan
s who reach Dharamsala are granted an audience with the Dalai Lama who
tells many the last thing th
ey wish to hear-tha! t they must return to preserve Tibet's unique cultural
identity.
Tibetans: Restless in Exile (41 min, Amanda Collinge, Australia)
Over 130,000 Tibetans and their leader, the Dalai Lama, fled Chinese rule
and now live in India. So
me 5,000 Tibetans continue to escape each year, making the perilous
crossing over the Himalayan mou
ntains. A special report on the Tibetan exile community which is growing
increasingly impatient.
Seven Years in Tibet (2 hr 16 min)
"Seven Years in Tibet" is the story of a stranger who ventures into a
foreign land to discover both
a new world and himself. Based on Heinrich Harrer's widely read memoirs,
the film tells the epic j
ourney of mountaineer Harrer who, in the autumn 1939 attempted to climb one
of the highest peaks in
the Himalayas. At the outbreak of World War II, Harrer and fellow
mountaineer Peter Aufschnaiter b
ecame imprisoned and managed to escape a British prison camp, eventually
finding refuge in the sacr
ed and forbidden land of Tibet. Though Harrer turned his back on many in
his pursuit of glory, he b
ecame both tutor and student of the young Dalai Lama.
Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy (1993, 28 min, Ellen Bruno)
Since the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1950, Tibetan Buddhist nuns have
resisted against Chinese
rule by staging courageous demonstrations. Satya, meaning truth, focuses on
the true-life stories o
f a valiant group of young nuns devoting their lives to the nonviolent
struggle against repression.
With chilling serenity, the nuns recount tales of their torture and
imprisonment. A former refugee
worker, Ellen Bruno travelled to Tibet and India to record the nuns'
personal testimonies. Instead
of using expensive and conspicuous film equipment, Bruno chose a Hi8
camcorder. The resulting imag
es marked by dramatic blurred motion, mystical lowlight sequences, and
saturated colours form an ex
quisite portrait of the nuns and their work. Winner of 3! 0 international
awards.
The Teacher (2000, 36 min, Peter Thomas)
Dharamsala, North India, has been the home-in-exile for His Holiness the
14th Dalai Lama since 1960
. Often described as a place of 'weaving taxis and spinning prayer wheels',
this little Lhasa, shel
tered by the Himalayan mountains, is the setting for "The Teacher", a
program that takes the viewer
on a colourful and reflective journey revealing the rich teaching of the
Dalai Lama as he shares h
is wisdom on suffering, prayer, karma, Jesus, world religions, compassion
and meditation.
Kundun (1997, 120 min, Martin Scorsese)
Although Martin Scorsese's film stirred controversy between Hollywood and
China, Kundun exists firs
t and foremost as an epic story about the Dalai Lama, from his discovery at
age two to his eventual
exile into India. Underscored by Roger Deakin's spectacular
cinematography and Phillip Glass's hau
nting score, it is the tale of an important spiritual leader's growth and
education. His Holiness T
he Dalai Lama's sister, Ms. Jetsun Pema, and other non-professional actors
provide the film its uni
que sense of realism. Nominated for the four Academy Awards.
A Stranger in My Native Land (1998, 32 min, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, UK)
A Stranger in my Native Land is the poignant and personal account of
Tenzing Sonam's first-ever vis
it to his homeland. From the far reaches of Amdo Province, where Tibetans
have lost their language,
to Lhasa, the heart of the country, the film captures his meetings with
long-lost relatives and co
nveys a sense of the desperation of Tibet as a country under occupation.
Tibet (1992, 15 min, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam)
Using archive footage and images from the Tibetan religious paintings known
as thangkas, the film c
oncisely presents a brief history of Tibet emphasizing the growth of
Buddhism and its role in the d
evelopment of the sacred arts.
Little Buddha (1993, 123 min, Bernardo Bertolucci)
Set against the backdrop of the Himalayas, on the roof of the world,
"Little Buddha" is the extraor
dinary tale of a young boy who journeys back in time two-an-a-half thousand
years, to the colourful
and magical court of Prince Siddhartha whose remarkable experiences led
to his personification as
the Buddha.
The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche (1991, 62 min, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing
Sonam)
Choenzey is a 47-year-old monk living in a Tibetan refugee monastery in
South India. His spiritual
master, Khensur Rinpoche, a revered high lama, has been dead for four
years. According to Tibetan b
elief, he will soon be reincarnated. It is Choenzey's responsibility, as
his closest disciple, to f
ind the reincarnation and to look after him. The film follows Choenzey's
search and his eventual di
scovery of an impish but gentle 4-year-old boy who is recognized by His
Holiness the Dalai Lama and
the Tibetan State Oracle to be the reincarnation. Without sentimentality,
the film captures the mo
ving relationship that develops between the erstwhile disciple and his
young master.
Missing in Tibet (1997, 30 min, Garthwait & Griffin)
After being awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study ethnomusicology at
prestigious Middlebury Coll
ege in Vermont, Ngawang Choephel's research took him to his native Tibet.
In the midst of this rese
arch he was arrested by the Chinese authorities and sentenced to 18 years
in prison. What was the "
offence?" He videotaped Tibetan children and elders singing and dancing
their traditional songs. Hi
s life story is interwoven with actual footage he shot prior to his
detention. Narrated by Goldie H
awn and Peter Coyote. Best Short Subject Cultural Awareness Prize,
International Humanitarian Award
s, 1998.
In Search of Buddha (73 min, Paolo Brunatto)
To discover why westerners are increasingly drawn to Tibetan Buddhist
culture and to fathom some of
its mysteries, Paolo Brunatto and his crew followed Bertolucci from the
early preparation for the
film "Little Buddha" to the shooting of it on locations in Bhutan, Nepal,
Europe and United States.
Bertolucci gave Brunatto unlimited access during the two-year preparation
of the film and to the "
closed" kingdom of Bhutan. "In Search of Buddha" shows meetings between
Bertolucci and His Holiness
the Dalai Lama, Choegyal Namkhai Norbu, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Keanu
Reeves, Bridget Fonda, a
n american lawyer who now lives as a hermit in a Himalayan cave, a Parisian
biologist turned Tibeta
n monk, and western Buddhist students.
Tibet's Stolen Child (1999, 60 min, Garthwait & Griffin)
A major world power places a 6 year old boy, a religious figure from an
occupied country, under hou
se arrest. Nobel Peace laureates (the Dalai Lama, Mairead Maguire, Jose
Ramos-Horta, Desmond Tutu,
and Elie Wiesel) and other moral leaders from around the world examine this
abduction. They share t
heir own experience of intolerance and draw similarities to the current
situation in Tibet. They di
scuss what happens when governments use persecution as a weapon. Set within
a framework of the chil
dren's rights, comparative religion, social justice and peace studies,
Tibet's Stolen Child poses q
uestions of basic humanity and its place within a world dominated by
politics and economics.
Nomad's Land (1999, 20 min, Alex Gabbay)
A strapping young Khampa warrior out on the grasslands of timeless Tibet
awaits the travelling movi
e show/a strapping young Khampa in today's cool Britannia struts his stuff
as a male model in more
and more outrageous dear. What is real, what is the true Tibetan identity?
This offbeat doco stretc
hes our assumptions about the place of Tibetans in today's world.
The Cup (1999, 93 min, Khyentse Norbu, Tibet/Bhutan)
Based on a true story, The Cup takes a refreshing, humorous and sometimes
poignant look at Tibetan
refugee life through the experience of the young monks and their teachers.
Most of the boys have es
caped from Tibet, sent to India by their parents at great risk and expense
in order to receive a pr
ecious dharma education in a place safe from the Chinese. But religion
isn't always the main thing
on their minds... When Geko, their supervisor, catches and forbids the
monks from sneaking into the
village to watch soccer, the cheeky and enterprising young Orgyen must
devise a new plan and find
a way to bring the World Cup to the monastery. But there's an obstacle - to
get the TV and satellit
e dish, Orgyen needs money.
The Plight of the Tibetans and the Dalai Lama (53 min, John Murray, Australia)
As the People's Liberation Army invaded Tibet in 1949, China justified its
action by asserting that
it would free Tibetans from feudalism and from Western imperialists, that
it was reclaiming Tibet
for the 'Motherland'. Tibetans now tell the true story. Refugees
interviewed in this program provid
e a first-hand account of the suffering and deprivation experienced during
the invasion and subsequ
ent period of Chinese rule. The program details two responses by Tibetans
to the Chinese occupation
. First, the Dalai Lama explains his philosophy of non-violent opposition
and his attempts to conti
nue dialogue with the Chinese. Second, Lhasang Tsering, an influential past
president of the Tibeta
n Youth Congress, advises that the TYC is prepared to use any means to
reclaim the Tibetan homeland
, including violence.
The Lama of Greystanes (1999, 13 min, Anne Delaney, Australia)
Zatul Rinzin Rinpoche is the 11th reincarnation of the lama of the highest
monastery in the world,
Rongbuk, at the foot of Mount Everest in western Tibet. In 1959, when the
Chinese invaded Tibet, Ri
nzin was forced to flee his homeland. Now 57, he lives in Greystanes in the
outer western suburbs o
f Sydney with his wife and three children. Rinzin is no longer a monk but
is still a lama- a respon
sibility he holds his entire life. He now works as a security guard to
support himself, his family
and his monastery back in Tibet.
Horse Thief (1986, 98 min, Tian Zhuang Zhuang, China)
Horse thief is a quasi-sympathetic tale of a Tibetan character. The true
story of Norbu, a horse st
ealer, who is thrown out by his community in an effort to purge it of evil.
Driven out to live in h
arsh isolation with his family, Norbu repents after the death of his son,
but he is driven to steal
again after the birth of a second son. "There's hardly any dialogue, but
what makes it so absorbin
g is the stream of stunning widescreen images, like yaks and those long,
booming pipes, to scenes o
f mesmerising, arcane rituals, valleys coated in swirling scrapes of paper,
sheep being buried aliv
e, row upon row of flicking candles. And their dreamlike effect is enhanced
by an ethereal sound tr
ack of tickling bells, gongs, synthesizers and unearthly voices." The Good
Times, London! .
Chasing Buddha (1999, 52 min, Amiel Courtin - Wilson, Australia)
Former Catholic, communist and militant feminist, Robina Courtin has been a
Buddhist nun for over t
wenty years. Teaching Buddhism to prison inmates in penitentiaries across
the United States, Robina
shatters the stereotype of a Buddhist - her aggressive style leaving an
indelible impression on ev
eryone she meets. In the heart of America's bible belt, Robina visits
Kentucky State Penitentiary t
o lead a group of death row inmates on the path to enlightenment.
Determined to harness their minds
and deal with their violent crimes, the inmates inspire Robina to work
even harder at her own reli
gious spiritual practice
Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh (1993, 59 min)
Based on the book of the same title by Helena Norbert-Hodge, Ancient
Futures explores the culture o
f Ladakh, an ancient Tibetan Buddhist kingdom located in Northern India,
and the struggle to mainta
in a traditional and ecologically sound way of life in face of impending
modern development and tou
rism. The film thoughtfully examines traditional patterns of life and
issues of sustainability, pau
sing on topics from treatment of the aged to solar energy.
The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet (1998, 49 min, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing
Sonam)
The Tibetan people are well known for being devoutly religious and peace
loving. What is less known
is that thousands of Tibetans took up arms against the invading forces of
Communist China and wage
d a bitter and bloody guerrilla war. From the mid-1950s until 1969 they
were aided in their efforts
by an unlikely ally - the CIA. With unique archive footage and exclusive
interviews with former re
sistance fighters and surviving CIA operatives, The Shadow Circus: The CIA
in Tibet reveals for the
first time this hitherto unknown chapter in Tibet's recent history.
The Jew in the Lotus (1998, 58 min, Laurel Chiten)
In 1990, eight Jewish delegates travelled to Dharamsala, India, at the
request of the Dalai Lama of
Tibet and share "the secret of Jewish spiritual survival in exile." When
writer Rodger Kamenentz w
as invited to go along to chronicle the event, his whole life changed
unexpectedly. Kamenetz begins
an intense personal journey that leads him back to his Jewish roots. As
he discovers, sometimes yo
u have to go far away to find your way home. The film also probes the
parallels between the plight
of the Tibetan people and the Jewish diaspora. Inspired by the novel by
Kamenentz. "A compelling fi
lm... Kamenetz comes off as a cross between Woody Allen and Alan Watts." !
San Francisco Examiner
Himalaya (1999, 104 min, Eric Valli)
Himalaya is an epic adventure set against the staggering backdrop of the
Nepalese Himalayas. At an
altitude of five thousand metres in the remote mountain province of Dolpo,
Himalaya is the story of
an ancient tribe who lead a caravan of yaks across the mountains,
carrying salt from the high plat
eau down to the plains. It tells the classic tale of rivalry between an
ageing chieftain and the yo
ung daring herdsman challenging his leadership and the affections of his
family. Himalaya was shot
in stunning widescreen over nine months on location in a region that can
only be reached on foot, w
ith all characters play! ed by real chiefs, lamas and local villagers.
----------
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---------------------------------------------
Australia Tibet Council
PO Box 1236, Potts Point, NSW 2011,
Australia
Tel: 61 2 9283 3466 Fax: 61 2 9283 3846
website: www.atc.org.au
---------------------------------------------
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