From Executive Producers Richard Gere/Jeremy Thomas/Raj Singh
Bay Area Screenings March 18 and 22, 2006
Directors In Person
“Dreaming Lhasa is the first film to capture both the majesty of Tibetan Buddhist culture and the complexity of its ties to the outside world.”–Toronto International Film Festival
From the frontlines of the Tibetan exile community in India comes the debut dramatic feature by veteran India-based documentary filmmakers (and Bay Area graduates) Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival screenings will be presented at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco March 18, and Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley March 22.
The film follows Karma, a young Tibetan filmmaker from New York who interviews recent Tibetan exiles in Dharamsala and encounters Dhondup, an ex-monk with an intriguing mystery. Their efforts to solve it together take them through the exile communities in India, and the journey forces each to examine their sense of identity and purpose. On the way, we meet monks, merchants, musicians, former guerrillas and expats of all stripes, stripping away many of the cliches and stereotypes about contemporary Tibetans that have clung to them in the West. The film is a heartfelt tribute to the personal sacrifices for freedom made by many, in many ways, over the past fifty years.
Directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam will attend and take questions after the screenings.
Dreaming Lhasa
Directors: Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam
India/UK / 2005 / 90 min / in Tibetan and English
Castro Theatre, San Francisco
Saturday, March 18, 6:30 pm
Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley
Wednesday, March 22, 7:30 pm
General Admission: $10/students, seniors, disabled: $8/CAAM members $7
For more information, trailer, and advance ticket purchase, go to the SFIAAFF website.
