Dreaming Lhasa

The long-awaited U.S. release of the critically acclaimed feature film Dreaming Lhasa by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam is almost upon us! Screenings will begin in New York City on April 13. The film will then be shown in Chicago, Honolulu, Seattle, Santa Fe, Boston, Atlanta and San Rafael, California. The schedule of the screenings can be found here.
Ritu and Tenzing describe their work in a letter about the film:

Two generations of Tibetans have grown up, either in exile, having never seen their homeland, or under Chinese rule. Their connection with the past, with a time when their country was independent, is becoming increasingly tenuous. Their very identity as Tibetans is being questioned, threatened, mutated. How is the younger generation dealing with this crisis? What does being Tibetan mean at this point in time?

Dreaming Lhasa is perhaps the first Tibetan feature film to explore these questions. As a film that provides a unique and personal insight into the lives of
Tibetans today, it will appeal to anyone who is interested in Tibet, its people and its culture. At the same time, as a story that touches upon the universal issues of exile, identity, loss and love, the film has resonances beyond just the Tibetan experience. All exiles, indeed, all immigrants, face the same dilemmas; the confusion of dislocation, the paradox of simultaneously belonging to different worlds and cultures without having a solid anchor anywhere. And in this regard, we believe the film will also be of interest to a much wider audience.

We at SFT highly recommend that you go see  Dreaming Lhasa when it comes to our city. Visit www.dreaminglhasa.com for more information about the film or First Run Features website for more details about the New York screenings.

March 10th Video

Kalsang Ringchen’s video compilation of the March 10th rally and march in New York City.

Wisconsin Assembly Speaks Out For Tibet

Abigail Scott of SFT’s UW-Madison Chapter has posted a fantastic article about the response Wisconsin legislators are receiving from the Chinese government for their unanimous passage of a resolution honoring the anniversary of March 10th and proclaiming it Tibet Day.

Check out this video from the Wisconsin state assembly on their passage of Joint Resolution 22 in commemoration of Tibetan Uprising Day.

Baby Steps Forward For Google?

Google is making a small step towards protecting user privacy by anonymizing search records after eighteen to twenty-four months. Previously Google kept all user search records – which include information about the unique IP address, location, browser used, and search terms – indefinitely. The decision was made primarily in connection to requirements from governments in Europe and North America to keep records for a specific amount of time.

The BBC article did not say how this changes will impact Google.cn, the search engine Google custom built for the Chinese government to censor search results according to their specifications. A Google spokesman was quoted as saying, “Unless we’re legally required to retain log data for longer, we will anonymise our server logs after a limited period of time.” That makes me think that Google will continue to act in accordance with the Chinese government’s wishes for their platform.

Google should do the right thing and make clear that their decision to anonymize search records applies to users inside China and Tibet. Moreover, Google should anonymize search date inside Tibet and China within a matter of days or weeks, not months and years. China’s track record of using internet records to jail dissidents is reason enough to protect Google’s users quickly and not give the Chinese government another tool to stifle dissent.

Technorati Tags: Google, Google.cn

March 10 Panoramas

Just a small taste of a wonderful day…

Tibetans Take Manhattan

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At the UN

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More from the UN

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National Anthem at Union Square

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