Monday, April 18, 2011

The Sun Behind the Clouds

The Sun Behind the Clouds (2010)
THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS updates the struggle for Tibetan independence, focusing upon the March 2008 demonstration against Chinese rule, the largest ever since the 1959 take-over of that nation. The Dalai Lama, living in exile in Northern India, is interviewed extensively and given the opportunity to explicate his "middle way," a compromise position he has to date been unsuccessful in getting the Chinese to accept. Supporters of Tibetan independence who are devoted to the Dalai Lama, but who nonetheless feel "the middle way" is an ineffective solution, appear in the film, detailing their more militant position.

Directed by veteran Tibetan filmmakers Tenzing Sonam and Ritu Sarin (Dreaming Lhasa, The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche), The Sun Behind The Clouds compellingly updates the struggle for Tibetan independence by focusing on the March 2008 demonstrations against Chinese rule (the largest ever since the 1959 take-over of that nation), and the split among Tibetans themselves regarding the most effective approach to Chinese intransigence. This is the first film to show the Dalai Lama addressing the political complexity of the Tibet issue, both in his homeland and within the exile community. The Dalai Lama, living in northern India, is interviewed extensively during this turbulent 50th anniversary of exile year and given the opportunity to explicate his “Middle Way Approach,” a compromise position essentially giving up the goal of Tibet’s independence in exchange for cultural and social autonomy. A younger generation of Tibetans who are devoted to the Dalai Lama, but who nonetheless feel his solution is ineffective, appear in the film, detailing their more militant position.

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