Zurich, 6. January 2010. Dhondup Wangchen, the Tibetan filmmaker who is currently in Chinese detention, has been sentenced to six years imprisonment by the provincial court in Xining (capital of Qinghai province). The sentencing took place on 28 December 2009 but his relatives in Xining were neither informed about the trial nor the verdict.
Read the press release...
CHONGQING, China — A self-taught filmmaker who spent five months interviewing Tibetans about their hopes and frustrations living under Chinese rule is facing charges of state subversion after the footage was smuggled abroad and distributed on the Internet and at film festivals around the world.
Read the complete article...
Some pictures and memories of Dhondup Wangchen, the director of LEAVING FEAR BEHIND, in his youth years and from his first travel from Tibet to India in 1992/1993 at the age of approximately 19 years. The memories are presented by his cousin Gyaljong Tsetrin who lives in Switzerland and appeals to you to support Dhondup Wangchen. Dhondup Wangchen awaits his trial. The trial is scheduled to take place in early August 2009. Support Dhondup Wangchen!
UPDATE 17 JULY 2009: URGENT ACTION (by Amnesty International)
Dhondup Wangchen is awaiting trial for “inciting separatism” in Xining city, the capital of Qinghai province in western China. The authorities have forced his lawyers to stop representing him, casting doubts over the fairness of his trial proceedings. He is a prisoner of conscience, detained for his peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression.
Take action and write the Chinese authorities.
Contact: info@leavingfearbehind.com
Leaving Fear Behind (in Tibetan, Jigdrel) is a heroic film shot by Tibetans from inside Tibet, who longed to bring Tibetan voices to the Beijing Olympic Games. With the global spotlight on China as it rises to host the XXIX Olympics, Tibetans wish to tell the world of their plight and their heartfelt grievances against Chinese rule. The footage was smuggled out of Tibet under extraordinary circumstances. The filmmakers were detained soon after sending their tapes out, and remain in detention today.
In a remarkable coincidence, filming concluded in early March 2008 on the eve of the eruption of unprecedented mass Tibetan protests across the Tibetan plateau. Shot primarily in the eastern provinces of Tibet, the film provides a glimpse into the hearts and minds of the Tibetan people and their longstanding resentment of Chinese policies in Tibet.
The filmmakers traversed thousands of miles, asking ordinary Tibetans what they really feel about the Dalai Lama, China, and the Olympic Games. The filmmakers gave their subjects the option of covering their faces, but almost all of the 108 people interviewed agreed to have their faces shown on film, so strong was their desire to express themselves to the world. Excerpts from twenty of the interviews, including a self-recorded interview of the filmmaker himself, are included in the 25 minute film.
The footage reveals with stark clarity that Tibetans are frustrated and embittered by the deterioration and marginalization of Tibetan language and culture; the destruction of the lifestyle of Tibetan nomads through Chinese forced settlement policies; the lack of religious freedom and the vilification of the Dalai Lama; and the broken promises made by the Chinese government to improve conditions in Tibet in the run up to the Olympic games. All are united in their reverence for the Dalai Lama and long for him to return, and as some even dream, to attend the Olympic Games.