Mexico – June July ‘08

Pictures taken in Mexico City during the recent Intn’l Meeting of Film Schools held at the Centro de Capacitation Cinematografica / Centro Nacional de las Artes.

CCC is one of the two major film schools in Mexico and a school of excellent track record all over latin America. It is located and works closely with the Mexico City’s historic Churubusco film studios, which have been used since the 1940s by directors including John Huston, Luis Bunuel, and Mexican icon Emilio Fernandez, and by more recent productions including Salma Hayek’s “Frida.”

I found one of CCC produced short films on Youtube titled, Octavio Castro AL FINAL DEL SURCO

FT08.tv! – Live Stream

A 24-hour on-demand internet TV station, a one-stop news and analysis resource for Tibetans, Tibet supporters, and others concerned about human rights connected to (and during) the Beijing Olympics. One World, One Dream, Free Tibet!

Free Tibet 2008 tv!

Release Tenzin Tsundue

 

Tenzin Tsundue to be handed over to Kangra police from Mandi Jail

Phayul[Monday, August 11, 2008 23:22] By Phurbu Thinley Dharamsala, August 11: Tibetan independence activist, poet and writer Tenzin Tsundue was released Monday from Mandi Jail, after spending nine days in police custody for his alleged attempt to cross over India border into Tibet to protest against Chinese rule. Although he is now released without any formal charges for the time being, he is now being taken to Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, to be handed over to Kangra district police. According to him, he would be presented to Kangra district’s Superintendent of Police office tomorrow morning after arriving in Dharamsala. “As of now no formal charges have been filed against me,” Tsundue told Phayul over the phone. “But let’s see what happens after being handed over to Kangra police tomorrow,” he added. At the time of filing this report, he was on his way to Dharamsala, accompanied by four policemen in a police vehicle. Police first arrested Tsundue from Buntar Airport in Himachal state on August 3, after suspecting his alleged attempt to cross over into Tibet. He was taken to Kullu police station, but released the following day. He was again picked up by police on August 4 from Mandi, and was taken to Mandi Jail, where he refused to eat or drink in judicial custody. According to him, he was then taken to Mandi Zonal Hospital on the fourth evening and approved “forced feeding” on him. After that he was again sent back to the jail. He was formally released from Mandi Jail today around 5:00pm to be taken to Dharamsala and handed over to Kangra SP office tomorrow. Tsundue said he was thankful to local Tibetans from Mandi, Pandoh, and Riwalsar, who helped him secure his release today and even met him at Mandi Jail with fruits. This was not the first time Tsundue was arrested for trying to cross over into his homeland. He was among the many “core” Tibetan marchers taking part in Tibetan People’s Uprising Movement’s “March to Tibet” that began from Dharamsala on March this year. He, along with other marchers, was, however, prevented by Indian authorities at Dharchula, the last Indian township before the border, after walking more than 110 days. “Forced-feeding and arbitrary detention treated on me reminded me that we (Tibetans) don’t have our country and freedom” Tsundue, who is also the General Secretary of Friends of Tibet, India, told Phayul. “But situation in Tibet is still worse” he adds. He said he feared situation for Tibetans in Tibet would worsen once the Beijing Olympics would be over. “That makes me feel to act more, and I am determined to do that,” he said. Tenzin Tsundue gained notoriety in January 2002 after scaling the 14th floor of the Oberoi Towers Hotel to unfurl a Tibetan National Flag and a banner reading ‘Free Tibet’ while the then Premier of China Zhu Rongji was addressing a business conference inside. In 1999 Tenzin published his first collection of poems, Crossing the Border. His essay ‘My Kind of Exile‘ won the Outlook/Picador Best Non-fiction Award.

50 years in Exile

Did anyone out there get this email forward?

Hi Friends,

Hope ya all doing good. I got a call today from the Tibetan Parliamentarian Choekyong Wangchuk la who is also the coordinator of the Tibetan Solidarity Committee, New Delhi, regarding this meeting on May 30, 2008.

The objective of the meeting is to discuss on “Commemoration of 50 years in Exile”

The meeting would have the attendance of:

Hon Kalon Tempa Tsering
All Tibetan Parliamentarians in New Delhi
Major Tibetan NGOs
Tibetan Business and Media Houses

I am asked to inform all the Tibetans working in Indian companies, print and electronice media houses, corporate houses and all about the meeting. Choekyong la really wanted to specially have the opinion of young Tibetans working professionals. Therefore I am sending this mail.

Please be there for the meeting and please let others know about the meeting.

Venue: Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 10 Ring Road, Lajpat Nagar IV
Date: May 30, 2008
Time: 5:45 pm

Have a good evening.

Thanks & Regards,
–
Lhakpa Tsering
Empowering the Vision Project
J-50, Jor Bagh Lane
New Delhi-03
Tel #: +91-11-24641250-51
Mobile # +91-9999598296

Unwinking Gaze

There’s a new film out there. It’s called the Unwinking Gaze. I stumbled into a few excerpts and trailers of the film on the internet the other day and have not been able to get it out of my mind just yet – may be I’m even a bit shocked . The filmmaker, Joshua Dugdale, possibly a friend of one of our inaccassible Ko’ngos has been given so much access to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the runnings of the private office. I haven’t seen the complete film yet but the clips alone makes me feel a bit nervy about what more revelation there are in store in the complete version. Has anyone out there seen the film? What do you think?

Here are the clips

Trailer

Clip 01 – In this clip Lodi Gyari briefs His Holiness the Dalai Lama before leaving on a trip to China. Feeding hope?

Clip 02 – Samdong Rimpoche says we need to scale down our International Activities for things are improving between China and TIbet because of Gyari’s talks

Clip 03 – Samdong Rimpoche tries to give his bit of advice to His Holiness

Clip 04 – His Holiness the DL advices HH Karmapa and HH Ling Rimpoche – This is actually pretty sweet.

The March to Tibet 2008

It seems like the March to Tibet initiated by 5 Tibetan NGOs will soon come to a sad end. The Indian authorities are adamant on stopping the paper-less Tibetans pass through their mountains into Tibet. 

March to Tibet Supply trucks confiscated

For a duration of about 10 days from May 13th to May 22, I spent time with the Marchers in the Almora region of Uttarkhand State, India. I was there taking video footages of the marchers for a documentary film as they were moving closer towards India’s border with Tibet.

Towards the last few days of my time with the Marchers, the police started coming to the marcher’s camp site almost on a daily basis. The police were trying to encourage the 300 odd marchers to return back to their temporary homes in India without them having to use any force.

It is for sure now that the Indian authories will not let the Tibetans move any closer to the border to Tibet. It is sad that in a few days may be the 300 dedicated Tibetans, young and old who are in the march will have to return to their exile lives without a glimpse of the snow mountains of Tibet.

Here’s a short clip from my di-ca that I shot of a young monk marcher named Thaye singing his self composed song for the March to Tibet. This was at their camp site in Seraghat where the police first came with warnings for the marchers.