A remarkable renaissance has been quietly taking place within Tibet, almost completely unknown to the outside world: a group of largely self-taught Tibetan intellectuals and artists have suddenly emerged who are making films about Tibetans and Tibetan life. In the last five years, these directors, each of them working alone and without state support, have found new ways to show Tibetan culture and life on screen. Their filmic visions are nothing like those made in the west or in China. Led by the works of Padma Tseten, which stand in their own right as major films by any standard, this festival showcases the early works of some of these filmmakers as they search for new ways of talking about being Tibetan.

Robert Barnett

Director of Modern Tibetan Studies

Columbia University