Documentaries on Tibet
(2006) 97 Minutes
Angry Monk is a road-movie and a time-travel in the footsteps of the rebellious Tibetan monk Gendun Choephel (1903-51), revealing a face of old and present-day Tibet that goes against popular clichés. The film makes 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 tradition and modernity.
(2003) 104 minutes
The film brings audiences to the long forbidden "rooftop of the world" with an unprecedented richness of imagery... From rarely seen rituals in remote monasteries, to horse races with Khamba warriors; from brothels and slums in the holy city of Lhasa, to magnificent Himalayan peaks still traveled by nomadic yak caravans. The dark secrets of Tibet's recent past are chronicled through personal stories and interviews, and a collection of undercover and archival images never before assembled in one film.
(2003), 55 minutes
The story of the formation of the Tibetan national football team and the team's efforts to play its first 'international' game against Greenland. The team is not recognised by FIFA (the football world governing body), the Chinese government attempts to block the match taking place, and because of the refugee status of the Tibetan players many of them are unable to obtain visas to travel to Greenland to play. Despite the many obstacles, the match takes place and although the Tibet team loses 4 - 1 to Greenland, the Team rejoices in the victory of overcoming intense political opposition by China and being able to play its first match.
(2004) 77 minutes
Kalsang Dolma, a young Tibetan refugee in Quebec, carries a video message recorded by the Dalai Lama into Tibet. Families gather around the tiny screen, transfixed, and for one of the first times, the voices of this fragile people under the yoke of suffering reach us from across the distance. This film was shot without the knowledge of the Chinese authorities, using small digital cameras, during nearly a dozen secret forays into Tibet between 1996 and 2004. This award-winning film has sparked admiration and controversy alike.
(2008)
Palden Gyatso was arrested by the Chinese Communist Army in 1959. He spent the next 33 years in prison for the "crimes" of peaceful demonstration and refusal to denounce his apolitical teacher as an Indian spy. Fire Under the Snow reaches back to Palden's birth in 1933 and follows him through the Orwellian nightmare that began with the Chinese invasion. The film cut back and forth between the past and Palden's present as an activist, living in exile. Our P.O.V. becomes a "third eye" hovering over Palden's current life, haunted by his memories of the past.
(2008)
'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 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.
60 Minutes
Tibet's Stolen Child is a documentary film on the Panchen Lama. A young boy, the Panchen Lama, is the center of a swirling storm of international controversy. Identified by the Dalai Lama as one of Tibet's most important spiritual leaders, this child was kidnapped by the Chinese government just days after the Dalai Lama's announcement. Compelling personal accounts by six Nobel Peace Laureates and others, show how this is not only a story of Tibet and a small boy... it is a story of the world.
An intimate portrait of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, whose 30 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. This also features never-before-seen footage of Tibet. Produced by Lemle Pictures, Inc. in association with Central Productions Ltd.
(1994) 60 Minutes
What is the fate of Tibet? To explore that question, FRONTLINE asked Orville Schell, an author and longtime observer of China, to make the journey to the Roof of the World. Historical overview of the Tibetan situation with special emphasis on the takeover in 1949, 1950, and the Chinese military occupation.
The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet
(1998) 50minutes
Reveals for the first time this hitherto unknown chapter in Tibet's recent history - a tale that is both heroic and tragic, full of sad ironies and unexpected twists that overturn all preconceptions about both Tibet and the CIA.
Devotion and Defiance: Buddhism and the Struggle for Religious Freedom in 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 rare footage shot in Tibet in the last three years.
by: Spring Digital