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San Francisco Bay Area Tibetan film

By Tenzin Thuchen | Tibet Sun

Actors and crew members of the film — The Gentleman of San Francisco — during a shooting session in San Francisco, US, in August 2009. The film is likely to be released in December this year.Nyaljor Samten

More and more younger generation Tibetans are nowadays exploring the world of filmmaking. And here in San Francisco bay area, a group of passionate Tibetan youths are busy making yet another narrative film — The Gentleman of San Francisco.

The film is being produced by Tsering Dorjee Bawa, a prominent Tibetan screen actor, who had acted in notable films like ‘Valley of Flowers’ and the Oscar nominated film ‘The Himalaya’.

Tashi Wangchuk, whose notable work among others include ‘Richard Gere is My Hero’ and ‘Democracy in Exile’ for India’s National network — Doordarshan, is directing the film.

The story revolves around a Tibetan writer who dwells in San Francisco Bay area, and his outlook towards the exile world. The film critiques lifestyles of Tibetans in exile at the backdrop of post modernism. Major theme of the story is that Tibetans should now put an end to performing divinations; be it at individual or at the government level in Dharamshala, India. Tashi wrote the script when he was a film student at the State University of New York, Buffalo.

“Being an ardent fan of the writer Jamyang Norbu, I had incorporated into the film a large pool of his thought and ideology. However, it is a fictional story,” the director says.

“One of the most important features of the project is that no one is getting paid and everyone is doing it out of their passion,” says producer Bawa, who is also the lead actor film.

“I’m glad that I’m a part of this film,” commented Dhondup Tsering, who is the supporting actor of the film . The team is expecting to release the film by 10 December.

Copyright © 2009 Tenzin Thuchen

Published in Tibet Sun