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The volunteer-organised Tibet Film Festival took place between October 12 and 13 at the Blossoms Village Resort in DharamsHala, in tandem with a partner event in Zurich, Switzerland. The unique festival started 10 years ago in large part to protest against the imprisonment by the Chinese government of Tibetan film-maker Dhondup Wangchen, who has since been released. It has grown year-on-year to become a pillar of Tibet’s artistic and cultural community, showcasing recent films made by Tibetans both in the region and in exile.

Contact had the privilege of seeing two of the films on show at this year’s festival.  The beautifully-shot feature Red Mask (2019), created by local filmmaker Kalsang Rinchen and featuring the Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts (TIPA) student Baby Karma, told a moving story of hope and perseverance. Tsering, a young boy played by Karma, sets his sights on becoming the next Tibetan classical opera star, neglecting his formal studies and creating a rift between himself and his mother. Sent to the local monastery, Tsering eventually gains respect and recognition from his head monk who allows him to follow his dream. 

The highly powerful, handmade documentary Rituals of Resistance (2018) from filmmakers Tenzin Phuntsog and Joy Dietrich took over five years to put together and centered on generational responses to the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Under the banner of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way philosophy, it explored different forms of resistance from early armed conflict to self-immolations, by following the separate lives of three Tibetans in-exile. By the end, the viewer is left wondering what the future holds for ongoing resistance efforts inside and outside Tibet, and how future generations will choose to respond to the occupation. 

The Festival’s winning film was Tenzin Namdol’s short film Actor Tenzin, winning both the jury award and the audience poll with prizes of US$1,000 (£790) and US$300 (£240) respectively.