Dreaming Lhasa (2005)

A Tibetan travels to Dharamsala to make a film about the exile community, and to escape her crumbling personal life back in New York City. She makes a connection to a disaffected local who ... See full summary »

Directors:

Ritu Sarin, Tenzing Sonam

Writer:

Tenzing Sonam

Stars:

Tenzin Chokyi Gyatso, Tenzin Jigme, Jampa Kalsang

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tenzin Chokyi Gyatso	...	Karma
Tenzin Jigme	...	Jigme
Jampa Kalsang	...	Dhondup
Jampa Kalsang Tamang	...	Dhondup

Storyline

A Tibetan travels to Dharamsala to make a film about the exile community, and to escape her crumbling personal life back in New York City. She makes a connection to a disaffected local who spends his time online and chasing Western girls, as well as an ex-monk who recently escaped from political imprisonment. Together they end up on the search for a CIA-trained resistance fighter who has been missing for some time.

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Plot Keywords:

exile | dharamsala | dalai lama | tibet | identity | 

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Taglines:

A Tibetan-American filmmaker returns to the exiled Tibetan community in India and finds herself drawn into a quest that becomes a journey into Tibet's fractured past and a voyage of self-discovery.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK India

Language:

English Tibetan

Release Date:

27 July 2008 (Romania)

Also Known As:

Anazitontas tin Apagorevmeni Poli

Filming Locations:

Clement Town, India

Box Office

Budget:

$350,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,060 (USA) (13 April 2007)

Gross:

$21,335 (USA) (20 July 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

White Crane Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

A fictional film about a search and the all too real suffering of Tibetans

Under the guise of a simple plot -- Tibetan woman living in the West comes to Dharamsala, India and becomes involved in the search for a missing Tibetan man -- the film forces us to return to the sad story of Tibet.

Starting with the invasion by China in 1949 and stretching to the political crackdown of 1987-88, we are reacquainted with the problem of Tibetan refugees, the Dalai Lama being the best recognized of them. We see a little of the life of those refugees in India. We get to meet four past political prisoners and the treatment and torture they suffered in the hands of the Chinese occupiers.

This is not a documentary, but at the political level it works as one.