World Tibet Network News
Published by the Canada Tibet Committee
Wednesday, October 6, 2004
7. “Dreaming of Tibet”– Jackson Hole Film Festival
By Tammy Christel, Arts Columnist
Planet Jackson Hole
October 6, 2004
Jackson, Wyoming
Watching “Dreaming of Tibet” this past Sunday afternoon, I worried how I might sum up its gripping message. Still worried, I dive in.
Diving into the life of a refugee is what hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have done in the wake of their homeland becoming occupied by the Chinese government. Director Will Parrinello has skillfully intertwined the history of Tibet’s agony with the personal journeys of individual Tibetans relocated to Nepal and the U.S.
“Dreaming of Tibet” explores the spiritual strength and hardships of a people faced with impossible decisions: whether to stay in their beloved homeland, now overtaken by a repressive Chinese government, a government with an aim to obliterate Tibetan culture; or to take the desperate step of fleeing Tibet, splitting themselves off from family and traditions centuries old. The trek takes them over the frozen Himalayas; some traverse the passes in tennis shoes, some die of pulmonary edema, some lose body parts to frostbite.
Parrinello devotes much of the film to the Tibetan’s Buddhist wisdom; such strength is the only explanation for the Tibetan refugees survival and optimistic spirit. Despite towering obstacles the people portrayed in this educational, moving film believe their fate is divined by past failures; that their current plight is a result of that history, to be accepted and solved. Their exile has become their inspiration, the rock upon which to rebuild their traditions and families in foreign lands. “Dreaming of Tibet” is a clear and compelling account of one of our world’s most desperate dilemmas.
Upcoming Screenings
“Dreaming of Tibet” will screen at the 2004 Orinda Film Festival. The film will be shown on Sunday, October 17 at 12:00pm. The film screens with “Sipay Khorlo: The Wheel of Life,” directed by Liz Smith, USA, 8 minutes. For tickets contact: (Tel)-925-258-0758 or http://www.orindafilmfestival.org
Barcelona International Film Festival of Human Rights, October 20 at 9:30pm and October 24 at 12:00pm at Casa Asia, Palau Bar de Quadras, Av. Diagonal, 373 08008 Barcelona (Spain). For tickets contact: T +34 93 238 73 37.
Amnesty International Film Festival (Vancouver, Canada), Sunday, November 7 at 1pm at Pacific Cinematheque.
For tickets contact: http://www.amnesty.bc.ca/filmfest/
Tammy Christel 
