London: Never Forget Tibet is a film that beautifully intertwines the story of Tibet’s struggle with the personal journey of displacement that His Holiness the Dalai Lama went through as he became the world’s most famous refugee, in his own words and by those who saw it up close, such as the Indian officer Harminder Singh and His Holiness’s own family members. Also included are photographs of Tibet, taken by Heinrich Harrier before the Chinese invasion, which provide a glimpse of ancient Tibet – a land and people at peace with themselves and their natural environment.
With showings on two screens simultaneously at the Everyman in London’s Borough area last night, the premiere started with prayers by two Tibetan lamas invoking auspiciousness and success for this venture as well as the longevity and fulfilment of the wishes of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This was followed by Jean-Paul Martinez, the film producer and director, who spoke about his journey on this film venture, moments of realisation of the enormity of what his film is capturing, experiencing the meeting of these two great men – His Holiness and Harminder Singh – who lit up the room with kindness, and thanked His Holiness, the offices of His Holiness in India and London and the Central Tibetan Administration.
Then Representative Sonam Frasi gave the opening address. He shared with the audience the message of ‘oneness’ he has brought back from his audience with His Holiness in Dharamshala two weeks back: “His Holiness said, all of us must think as one human family, the oneness of humanity. He said the fighting and the raging war in Europe and the possible conflict in other parts of the world must be left behind for the past centuries and that humanity must work together to bring peace and happiness to the entire world. What a vision and a guiding force for all of us to cherish and practice! His Holiness’s single-minded focus on preserving and enhancing peace in this world from a remote hilltop in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas is glowing and radiating immeasurable and endless lights of kindness, love and compassion for the entire human species. This film we are about to see will magnify and amplify his approach to life through kindness.”
Special guest Dr Deepak Chopra spoke about the life of His Holiness and paid tribute to His Holiness’s work “as a global messenger of peace and compassion and wisdom. He is the embodiment of the Buddhist idea of loving-kindness, empathy, compassion, joy, and equanimity. He radiates his kindness to all beings without exception. He is a tireless advocate for human rights, environmental protection, inter-faith harmony and ahimsa (non-violence).”
This was followed by a Q&A session with Dr Deepak Chopra and Jean-Paul Martinez, chaired by Sadie Frost, during which Jean-Paul shared a bit about his next film project on the environment, which he has already started as this issue hit him strongly during his filming of Never Forget Tibet.
This a film about and for people who care about others and want to make this world a better place. To learn more visit https://www.neverforgettibet.com/
-Report filed by OoT, London