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Journey from Zanskar
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Wikipedia article
'Journey From Zanskar' is a 2010 documentary film written, produced, and directed by Frederick Marx, for Warrior Films. It tells the emotional story of 17 small children who leave home and family, possibly forever, in order to save their dying Tibetan culture. Parting from one of the most remote and desolate places on Earth Zanskar, in northwest India the expedition must travel on foot over 17,000 foot Himalayan passes. The two monks serving as guides walked this same path 30 years ago when they were children. The 17 children with them may not return home for 1015 years or more. Narrated by Richard Gere, featuring the Dalai Lama, the film tells the story of their incredible journey.
Plot
Zanskar is the last remaining original Tibetan Buddhist society with a continuous untainted lineage dating back thousands of years. In nearby Tibet and Ladakh, in Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nepal, traditional Tibetan Buddhist culture is either dead already or dying. The horror of Chinese government design in Tibet is being matched by the destruction of global economics elsewhere. Zanskar, ringed by high Himalayan mountains in northwest India, one of the most remote places on the planet, has been safe until now. But thats changing.
In 35 years a road connecting Padum, the heart of Zanskar, with Leh, the heart of neighboring Ladakh, will be finished. The route which previously took up to two days by car will take only 45 hours. As economic growth descends on Zanskar it will bring with it an end to this unbroken Buddhist social tradition. Will the native language, culture, and religious practice be able to survive?
The Dalai Lama has instructed two monks from Zanskars Stongde Monastery to do everything in their power to insure that it does. The monks are building a school to educate the children from surrounding villages in their own language, culture, history, and religion. Presently, the government school teaches none of those subjects, and is closed most of the year. The nearby private school also doesnt teach those subjects and is additionally unaffordable for the areas poor families. At Stongde, along with indigenous traditions, the children will be educated in the best Western curricula.
The monks are racing against the clock. While they complete the school they are also placing local children in other schools and monasteries in the city of Manali and beyond. This requires walking over a 17,500 foot pass. On foot. On horseback. Led by yaks... Whatever it takes.
Awards
* European Spiritual Film Festival, Best Documentary, March 2011[http://www.fest21.com/en/blog/european_spiritual_film_festival/european_spiritual_film_festival_esff_winners_2011 European Spiritual Film Festival (ESFF) winners 2011]
* Arizona International Film Festival, Special Jury Award for Bridging Cultures, April 2011[http://www.tucsonfilmmaker.com/2011/04/21/arizona-international-film-festival-winners-announced/ Arizona International Film Festival Winners Announced! - Tucson Filmmaker Magazine]
Festivals
* World Premiere: Boulder International Film Festival Feb. 2010[http://www.biff1.com/archives/2010/biff2010_program_complete.pdf Boulder International Film Festival 2010]
* Big Sky International Film Festival, Missoula, Montana Feb. 2010[http://missoulanews.bigskypress.com/gyrobase/a-different-lens/Content?oid=1224143&showFullText=true Big Sky continues to change the way we look at documentary filmmaking by Missoula Independent]
* Doc Edge Film Festival, Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand, March 2010[http://documentaryedge.org.nz/2010/film/journey-from-zanskar Documentary Edge Festival 2010]
* Cleveland International Film Festival, March 2010[http://www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/films/2010/journey-from-zanskar Cleveland International Film Festival]
* New Jersey International Film Festival, May 2010[http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/movies/nj-international-film-festival-schedule-announced N.J. International Film Festival schedule announced]
* Ischia International Film Festival, Sicily, Italy, July 2010[http://issuu.com/ischiafilmfestival/docs/iff2010catalogue Ischia Film Festival Catalogo 2010]
* Sun Valley Spiritual Film Festival Sept. 2010
* Woodstock Film Festival, October 2010[http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com/festival2010/details.php?id=21934 Woodstock Film Festival 2010]
* Mill Valley International Film Festival, October 2010[http://mvff2010.inticketing.com/filmevent.php?eventid=124343&browse_type=etitle&browse_value=journey%20from%20zanskar&page=1 Mill Valley Film Festival 2010]
* International College Peace Film Festival, Seoul, Korea, October, 2010[http://www.icpff.org/icpff2010/eng/html/sub_4/index_1.htm International College Peace Film Festival 2010]
* 3rd I Film Festival, San Francisco, CA, Nov. 2010[http://www.thirdi.org/festival/film/index_film.html 3rd I Film Festival 2010]
* Artivist Film Festival, LA, CA, Dec. 2010
* Sonoma International Film Festival, April, 2011[http://www.sonomafilmfest.org/2011-film-list/ Sonoma International Film Festival 2011]
* Florida International Film Festival, April 2011
* Sedona International Film Festival, March 2011[http://www.sedonafilmfestival.com/SIB/files/2011%20Film%20Synopsis.pdf Sedona International Film Festival 2011 Program]
Distribution
Distributed in France by Jupiter films. Frederick Marx is currently self-distributing Journey From Zanskar in the United States through his non-profit company Warrior Films.
References
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