By Bhuchung D. Sonam
Tibetan Film Festival – 2006 (1st to 7th May) kicked off at Community Centre here today at 7 pm with screening of Travelers and Magicians. While making his introductory remarks, Lobsang Wangyal, the director of the festival, said that the festival hopes to showcase increasing number of films made by Tibetan filmmakers and to illustrate that Tibetans, inspite of odds they face in exile, have caught up with world. “About seven to ten years ago there were just about five to six Tibetan made films. But as of now there are more than twenty films and the number is increasing.” He said.
The small Community Hall is packed with film buffs, equal number of Tibetans as well, throng of westerners, mostly young tourists. Furthermore, Lobsang said that the festival decided to screen some internationally acclaimed films such as Water by Indian filmmaker Deepa Mehta and House of Flying Daggers by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, former because it challenges established norms and the latter for its visual effect, which upcoming young Tibetan filmmakers may appreciate and learn.
The weeklong film festival started with Travelers and Magicians, a film by Kyentse Rinpoche. The film is set in Bhutan and tackles the issue of two men, one university educated and the other a restless farm-youth studying magic, embarking on parallel to escape their mundane lives.
Another film being screened on the opening day is We Homes Chaps, which “explores the fragile ground where love and unlove cohabitat”, by Kesang Tsetan.
The other notable films to be screened are Dreaming Lhasa, The Yogi who Build Iron Bridges, Voices in Exile and Milk and Opium.
The film festival comes as a timely rain for the residents of Dharamshala and foreign tourists in the month of May, when the weather tends to be warm and social activities far and few.
