Sun behind the Clouds

I have a special place for Tibet in my heart – especially since one of my dearest friends is a Tibetan. And I think that it’s quite a struggle for Tibetans today trying to find their identity wherever they are in the world. It’s not easy when your homeland is no longer yours. Or that you can no longer even “visit”. And that the only images you can see of your homeland are the ones you see through films that make their way out of the borders. I can’t even begin to think what it feels like for the Tibetan community.

But here is something interesting happening on Monday. Acclaimed filmmakers, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam will premiere “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom” in an event jointed hosted by Friends of Tibet and Think Tibet.

The details:

Winner of the Silver Conch Award at the 11th Mumbai International Film Festival, “The Sun Behind the Clouds” will be screened at the Centre for Film and Drama, 5th floor, 71 Sona Towers, Millers Road, Bangalore on Monday, March 01, 2010 at 6pm. The documentary will be presented by Tenzin Tsundue, Tibetan poet-activist. Entry is free.

In The Sun Behind the Clouds, Sarin and Sonam 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.

The film had its North American premiere at the recently concluded Palm Springs International Film Festival in California where it became the focus of much media attention when the Chinese government tried to get the festival to remove the film, ostensibly for its anti-China stand. When the festival refused, two Chinese films were withdrawn in retaliation. The film had three sold-out screenings and a fourth was added when it was voted one of the Best of the Fest films.

“In a welcome departure from many previous films about the decades-long friction between Tibet and China, “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom” provides a two-sided view of the complex political and social dynamics within and outside Tibet. For the “struggle” in the film’s title is not merely against China but also between competing Tibetan views regarding the best strategy: co-existence or independence. The film is essential viewing for anyone who cares about the fate of the mountain region and the legacy of the Dalai Lama.” (Variety, a leading US film trade journal)

To know more, visit: www.thesunbehindtheclouds.com or contact: Tenzin Tsundue on email: tenzin.tundue@friendsoftibet.org

Hope to see some of you there!