His Holiness’ Foundation in Delhi to Co-host Screening of ‘The Sun Behind the Clouds’Friday, 29 January 2010, 2:59 p.m.

Dharamshala:
Winning as “audience documentary favourite” at the prestigious 21st
Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival which was concluded in
California on 18 January, Delhi-based filmmakers, Ritu Sarin and
Tenzing Sonam, announced the Mumbai and Delhi premières of their film, ‘The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom’.The
film will screen in Mumbai on 7 February 2010 as part of the
international competition section of the Mumbai International Film
Festival, and in New Delhi on 12 February 2010 at the India
International Centre in an event hosted jointly by the IIC and The
Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.In
‘The Sun Behind the Clouds’, Sarin and Sonam take a uniquely Tibetan
perspective on the trials and tribulations of His Holiness the Dalai
Lama and his people as they continue their struggle for freedom in the
face of determined suppression by one of the world’s biggest and most
powerful nations. The filmmakers had unfettered access to His
Holiness the Dalai Lama and followed him over the course of an eventful
year, which included the 2008 protests in Tibet, the international
response to it, the Beijing Olympics, and the breakdown in talks
between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government. Set
against this backdrop, the film explores the interplay between the
personal and the historic, spirituality and politics, His Holiness the
Dalai Lama’s efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the Tibet
situation based on peaceful dialogue, and the impatience of a younger
generation of Tibetans.Oscar-winning composer of Brokeback Mountain and Babel, Gustavo Santaolalla, provided music to the film.Variety,
the leading US film trade journal, said of the film: “In a welcome
departure from many previous films about the decades-long friction
between Tibet and China, “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle
for Freedom” provides a two-sided view of the complex political and
social dynamics within and outside Tibet. For the “struggle” in the
film’s title is not merely against China but also between competing
Tibetan views regarding the best strategy: co-existence or
independence.”A Hollywood reporter added: “The film is
essential viewing for anyone who cares about the fate of the mountain
region and the legacy of the Dalai Lama.”Screening details:Mumbai: 2:30 pm; Sunday, 7 February 2010, National Centre for the Performing Arts New Delhi: 6:30 pm; Friday, 12 February 2010, India International Centre