By MOLLY HOLLENBACH – SPECIAL TO THE OUTLOOK
Dreaming of Tibet explores the life of Tibetan exiles living in Nepal and the United States. For most of them, leaving Chinese-occupied Tibet was a life-or-death journey on foot over snowbound Himalayan passes to an uncertain reception. In refugee camps, newly established Buddhist monasteries, or foreign cities, the survivors struggle to adapt to new conditions and still keep alive the hope of some day returning to their homeland.
Director Will Parrinello says he decided to make the film because he felt there was something important for him to learn, and for the world to learn, from these people – something about taking responsibility for one’s own life.
“I was moved by the Tibetans I had met,” Parrinello recalls. “Their lives were so difficult and they had gone through so much pain under Chinese occupation, and yet they’re not angry, because of their Buddhist faith. In our post-9/11 world, the reaction of the majority of Americans to being wronged is to lash out, to retaliate as opposed to trying to understand how this might have happened. I’m not a Buddhist, but I learned a lot from the Tibetans of a philosophy I’d like to learn to practice.”
Dreaming of Tibet is narrated by Peter Coyote and includes some glimpses of the Dalai Lama’s visits to Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. Celebrities Richard Gere, Goldie Hawn, and Jon Krakauer make brief appearances. But the real stars are the ordinary Tibetans who have risked their lives to leave Tibet and who now, while living in exile, strive to maintain their Buddhist culture.
A monk who fled his monastery shortly before it was destroyed finds solace in helping to build a new monastery in Nepal. A nurse sacrifices her own family life to tend the frostbite, hunger, and depression of refugees newly arrived in Kathmandu. Tseten Phanucharas, a woman whose family settled in Los Angeles, becomes skillful at organizing public events and dealing with the media.
“There is no concept of ‘media’ in Tibet,” she says, with some satisfaction at her accomplishments and a hint of sadness over what has been lost. Watching her children blow out the candles on a birthday cake, she wonders what will be left of Tibetan culture in two or three generations hence.
The documentary covers a lot of ground, including poignant images and scenes of exile life in Nepal and Los Angeles; stunning shots of the Himalayas and modern Kathmandu; archival footage of the Dalai Lama’s exodus from Tibet and the Chinese takeover; and a massive Washington D.C. demonstration for freedom for Tibet. The Dalai Lama urges a reverent crowd to be good human beings.
“The Chinese government will never understand the reverence and affection we feel for the Dalai Lama,” Tseten says, “and they will never be able to eradicate it from the hearts of the Tibetan people.” Dreaming of Tibet was five years in the making, a fairly typical length of time for a documentary, owing to the pervasive difficulty of finding funding. Parrinello and coproducer John Antonelli are seasoned fundraisers who have worked together on many awardwinning documentaries. Antonelli directed Kerouac, on which Parrinello worked as cameraman co-producer and editor. Parrinello directed Little Italy, a documentary that looks affectionately at Italian- American identity in New York and San Francisco, and was editor and cinematographer for the recent film, In the Light of Reverence, an exploration of the clash between Native American and European American values with regard to land. Cameraman Andy Black filmed The Weather Underground, nominated for an Academy Award, and is currently shooting Michael Moore’s new film, Fahrenheit 9-11.
Parrinello and Antonelli first went to Nepal to make a documentary about the American Himalayan Foundation, which works with the Tibetan refugee communities in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Impressed by the Tibetans they met on that project, they decided to return to focus on the individual lives of the refugees.
“It’s not really part of Tibetan culture to talk about yourself,” Parrinello says, “but nevertheless, I wanted to hear these stories in their own words.”
To raise money and support, Parrinello and Antonelli made countless contacts by phone, e-mail, snail-mail, and face-to-face networking, wrote grants, offered screenings of the work-in-progress to audiences at events sponsored by the American Himalayan Foundation and sometimes for only a handful at a public library.
Ultimately, the paltry $90,000 it took to make their 58-minute film came from “a mixed bag of foundations and individuals who believed in the cause,” Parrinello says, including a grant from the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture, Nu Lambda Trust, and the Marin Arts Council.
Only Parrinello and cinematographer Andy Black travelled to Nepal. They hired a Tibetan production coordinator and translator, Tsering Rhitar, who filled in as a sound recorder when necessary.
“We picked up other people as need be, for example, porters to go to the monastery,” Parrinello recalls, “and when we were there we also hired a monk or two as grips. It was challenging at times – we could have used another hand, but we felt it was better to have the intimacy of a small crew.”
They used a small digital video camera, which proved essential for political reasons. Friends in Kathmandu assured them they wouldn’t be able to get permission from the government of Nepal to film Tibetan refugees, because of Nepal’s relationship with China.
“The Nepalese government doesn’t want to cause trouble with China,” Parrinello says. “Telling the story of the Tibetans would anger and offend China.” Therefore, the equipment for the documentary was no bulkier than that brought in by many German and Japanese tourists. The filmmakers had to keep a low profile and agreed to work only with the Tibetan community, to stay only in the Tibetan community, and not to tell anyone else what they were doing.
They filmed for a total of nine weeks, on three different trips. All of the scenes at the monastery were shot in natural light because of the uncertainties and risks of trying to use electric lighting in the ancient structure, which only had minimal electric power for a few hours a day. “We were concerned about plugging the lights in. We didn’t want to be responsible for causing a fire or damaging the wiring,” Parrinello says.
Meeting the Dalai Lama further inspired Parrinello to explore the life choices of the Tibetans in exile. “I did get to shake his hand and look in his eyes,” the filmmaker says, “and that was a remarkable experience. There is a depth and power there that is kind of incredible, and yet he is also a sweet and gentle person.
There’s an important message there, and that’s what made me want to make the film.”
Dreaming of Tibet shows at the Max Bell Auditorium at The Banff Center Thursday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m.Admission is $8 at the door, and free to Mountain Culture members. Director Will Parrinello will be present for questions and answers after some of the screenings.
