A Documentary Film Produced and Distributed by the International Campaign for Tibet
Written and Directed by Kunga Palmo
(USA, 2004, 35 minutes)
You can buy the VHS tape or DVD from ICT's Online Store.
Synopsis:
Devotion and Defiance chronicles recent Communist Party crackdowns on Buddhism in Tibet and examines the complex struggle of monks and nuns determined to practice their faith. This powerful film depicts the rapid growth of religious institutions in Tibet since the end of the Cultural Revolution and contains rare footage from monasteries inside Tibet. It highlights the stories of prominent religious figures like the young Karmapa who, at the age of 14, made a daring escape over the Himalayas to find the monastic education denied him by Chinese authorities in Tibet. It also tells the story of ordinary monks and nuns like Ani Choeying Kunsang who was forced to attend political re-education sessions and denounce her exiled leader, the Dalai Lama. Through these and other human stories, Devotion and Defiance reveals how a new generation of monks and nuns cope with realities in modern-day Tibet.
Biography of Director:
Kunga Palmo has been actively involved with Tibetan issues since 1997 and has traveled extensively in Tibet and to Tibetan refugee communities in India and Nepal. Since 2001, she has worked on a number of production teams for broadcast and non-profit films. Today, Kunga Palmo is a freelance video editor. Devotion and
Defiance is her first film.
Festivals:
- Human Rights in Film, Poland (Dec 2004)
- Woodstock Film Festival (Oct 2004)
- Celluloid Buddha Festival, Australia (Sept 2004)
- MountainFilm in Telluride (May 2004)
- DC Environmental Film Festival (Mar 2004)
Coming Festivals:
- Tiburon Film Festival (March 2005)
Other Screenings Include:
- 60th UN Commission on Human Rights, Geneva (Mar 2004)
- University of Wisconsin at Madison (Apr 2004)
- Ster Century Cinema, Leeds, England (Aug 2004)
- Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India (Oct 2004)
- Tibet Day, San Francisco (Nov 2004)
- University of Toronto (Nov 2004)
- Tibet Festival, Johannesburg, South Africa (Nov 2004)
Available Formats:
Betacam SP NTSC, PAL
MiniDV NTSC
VHS NTSC
DVD
Aspect Ratio:
4:3 Letterboxed
Language: In English and Tibetan; with English Subtitles
For more information, contact:
International Campaign for Tibet
1825 Jefferson Place NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-785-1515
Fax: 202-785-4343
