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TOUCHED BY TIBET 2
June 12 - 15
The Vancity Theatre’s second Touched by Tibet series is programmed by, and co-presented with, the Canada Tibet Committee, an independent organization of Tibetans and non-Tibetan Canadians concerned with the continuing human rights violations and lack of democratic freedom in Tibet.
The series anticipates this year’s return visit to Vancouver by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in September with new films about the culture, religion, politics and people of Tibet.
According to programmer Graham Peat, “This year's line-up of films about Tibet focuses on the struggle of a culture and a people to survive against great obstacles. The West has long been fascinated with the myth and mysticism of Tibet. We will uncover the real stories of survival and rebirth with six films that each seek to show us truths about the human condition. From the fight to protect the water supply on the roof of the world to the controversial system of finding reincarnated lamas, viewers will gain insight into the reality of Tibet’s situation today.”
Touched By Tibet screenings will include guest speakers,lobby displays by Tibet-related groups, appearances by some of the filmmakers, and a performance by the Vancouver Tibetan Music Ensemble (June 12).
Schedule
June 12
6.30 FIRE UNDER THE SNOW 8.15 REINCARNATION OF KHENSUR RINPOCHE
+ THREAD OF KARMA
with a performance by the Vancouver Tibetan Music Ensemble
June 13
4.45: FIRE UNDER THE SNOW 6.30 TULKU 8.00 MELTDOWN IN TIBET
+ TIBET CRY FOR FREEDOM
June 14
4.45 TULKU 6.30 MELTDOWN IN TIBET
+ TIBET CRY FOR FREEDOM 8.30 FIRE UNDER THE SNOW
June 15
6.30 TULKU 8.00 REINCARNATION OF KHENSUR RINPOCHE
+ THREAD OF KARMA
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FIRE UNDER THE SNOW
Fri 12 6.30; Sat 13 4.45;
Sun 14 8.30
Director: Makoto Sasa // USA // 2008 // 75 mins // Digibeta
View Trailer, Official Site |
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Palden Gyatso, a Buddhist monk since childhood, was arrested by the Chinese Communist Army in 1959. He spent the next 33 years in prison for the "crimes" of peaceful demonstration and refusal to denounce his apolitical teacher as an Indian spy. He was tortured, starved and sentenced to hard labor. He watched his nation and culture destroyed, his teachers, friends and family displaced, jailed or killed under Chinese occupation.
Fire Under the Snow reaches back to Palden's birth in 1933 and follows him through the Orwellian nightmare that began with the Chinese invasion. But the film is also a celebration of Palden’s faith and spirit. In the words of director Makoto Sasa, “Palden Gyatso's life story transcends notions of religion or political movements, and speaks to our entire earthbound condition. He accommodated suffering, but did not capitulate to it; this is not only his triumph, it is a story that needs re-telling in every generation.”
Meet the Filmmaker, Interview with Makato Saso on doucmentary.org
Read an interview and review in The New York Times
Watch a story about FIRE UNDER THE SNOW on ABC NEWS (the story starts following an ad that can't be deleated..sorry)
“Fascinating and frightening” – Andrew O’Hehir, Salon.com
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THE REINCARNATION OF KHENSUR RINPOCHE + THREAD OF KARMA
Fri 12 8.15; Mon 15 8.00
Directors: Ritu Sarin & Tenzing Sonam // India 1992-2007 // 50 min + 50 min // Digibeta
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In 1991, filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam made The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche, which followed the search and discovery of a 4-year-old reincarnated lama, Phara Khenchen Rinpoche. The film caught the imaginations of critics and filmmakers (Bernardo Bertolucci found inspiration for Little Buddha, and Martin Scorsese referred to it in preparation for Kundun).
Sixteen years later, Sarin and Sonam revisit the reincarnation at Drepung Monastery in South India. Thread Of Karma offers an intimate look at the life of a young lama as he aspires to live up to the reputation of his former incarnation. It also explores his moving relationship with the two people closest to him, his attendant and his spiritual master, both of whom were connected to him in his previous life. By focusing on these ties that cut across lifetimes, the film paints a touching portrait of the Rinpoche even as it demystifies the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of reincarnation. Thread of Karma is a Canadian Premiere.
...reviews for The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche
"Joyful and gentle and spooky."—The Guardian
"What makes this film so compelling is that as much as it's a poignant document of the Tibetan diaspora, it's also a portrait of fatherhood..."
—The Village Voice
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Gesar Mukpo was three when he became one of the first people born in the West to be recognized as a tulku – the present-day reincarnation of a Buddhist master. For his entire life, he's been trying to figure out what that really means.
In this intensely personal documentary, Gesar sets out to meet other tulkus, young people struggling to reconcile East and West, the modern culture they were born in and the ancient Tibetan culture from which they were reborn. Journeying through Canada, the United States, India and Nepal, he encounters four other tulkus who struggle with the meaning of this profound dilemma.
Gesar Mukpo is a filmmaker who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The son of the great Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his British wife, Mukpo was recognized as the reincarnation of his father’s beloved teacher at the age of three. He developed his film and video craft through commercial work and study with Buddhist teacher and filmmaker Khyentse Norbu (The Cup; Travellers and Magicians). Buddhist themes provide the motivations for his most recent work, including the music video What About Me? |
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MELTDOWN IN TIBET + TIBET’S CRY FOR FREEDOM
Sat 13 8.00 Sun 14 6.30
Director: Michael Buckley // Canada 2009 // 40 min // WORLD PREMIERE
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Meltown In Tibet
Director: Michael Buckley // Canada 2009 // 40 min // Digibeta
WORLD PREMIERE
Travel writer and Tibet expert Michael Buckley’s undercover documentary blows the lid off China’s vast and potentially catastrophic hydroelectric dam building projects in Tibet. Buckley shows us the nomadic herders who are the unwilling “beneficiaries” of Beijing’s housing developments, and examines what the impact of the dams will mean for an ancient way of life already under threat from political persecution and climate change.
Michael Buckley will attend the screenings.
Official Site
Tibet’s Cry For Freedom
Director: Lara Damiani // Australia 2008 // 52 min // DVD
Self-financed (she had to sell furniture and clothes to get it finished), Damiani’s film chronicles the plight of Tibetan exiles and their struggle for recognition in the twenty first century. Among her interviews is the Dalai Lama himself.
Official Site & View Trailer
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MEDIA RESOURCES
Screeners Available
Vancity Theatre Web Site: www.vifc.org
Photos at: http://www.vifc.org/fileshare/login.php
Username: media
Password: download
Vancity Theatre Web Site: www.vifc.org
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Call the FILM INFO LINE: 604.683.FILM (3456) for the latest info and listings. Tickets can be purchased in advance on-line at www.vifc.org or in person 30 minutes before showtime.
Adult tickets: $10 (Double Bill - $13)
Student/Senior $8 (Double Bill - $11)
Matinees $8
As a registered non-profit society, the VIFC screens films that have not always been seen by the BC Film Classification Board. Under BC law, any person wishing to see these unclassified films must belong to the VIFC Society and be 18 years or older. Valid for one year based on the date of purchase, the VIFC basic membership cost is $2.50.
For More Membership Information go to http://www.vifc.org/membership.html.
Vancity Theatre is located at 1181 Seymour St. (at Davie)
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