Tibet: Spirit in Chains

Purpose of the Project: Tibet: Spirit in Chains is a documentary about the difficulties Tibetans face in an attempt to maintain their language, culture, and religion. Told by Tibetans themselves, the film also explores the relationship between the Panchen and Dalai Lamas. The ultimate focus of this project is the selection of the next Dalai Lama, considering how China's Order Number Five may affect the process. Procedure: In order to describe Order Number Five as it relates to the identification and approval of the next Dalai Lama, the film had to be organized in a way that the viewer could understand the full significance of this order. A brief history of Tibet, the traditional relationship between the Panchen and Dalai Lamas, the problems surrounding the current Panchen Lama identified by the Tibetans, and the expected difficulties in choosing the next Dalai Lama are fully discussed. Twenty hours of raw footage were collected at various Tibetan events in the Bay area. Five personal interviews were conducted and two panel presentations at Stanford were also filmed. After taking three filmmaking classes, another eight months in the studio were required in order to complete the 48-minute film. Findings: At this point, no one knows how the next Dalai Lama will be chosen, except perhaps the Dalai Lama himself. All that is known is that his reincarnation will not be chosen through traditional means. There have been many suggestions for choosing the next Dalai Lama, the most popular being that the current Dalai Lama should choose his own successor before he passes away. Conclusions: After having completed this film, I am as convinced as ever that Tibet will someday regain its independence. Because of the tremendous respect Tibetans have for the current Dalai Lama, they now refrain from fighting for independence. However, there could very well be a surge of fighting for independence once he passes away. I may not have actually answered the question regarding the future of Tibet after the Dalai Lama dies but it is my hope that people who view my film will have a better awareness of the problem that Tibetans face as a result of Order Number Five.