We're No Monks Part 1

Directed by Pema Dhondup. Produced by Rupin Dang & Pema Dhondup

Wilderness Films India Ltd. in association with Clear Mirror Pictures is proud to present the first ever Indo-Tibetan feature film "We're No Monks".

Shot on location around McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, and Tibetan camp Delhi, it is a story about the dreams, aspirations and desires of four friends who under social, political and economic frustrations plot to become terrorists.

Clear mirror is spoken "me-long" in Tibetan. It is an ancient symbol of power and equanimity and is said to have properties of projecting the identified facts of any object unfiltered. Our first narrative feature film, We're No Monks (working title The Four Harmonious Friends), is one such story told with that conviction.

Dreams seldom come true, but when they do, it is nothing short of a miracle for the dreamer. This project is one such miracle for me. My co-producer, Rupin Dang's commitment along with the dedication of his team at Wilderness Films plus the passionate crew and cast that I got together have only made it possible for us Tibetans to realize this dream; the first ever film about exiled Tibetans!

I was clear that this film, despite being fictional, had to be as real as life in Dharamshala itself. As such, I used a mix of fiction filmmaking and uncontrolled documentary processes using improvisations and real crowds including in one scene, The Dalai Lama's convoy!

So, if the Tibetans shed their non-violent path of freedom struggle and pick up arms, it will be a loss for humanity first.

McLeod Ganj, also known as little Lhasa in India, is a few kilometers above Dharamshala. Tucked away in the foothills of the Himalaya in Northern India, it is a hub of Tibetan activities. Amid the cluster of Tibetan exiled government offices, institutions and organizations, ordinary refugees live with hopes of returning to Tibet someday. However, a generation has changed and so have dreams, desires and aspirations of the people, especially the younger ones. This story is about them.

Four friends find solace in a small cafe away from McLeod Ganj where they are not pressured by family and societal expectations. It is a perfect little place for unemployed and rejected youth to share and vent their emotions. Run and owned by a local Indian, town people however look at Shiva cafe in contempt. They think it is a hovel for drug addicts and the source of all illegal happenings in Dharamshala.

Damdul, a mute orphan, lives a contented life. Obscure but observant, Damdul's mind is difficult to read. Tenzin, an unemployed youth, wants to go to America where he thinks lie solutions for all his problems. But his father, a Tibetan government employee, expects his son to follow his foot-steps. A conflict of priorities separates them...

Tsering is a carefree man, his life's choices having separated him from his wife. But now he is being separated from his little daughter as well, by his ex-father-in-law, and Tsering will do anything to stop him. Pasang, a new arrival from Tibet, has a past filled with pain and hatred. A cousin has also made it into exile, and has brought him news of far greater loss than he had expected. A writer by hobby, Pasang authors plays to express his views on the Tibetan freedom struggle. He has written a play for the up-coming drama competition and is acting in it too. He is secretive about its contents, calling it 'sensitive'.

All is not always well for these young men, in their small world. A theft in town changes everything...

Suspected and alienated, the four friends still help each other out, when in trouble. They organize a party to raise funds for Pasang's sister who just arrived from Tibet and needs immediate medication. However, after the party and some drunken pranks, and the excessive bullying by a manipulative police officer, Tenzin gets pushed to a violent mission for Tibet's freedom.

A chilling twist to the story shows that personal objectives not only govern us in life, but also in death!

It was a result of Gulshan's love for the Tibetan people that he took up this project without any compensation.

This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM 1080i High Definition, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at wfi @ vsnl.com and [email protected].