Not many films can boast of an endorsement from the Dalai Lama but the spiritual leader acknowledged this feature-length documentary – ‘Vajra Sky Over Tibet’ as helpful to the Tibetan cause. New York based producer and director John Bush, who filmed Vajra in Tibet without seeking or receiving permission from Chinese authorities, says he wanted to highlight the damage done by Chinese repression of Tibetan culture.
Director, Vajra Sky Over Tibet, John Bush told SAW, “The Tibetans are not allowed to have any contact with their own living Buddha, which is the Dalai Lama. They cannot even keep a photograph of the Dalai Lama in their home because that’s illegal. They have not seen him in over 47 years, though he lives just across the border – in Dharamshala.”
As a practicing Buddhist for 35 years, Bush has spent a lot of time in India and South-east Asia. Vajra was recently released commercially in the United States, and Bush is keen to show it to Tibetan exile communities worldwide. He also wants to document the Tibetan community in India.
John Bush says, “Indians have been so open and generous, they have allowed the Tibetans to set up their monasteries in exile and continue their traditions, so that they can take them back when they can return to Tibet. I would love to be able to document that.”
Vajra Sky over Tibet claims to be one of few films shot entirely inside Tibet. The film is filled with predictably stunning landscapes and plenty of other pretty visuals, but the message it seeks to convey is that of an ancient culture in deep distress.
