Tenzing Sonam
The following interview was conducted via email with Tenzing Sonam, director of Dreaming Lhasa.
Dreaming Lhasa
Julien R. Fielding: I’m curious about the charm box. Was this a “prop” or was it someone’s possession? What would you say is the significance of the item to the characters in the film? How does it serve as a symbol, overall?
Tenzing Sonam: When we were researching “The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet”, we met two former CIA-trained resistance fighters who had both saved their cyanide capsules. One had kept it in his charm box, which always struck us as being an interesting juxtaposition; the charm-box is a protector and at the same time it contains within it, the means to kill you. Beyond that, there was no special symbolism. The actual charm box we used in the film belonged to my uncle who was also involved in the resistance.
JRF:Images of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, are ever present in the film. What would you say is the cultural/political significance of his image to the Tibetan people?
TS:The Dalai Lama is the most powerful symbol of Tibet, and all Tibetans are united in their devotion to him. He also remains the most potent source of inspiration and hope for all Tibetans, but especially for those who live in Tibet. Therefore, he is the ever-present force in the film but we only get a glimpse of him.
JRF: We see the Dalai Lama riding in a car, for a brief moment. How did this occur? Was it a chance event? Planned? Did you talk to him at all about the film?
TS: Before we started making the film, we had a brief audience with the Dalai Lama when we explained to him our project and asked for his blessings, which he gave unreservedly. Having lived in Dharamsala for many years, we are familiar with the routine of what happens when he leaves or arrives in town. We planned that particular shoot for a date when he was leaving town, and it was a combination of documentary-style photography with our actor planted in the crowd.
JRF:We hear discussion of the cyanide capsule found inside the charm box. I know you have a documentary on the Tibetan resistance - and I bought the “box set” as it were - but could you talk a bit about the resistance movement in Tibet? How many Tibetans know about this? I would say that most Americans have no idea of the CIA involvement.
TS: For a more detailed article that I wrote about the resistance, please check out: asianamericanmedia.org/shadowcircus/ At the time we made the film, in the late 90s, most Tibetans were still unaware of the details of the resistance movement. This is partly to do with the fact that this movement was always shrouded in secrecy, but also because by the 90s, the exile Tibetan government was very much portraying the Tibetan struggle in non-violent terms, and therefore this story was almost an “inconvenient truth”! Certainly, the majority of Americans were totally ignorant about the CIA involvement, and I would say that even today, most Americans remain unaware of it.
JRF: How has the film been received by audiences? Have you received feedback from Tibetan audiences? Chinese audiences?
TS: Generally speaking, the film has had a great response from Tibetan audiences. Exile Tibetans, especially the younger generation, relate to its story, and appreciate its authentic flavour. We have heard that even Tibetans in Tibet like the film a lot. The dissident Tibetan writer, Woeser, saw the film in Beijing and wrote about it and expresses how the film comes across to Tibetans in Tibet. We have had no responses from Chinese audiences.
JRF: The issues of exile and cultural identity are very much at the core of the film. Did you do many interviews with displaced Tibetans about this? Or was this coming more from a personal experience? What seem to be the biggest “threats” to Tibetan identity and culture (for those people living outside of Tibet)?
TS: The film was written very much from a personal perspective, and from our experiences with younger Tibetans in exile. The biggest threat to Tibetan identity for exile Tibetans is our gradual loss of connection with Tibet itself. Our idea of what it means to be Tibetan is significantly different from how Tibetans in Tibet see themselves. Of course, an identification with Tibetan Buddhism binds us all, but as the hold of religion begins to erode among the younger generation, it’s hard to know what could replace it. Nationalism, or identification with a Tibetan freedom struggle based on fighting for independence, could sustain us, but this is no longer the official policy of the exile government.
JRF: Was the hunger strike inspired by a real life situation? I noticed that he had been on strike for 49 days, a significant number in Buddhism, was this meaningful? Also what was your intention for including this character and his situation?
TS: Yes, the hunger strike was inspired by the Thubten Ngodup self-immolation incident in Delhi a few years back. The no. 49 is completely coincidental! The idea of including this character was to show, one, that the Tibetan freedom struggle is not yet dead, and two, the futility and desperation of that struggle. In the film, the hunger striker is an inspiration to younger Tibetans like the Jigme character, and this is exactly what happened after Thupten Ngodup’s sacrifice.
JRF: Do you feel that your film tries to dispell stereotypes about Tibetans? I heard reactions from people who had seen the film, and they said that they were “shocked” to see Tibetans acting “modern.” Many Americans hear Tibet and think everyone is a monk.
TS: Yes, we set out very intentionally to make a film that would show another - more real - side of Tibet and counter the Shangri La stereotype that we have become encumbered with. In the Production Notes section of the Dreaming Lhasa website, we have set out much of our motivaton and inspiration for making this film in the section, Notes on the Film.
JRF: I really enjoyed the scene during which the characters consult with an oracle. I’m curious if that was an actual oracle? An actress? Why did you decide to include her in the film?
TS: No, she was played by a lady who is an artiste at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamsala. However, she was based on a real oracle - Ama Yudonma - who lives in Dharamsala, and who is consulted on all kinds of matters by ordinary Tibetans. We wanted to show the mundane side of the so-called esoteric nature of Tibetan culture, and played with the coincidence of the earthquake with her trance as a little joke. Also, Jigme’s attitude towards the oracle represents the practical and down-to-earth approach that Tibetans have towards such supernatural pehenomenon, as opposed to the more reverent and awe-struck attitude that most Western acolytes adopt. As the old Tibetan saying goes, “When men get desperate, they turn to the gods. When the gods get desperate, they begin to lie.”
JRF: Throughout the film, we see many prayer wheels, prayer flags, even Om Mani Padme Hum on spinning lampshades - what would you say is the significance of this mantra to Tibetans? How many of these items/images did you purposefully add to the set? Or was this a case where you used “natural” settings? I know your background is documentary filmmaking, so I’m trying to determine how much of the imagery already existed and how much was purposefully added.
TS: The representation of Buddhist symbols, particularly the spinning wheel, was very much a deliberate one. We wanted to convey the idea of karma, and karmic consequences, in our story. Although almost all our locations, with the one exception of the interior of the hermit’s hut, were real settings, we did “dress” the sets quite a bit.
JRF: I found it interesting that we often see Hindu images, especially in the opening bus scene, next to or near Buddhist ones. Do you think that Hinduism is having an impact on Tibetan Buddhism, at least in India?
TS: No, Hinduism is definitely not having any impact on Tibetan Buddhism. But because there is such a strong connection between the two, they coexist quite happily. Therefore, it is not unusual, at least in places like Dharamsala, to see images of both religions side by side.
JRF: We hear characters talking about “fate” and destiny in the film. How was it Dhondup’s fate to meet his father Loga in the end?
TS: Tibetans believe strongly in karma, and our actions are very much informed by this belief. In the film, the idea was always that Dhondup’s quest was a karmic one, just as it was Karma’s karma (no pun intended!) to assist him.
JRF: Would you say it has been difficult for monks, who essentially take a vow of nonviolence, to engage in violent action in a bid to free Tibet from China? Did you talk to many monks about this? At least one monk in your film expresses some regret.
TS: During the ’50s, when the resistance movement started in Kham, a large proportion of the fighters were monks. We interviewed many such ex-monk fighters, most of whom had gone back to becoming monks in their later life. At that time, I don’t think it was particularly difficult for monks to justify taking up arms. They were doing it primarily to protect Buddhism. Today, because the Dalai Lama has so forcefully cultivated the idea of non-violence among his people, I think it would be much more difficult for a monk to turn to violence.
JRF: The cremation scene - how did you set this up?
TS: We filmed the cremation at a real cremation ground at the Tibetan settlement in Clement Town near Dehra Dun. In fact, someone had just been cremated before the shoot, and we built up our pyre on its embers. We had planned the shoot in advance, of course, and got all the necessary clearances and help.
JRF: Could you say a bit about the kata as it appears in the film? First, during the hunger strike and then when Karma is getting on the bus.
TS: The khata is the ubiquitous symbol of good wishes in Tibetan culture, and is offered on all major occasions: at births, weddings, deaths, farewells, meetings with high lamas, etc., etc.
JRF: I think this was the first film I have ever seen that mentions the Panchen Lama. Any comments on him and his “disappearance”?
TS: The disppearance of the Panchen Lama and the enthronement of the false one by the Chinese is a particularly sad and insidious event in our history. It has destroyed the lives of two young boys, and set the stage for what will happen when the present Dalai Lama passes away.
JRF: How did Richard Gere become involved in this project? Any comments on him?
TS: We’ve known Richard for many years and he has always been a strong supporter of Tibet. He has also appreciated the work we have done and we have tried to work on at least two other projects before this one finally happened.
JRF: Finally, I had a lot of students ask why everyone touches the charm box to their forehead. I thought I would let you answer this yourself 
TS: Simply because it is a holy object and has the photo of the Dalai Lama in it, and by touching it on their heads, they are getting its blessings.
Finally, just a word about the title. Lhasa is the heart of Tibet, the focus of our aspirations, the one place that symbolises Tibet for all Tibetans. But most exile Tibetans have never seen the city, so even as it inspires us, it remains a mythical place. Hence, Dreaming Lhasa.
About Tenzing Sonam
Tenzing Sonam (left) with wife and co-director of Dreaming Lhasa, Ritu Sarin
Tenzing was born in Darjeeling in India to Tibetan refugee parents. After graduating from Delhi University, he worked for a year in the Tibetan Government-in-exile in Dharamsala. He then specialized in documentary filmmaking at the Graduate School of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley. [more]
Filmography
Some Questions on the Nature of Your Existence (2007, 26 mins)
One Day with Rinpoche (2007, 29 mins)
Dreaming Lhasa (2005, 90 mins) [Official Site | IMDB]
rights…& wrongs (2000, 5 mins)
Big Treasure Chest for Future Kids - Tibet (1999, 26 mins)
The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet (1998, 50 mins)
A Stranger in My Native Land (1998, 32 mins)
Fish Tales (1997, 33 mins)
The Trials of Telo Rinpoche (1994, 50 mins)
Tibet (1992, 15 mins)
The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche (1991, 50 mins) [IMDB]
Films on His Holiness the Dalai Lama (1988-91)
The New Puritans: The Sikhs of Yuba City (1985, 27 mins)
Official Website
About Me
