One of these films, Tharlo, by Tibetan director Pema Tseden, is currently competing as part of the ongoing 72nd Venice Film Festival's Orizzonti section.
A Tibetan writer and director, Pema Tseden has spent years depicting Tibetan
people and their culture in film and literature.
In the film, the lead character, Tharlo, is a forty-something shepherd who grew up as an orphan. Heading into town to get an ID card, he meets a young
woman who works as a hairdresser. Falling for the girl, he embarks on a journey
of self-discovery that turns his life upside-down and eventually leaves him
destitute and disillusioned.
A reflection of life
According to Pema Tseden, Tharlo's journey reflects the feelings of many young people in the Tibet Autonomous Region today, and he hopes audiences will
be able to get a glimpse of their confusion and feelings of detachment through
his film.
"Generally speaking, I feel a sense of loss," Pema Tseden told the Global Times, commenting on the changes that are going on in Tibet.
"All five of my films have been about the realities of Tibet and its current situation. Traditional culture is currently being challenged... but my films are
not just about that, they are also about people. Those nobodies living in a
changing Tibet."
The Tibet depicted in his films looks nothing like what most people see in tourist films about the region since his works focus on what happens in people's
lives when modernization clashes with tradition.
No matter if it's customs or local languages, many traditions are disappearing. As a Tibetan who had the opportunity to live in other cities
around China, Pema Tseden feels his time outside the region allows him to see
the changes that are happening more clearly than those who have lived there
their entire lives.
The director confessed that his feelings toward these changes are complex. On one hand, not allowing the region to advance into a new century just to protect
tradition would be inhumane, but on the other hand, the land and its people are
sure to lose something during modernization.
A look into Hui culture
Besides Tibetan culture, the producer behind Tharlo, Wang Xuebo, is also focusing on another of China's ethnic cultures - the country's Muslim culture.
After producing Tharlo, Wang began preparations to adapt The Knife in the Clear Water, a well-known novel by Hui Chinese author Shi Shuqing, into a
feature-length film.
This time, however, instead of acting as producer, Wang will step into the role of director.
The novel recounts the story an old Muslim man in a remote rural village whose wife has passed away. As a memorial sacrifice he decides to kill a cow
that the couple had taken care of for more than a decade. During the cow's last
few days, the man feeds and treats it exceptionally well. However, one day the
cow sees the knife that will be used to kill it reflected in its drinking water
and quickly realizes its fate. Deciding that it wants to die with a purified
body, the cow refuses to eat or drink.
"As a Han Chinese, I found the story really shocking," Wang told the Global Times.
Reading the story for the first time while attending university, the young Wang decided to adapt it into a short film. Spending 10 months living in a poor
remote village in Xihaigu, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region as he made the film -
similar to Pema Tseden - he witnessed the changes going on in the village as
young people left to work in other areas and older villagers stayed behind.
Making a short film about the region's religious culture wasn't easy. The first challenge he faced was casting. Wang told the Global Times that in
religious regions such as Xihaigu, many conservative Muslims believe that The
Koran forbids them from performing.
Even though some locals agreed to act in the film, many came to regret the decision and refused to continue.
Despite the difficulties he faced making his short film, Wang decided to stick with making art house films.
"As a film student years ago, I started by watching Hollywood blockbusters, but soon discovered they were all the same. I would forget them as soon as I
finished watching. But all art house films are different, I still find myself
immersed in these films long after watching them," Wang said.
KHARTOUM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's army and the rebels have exchanged accusations of launching military attacks against each other despite a
signed peace deal proposed by mediators.
"A government convoy of gunboats and ferries had attacked the rebel-held towns of Tayar and Ganylel in Unity State," Riek Machar, leader of the major
rebel group in South Sudan, said in a statement late Thursday.
He condemned the government forces' behavior despite President Kiir's signing of a peace deal proposed by the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development in
Africa (IGAD) to end the violence in the new-born state.
"The government offensive against the SPLMSPLA is continuing despite Salva Kiir signing the agreement on resolution of the conflict in South Sudan," Machar
said.
However, South Sudan government has denied that its forces attacked rebel-held positions, accusing the rebels of attacking army posts.
"It was the rebels attacking the SPLA in Nhialdiu and the SPLA repulsed them. There are casualties but we don't have the details up to now," South Sudanese
local media on Friday quoted South Sudan army spokesman Philip Aguer.
He reiterated the army's commitment to the ceasefire stipulated in the peace deal, but stressed that the governmen
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