Dreaming of Tibet

During winter, some 750 Tibetans traverse the 19,000-foot Nangpala Pass into Nepal on a perilous journey to escape the oppression of Chinese rule. Will Parrinello's Dreaming of Tibet profiles three Tibetans who have left their homeland, whose stories are representative of the Tibetan diaspora, estimated at about 200,000 people worldwide. Tseten Phanucharas, press coordinator for the Dalai Lama and founder of the Los Angeles Friends of Tibet, maintains her cultural heritage while also learning the American ways of political activism and celebrity endorsement (Goldie Hawn and Richard Gere appear here). Tsering Lhamo, who works as a nurse in Nepal, caring for the Tibetan refugees who arrive frostbitten and starving, talks about one of the most difficult aspects of exile: separation from family and loved ones. A monk named Ngawang Ugyen, who resides in a transplanted Tibetan monastery in Nepal, speaks of his brutal interrogation at the hands of the Chinese as a young man, but because of his belief in karma, also displays a remarkable acceptance of what has happened to both him and his country. Each of these portraits combines interviews with scenes from everyday life and archival footage and photographs, while narration by Peter Coyote points to larger political issues. Dreaming of Tibet is not a detailed history of the Chinese occupation, nor does it illuminate the specific hardships of life within Tibet, but it is a strong piece of advocacy for Tibetan sovereignty. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Wadland)