Tibetan Film Festival commemorates 50 Years in Exile

Dharamshala: Commemorating 50 years in exile, the Tibean Film Festival, organized by the Foundation of Universal Responsibility (FUR) of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) was successfully carried on from June12-14, 2009, at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), Mcleod Ganj, India.

On the first day of the festival, Kesang Yangkyi Taklha, Kalon (Minister) of Department of Information and International Relations, said that the movies in the festival would show the difficult situation which Tibetan people are facing. She said that the movies would show the Tibetan struggle through non-violence and peace. She said, “ each and every person has to be a responsible human being to speak up for truth and human rights.” 

Thupten Tsewang, Program Manager of FUR, said that the movies at the festival were categorised into messages of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, biographies of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan people's life in exile, Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetans in Tibet, and hardships of Tibetans escaping to exile in India from Tibet. The film festival will continue on to Taiwan for a month, as well as in Indian cities like, Chennai, Mumbai, Hydrabad, Gangtok and foreign countries like South Africa, United States and more, added Tsewang.

Audience watching movies on Tibetan subjects at the Film Festival.

The audience who came to the festival were mostly foreigners and few young Indians who came to learn more about Tibet and the Tibetan people. The Tibetan audience was not as large in comparison.

Secretary Sonam Norbu Dagpo, Department of Information and International Relations, thanked FUR and DIIR Audio visual section for making the event possible. Secretary Dagpo thanked TIPA for providing the venue and thanked the movie makers and the producers of the films as well.

source tibet.net