The Zen Masters

The shooting began in January 2008,but the focus changed dramatically when demonstrations broke out in Lhasa in March 2008. “Before we knew it,they had spread across the Tibetan plateau and become the biggest uprising against Chinese rule since 1959. From looking at a situation that was in a stalemate,we were following dynamic events as they unfolded,” says Sarin,who graduated from Miranda House and has a master’s degree in film and video from California College of the Arts in Oakland. “A return to Tibet march was setting out from India. We covered this on and off for four months. At the same time,we followed the Dalai Lama on his travels to the US,UK ,Germany and France. The Beijing Olympics were coming up and we were able to cover some large-scale demonstrations that took place against the torch relay,” says Sonam,a Tibetan refugee who grew up in Darjeeling .

This was probably the reason China reportedly wanted the movie to be withdrawn from the Palm Springs International Film Festival. In an interview to the New York Times on January 8,2010,Darryl Macdonald,the director of the Palm Springs festival,said,“I told them [Chinese officials that we have freedom of expression in this country,and that we would not allow any foreign country to dictate what films we should or should not play.” Subsequently,two Chinese entries — City of Life and Death by Lu Chuan and Quick,Quick,Slow by Ye Kai — were withdrawn,in protest,by the filmmakers.

Tibet,though,remains a dedicated point of interest for Sonam and Sarin. “As a Tibetan living in the free world,it is my responsibility to do whatever I can to tell the story of Tibet. In my case,this means making films about Tibet,” says Sonam.

Up next for the two is a Zen road movie set in the high Himalayas — with a supernatural twist.