Khashyar | August 31, 2009

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Khashyar | July 28, 2009

China's Communist Party has attacked the "Dalai Lama Renaissance" Documentary Film

 

Chinese government reacts to successful theatrical premiere of Dalai Lama film and positive press in Taiwan

Los Angeles, CA (July 29, 2009) - The Chinese government often has the clout and muscle to prevent Hollywood films from being released in Asia, and can even discourage films from having an extended release in the West if they are perceived to threaten Chinese policy.

Films starring such big name stars as Richard Gere and Sharon Stone were boycotted by China after the actors expressed support for the Tibet Independence Movement. After Disney released Kundun, Martin Scorsese’s 1997 feature film about the Dalai Lama, the studio incurred the wrath of the Chinese government, and Disney films were banned for an indefinite period of time.

Recently, after a theatrical documentary film about the Dalai Lama and narrated by Harrison Ford entitled Dalai Lama Renaissance (www.DalaiLamaFilm.com) was released in theaters in Taiwan this summer and received front page positive press in the Chinese language Taiwanese newspapers, the Chinese government took keen notice.

The People’s Daily, a daily newspaper and media arm of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, quickly and sharply criticized Dalai Lama Renaissance in an article in its online edition.

The article, posted July 14th in the People’s Daily Online entitled “Western Movies Build Grand and Perfect Image of Dalai Lama,” argues that “in recent years, a wave of ‘Dalai Lama fever’ has appeared in the Western movie industry… describing the Chinese government’s peaceful liberation of Tibet as ‘cruel oppression,’ and depicting the Dalai Lama’s life in India as difficult… Some movies even advocate the Dalai Lama’s concept of [Tibetan] ‘independence.’”

Although the title of the article refers to “Movies,” the article exclusively focuses on Dalai Lama Renaissance. Referring to the film, which has been distributed in cinemas around the world, the article criticizes that “the part of the movie related to the peaceful liberation of Tibet was filled with political bias, reflecting the director’s ignorance and misunderstanding of Tibet’s history… The movie transforms the Dalai Lama into an omniscient sage, reflecting a ‘misunderstanding’ of the Dalai Lama’s image in the West… In fact, what these movies depict is just the ‘anesthesia’ given by the Dalai Lama to the West.”

The fact that the Chinese Communist Party’s main media organization has chosen to criticize the film may be a defensive reaction to the very positive press that Dalai Lama Renaissance received in the Chinese language media in Taiwan, where it premiered in front of sold-out audiences on June 1. And it may be an attempt to counteract any effect on readers in mainland China, who often have access to Chinese language news from Taiwan.

Taiwan’s best-selling weekly newspaper, E Weekly, gave the film a rating of 82, which is one of the highest ratings that a film has received in the past year in Taiwan. According to its Taiwanese theatrical distributor, Blockbuster of Taiwan (no relation to Blockbuster video in the United States), E Weekly regularly gives films far lower ratings. FTV, a television station in Taiwan, also reported that that the premiere of the film in Taiwan was very successful, with not an empty seat in the cinema, and that “many people were touched after watching the film.” The Taipei Times wrote that “the film rapidly grabs hold of you… an insightful documentary.”

Ironically, the Chinese Communist Party may feel most threatened by the idea brought up in the film regarding economic sanctions against China from the West. But despite this being a near unanimous suggestion by the Westerners in a scene in Dalai Lama Renaissance, the Dalai Lama discouraged the proposal.

The Taiwanese newspaper The Liberty Times points out that, in the film, “the Dalai Lama thinks that humanity is the most important thing in the world and economic sanctions might affect many Chinese citizens, thus he is hesitant whether such an approach is right.”

The People’s Daily also tries to discredit the producer-director of the film, Khashyar Darvich. In its article, the newspaper claims that the director is a “follower” of the Dalai Lama, and supports this assertion by referring to an interview where Darvich mentioned that he produced the film party for the opportunity to spend time with the exiled Tibetan leader.

“It’s interesting that the Chinese Communist Party refers to me as a follower of the Dalai Lama,” Darvich responded. “Although I respect the Dalai Lama as a man of peace, just as the Nobel Peace Prize Committee did by awarding him the Nobel Peace prize, and as do most governments around the world, I am not a Dalai Lama groupie. When I began the film, I was not very familiar with the Dalai Lama’s ideas. I think that his actions, and the respect that he garners around the world, speaks for itself.”

Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to discredit the film, Producer-Director Khashyar Darvich states that his production company, Wakan Films, has just signed an agreement to release Dalai Lama Renaissance unofficially into China itself, under the radar of the Chinese Government.

“My hope,” says Darvich, “is that the film will open a dialog between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama, and that the average Chinese citizen will be able to see that the Dalai Lama is not such a bad guy and is interested in a solution to the Tibet issue that serves the highest good and benefits both the Chinese and Tibetans. I would be happy to attend a screening of the film in China and conduct a Q&A with Chinese audiences as a way to contribute to positive dialog.”

For more information on Dalai Lama Renaissance, go to www.DalaiLamaFilm.com.

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Tags: Chinese, chinese audiences, Chinese Communist Party, chinese government, Dalai Lama, Dalai Lama Renaissance, documentary, documentary film, harrison ford, Khashyar Darvich, People's Daily, taipei times, taiwan, theatrical documentary, tibet issue, tibetans

Khashyar | February 9, 2009

 

 

NEW YORK, NY — ‘Dalai Lama Renaissance,’ the feature documentary about the Dalai Lama narrated by Harrison Ford, premieres theatrically in New York City at the prestigious Rubin Museum of Art on February 21, 2009.

‘Dalai Lama Renaissance’ tells the story of 40 Western innovative thinkers who travel to India to meet with the Dalai Lama to solve the problem of world peace. What happened was surprising and unexpected, and was captured by a five-camera, 18-person crew.

The film features two of the starring quantum physicists from the hit theatrical documentary ‘What the Bleep Do We Know,’ Fred Alan Wolf and Amit Goswami. Also appearing in ‘Dalai Lama Renaissance’ are Michael Beckwith (who appears in ‘The Secret’ with Wolf), Air America radio host Thom Hartmann, and other prominent figures.

Screening dates and times for ‘Dalai Lama Renaissance’ at the Rubin Museum of Art are:
  * Sat., Feb. 21, at 4 and 6 p.m.
  * Sun., Feb. 22, at 4 and 6 p.m.
  * Sat., Feb. 28, at 4 and 6 p.m.
  * Sun., March 1, at 4 p.m.

Producer-Director Khashyar Darvich will attend the screenings on Feb. 21 and 22 to discuss the film with audiences.

This is the first film about the Dalai Lama and Tibet to open theatrically in the United States since the international spotlight placed on China for its firm handling of Tibetan protesters speaking out against Chinese policies in Tibet.

“I narrated ‘Dalai Lama Renaissance,’” says Harrison Ford, “because I believe His Holiness is making a positive influence in our world.  For me, the film represented an opportunity to continue assisting the optimistic efforts of an extraordinary individual.”

John Griffin of the Montreal Gazette calls ‘Dalai Lama Renaissance’ “a provocative, even enlightening film… fascinating, ravishingly beautiful and sonically soothing.”  Film Threat Magazine’s Rick Kisonak said ‘Dalai Lama Renaissance’ is a “comedy sensation,” adding, “I can’t remember the last time a movie made me laugh so hard.”

‘Dalai Lama Renaissance’ is among the top-grossing theatrical documentaries of 2008-2009.  This important film on human rights and world peace has screened in more than 80 cities around the U.S. and is the official selection of 40 film festivals around the world where it earned 12 awards.  The film has attracted record audiences at film festivals and theaters around the U.S. and around the world. The film’s official webite is www.DalaiLamaFilm.com.

Media interviews are available.
ABOUT THE RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART
The Rubin Museum of Art, home to a comprehensive collection of art from the Himalayas and surrounding regions, regularly hosts events featuring luminaries such as Martin Scorsese, Lou Reed, Gloria Steinem, Laurie Anderson, Roseanne Cash and Elvis Costello.  For details, visit www.rmanyc.org.

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Khashyar | January 1, 2009

Obama Encourages President to Urge Tibet Resolution

Friday, March 28, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today sent the following letter to President Bush, calling on him to employ every diplomatic tool to persuade Chinese President Hu Jintao to make significant progress in resolving the Tibet issue. Given the recent events in Tibet and the upcoming Beijing Olympics, Obama asks President Bush to encourage the Chinese government to negotiate with the Dalai Lama, guarantee religious freedoms for the Tibetan people, protect Tibetan culture and language, and support the exercise of genuine autonomy for Tibet. Obama also supports Bush’s insistence that foreign press and diplomatic personnel have free access to Lhasa and other Tibetan cities and villages to ensure that repression and human rights violations cannot escape the world’s notice.

The text of the letter is below:

Dear Mr. President:

The situation in Tibet is deeply disturbing, and requires that all of us, regardless of party, do what we can to try to influence it for the better. I understand that you discussed the subject on Wednesday with President Hu Jintao. The United States has many issues for which China’s cooperation is important, including denuclearization of North Korea, ending Iran’s nuclear program, stopping the genocide in Darfur, confronting repression in Burma, and combating global warming. However, it is important that we give high priority to the plight of Tibetans and make clear to President Hu that the way in which China treats all Chinese citizens, including Tibetans, profoundly affects how China is viewed in the United States and throughout the international community.

Resolution of differences between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama is the key to progress in Tibet. The Dalai Lama, as you have said, is “a good man.” He is revered by virtually all Tibetans, and his absence from his homeland creates an incurable wound in the heart of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibet’s unique cultural and religious heritage cannot be preserved if he is demonized and kept at arm’s length. He has accepted Beijing’s precondition for a solution, namely recognition that Tibet is part of China, and has clearly stated that he is seeking religious, cultural and linguistic protection and autonomy for the Tibetan people, not independence. More recently, he indicated his belief that despite recent events, the Chinese people deserve to host the Olympics this summer.

I hope you made clear to President Hu the American view about the importance of the following: a negotiation with the Dalai Lama about his return to Tibet; guarantees of religious freedom for the Tibetan people; protection of Tibetan culture and language; and the exercise of genuine autonomy for Tibet. That is the path to the stability and harmony that the Chinese leaders say they are seeking in Tibet.

In addition to your personal intervention with President Hu, there are other steps I hope you will take to highlight our concern. I support your call for the foreign press and diplomatic personnel to have free access to Lhasa and other Tibetan cities and villages to ensure that repression and human rights violations cannot escape the world’s notice. Beijing has committed to the International Olympic Committee to allow foreign journalists free access to cover stories throughout China, including Tibet. We should hold them to that commitment. The U.S. and our democratic allies and friends should also urge the UN Human Rights Council to send an investigatory team to Tibet. China should be encouraged to allow the International Committee for the Red Cross to visit prisons in Tibet to ensure that detainees are not held under inhumane conditions, tortured, or mistreated.

Like you, I want to take steps that increase the chance of a negotiated solution between Beijing and the Dalai Lama, and that have the best chance of improving the lives of ordinary Tibetans. Therefore, I support your effort to aggressively use your relationship with President Hu to achieve these goals. Should it appear, however, that the Chinese are taking private diplomacy as a license for inaction or continued repression, I would urge you to speak out forcefully and publicly to disabuse them of the notion that they can thus escape international censure.

Despite the high emotions of the present time, I hope you can persuade the Chinese leadership that in this the year of the Beijing Olympics they have a unique opportunity to make dramatic progress in resolving the Tibet issue. Chinese leaders have it within their power to achieve that worthy goal if they take steps to change the situation in Tibet for the better and by reaching an accommodation with the Dalai Lama. Progress in Tibet would profoundly affect the world’s perception of China as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in August.

Sincerely,

 

Barack Obama

United States Senator

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Khashyar | January 1, 2009

by Khashyar Darvich
www.DalaiLamaFilm.com

LOS ANGELES-In an attempt to punish criticism of its policies and of its government, the People’s Republic of China maintains a blacklist, a list of individuals who are not permitted to enter China and/or Tibet.

It is widely reported, for example, that actor Richard Gere is banned from entering China because of his support for the Tibetan independence movement and the Dalai Lama.

Also, after Harrison Ford spoke before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in support of Tibet, the Chinese government banned Ford from visiting Tibet.

Actress Sharon Stone’s films are banned in China after she made a comment that perhaps the large Earthquake in China that occurred in China in May of 2008 was a result of karma because of the occupation of Tibet by China:

“I’m not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans, because I don’t think anyone should be unkind to anyone else,” Stone said in a brief red carpet interview with Cable Entertainment News of Hong Kong. “And then all this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you’re not nice that the bad things happen to you?”

Actor Brad Pitt was reported to be banned from entering the Chinese mainland for life after starring in the film “Seven Years in Tibet,” which presents a sympathetic portrait of the Dalai Lama.

Film Director Martin Scorcese is banned from entering Tibet after he directed the feature film “Kundun,” which is about the early life of the Dalai Lama and the brutal Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950.

Documentary filmmakers like “Dalai Lama Renaissance” producer-director Khashyar Darvich, who have made films that portray the Dalai Lama in a positive light, and that present a view of the Chinese invasion of Tibet that the Chinese government does not agree with, are also probably banned from entering Tibet.

Khashyar Darvich
www.DalaiLamaFilm.com

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Khashyar | December 29, 2008

Congratulatory letter from the Dalai Lama to Barack Obama on his election as US President, November 5, 2008

 

Dear President-elect Obama,

Congratulations on your election as the President of the United States of America.

I am encouraged that the American people have chosen a President who reflects America’s diversity and her fundamental ideal that any person can rise up to the highest office in the land.  This is a proud moment for America and one that will be celebrated by many peoples around the world.

The American Presidential elections are always a great source of encouragement to people throughout the world who believe in democracy, freedom and equality of opportunities.

May I also commend the determination and moral courage that you have demonstrated throughout the long campaign, as well as the kind heart and steady hand that you often showed when challenged.  I recall our own telephone conversation this spring and these same essential qualities came through in your concern for the situation in Tibet.

As the President of the United States, you will certainly have great and difficult tasks before you, but also many opportunities to create change in the lives of those millions who continue to struggle for basic human needs.  You must also remember and work for these people, wherever they may be.

With my prayers and good wishes,

Yours sincerely,

THE DALAI LAMA

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Khashyar | December 28, 2008

Photo of President Barack Obama (then, Senator Obama) with the Dalai Lama at a 2005 Senate Foreign Relations Committee event.

 

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Khashyar | December 28, 2008

 Statement of Senator Barack Obama on the situation in Tibet

Chicago, IL, March 14, 2008– “I am deeply disturbed by reports of a crackdown and arrests ordered by Chinese authorities in the wake of peaceful protests by Tibetan Buddhist monks. I condemn the use of violence to put down peaceful protests, and call on the Chinese government to respect the basic human rights of the people of Tibet, and to account for the whereabouts of detained Buddhist monks.

These events come on the 49th anniversary of the exile of the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama. They demonstrate the continuing frustration of the Tibetan people at the way in which Beijing has ruled Tibet. There has been an informal dialogue between Chinese leaders and the Dalai Lama’s representatives over the past six years. It is good that they have been talking, but China has thus far shown no flexibility on the substance of those discussions. Indeed, it has delayed in scheduling the latest round, despite the willingness of the Tibetans to continue dialogue.

If Tibetans are to live in harmony with the rest of China’s people, their religion and culture must be respected and protected. Tibet should enjoy genuine and meaningful autonomy. The Dalai Lama should be invited to visit China, as part of a process leading to his return.

This is the year of the Beijing Olympics. It represents an opportunity for China to show the world what it has accomplished in the last several decades. Those accomplishments have been extraordinary and China’s people have a right to be proud of them, but the events in Tibet these last few days unfortunately show a different face of China. Now is the time for Beijing to take steps that would change the image people have of China later this year by changing the reality of how they treat Tibet and Tibetans. Now is the time to respect the human rights and religious freedom of the people of Tibet.”

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Khashyar | December 28, 2008

Barack Obama Statement Honoring the Awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama

 

Washington, D.C., October 17, 2007 – “His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled leader, stands among the great moral figures of our time. His mission is reflected by personal example – a life led in humility, moral courage and the belief in the redemptive power of human compassion.

Today we celebrate the Dalai Lama, not only as the spiritual rock for the Tibetan people, but also for his tireless advocacy for religious harmony, non-violence and human rights throughout the world.

I am proud and honored to join my colleagues and all Americans in paying tribute to the Dalai Lama. By bestowing on him the Congressional Gold Medal, we send a clear message of our commitment and support for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Tibet issue through dialogue with the Chinese leadership.

The people of Tibet have a distinct and rich culture, and the Dalai Lama occupies a special place in their Buddhist beliefs and practices. The Dalai Lama has been consistent in his message that he does not seek independence for Tibet, that he supports the integrity and unity of the People’s Republic of China, and that he aims for a solution based on Tibetan autonomy within China.

I am pleased that China has been willing to enter into discussions about Tibet’s future, including inviting the representatives of the Dalai Lama to China for a sixth round of talks earlier this summer.

But it is now time for the Chinese leadership to engage in a dialogue with the Dalai Lama directly, allow him to return to Tibet, and work with him to assure the identity and cultural integrity of Tibet and to address the legitimate needs of the Tibetan people.

Taking such steps will build the basis for long-term stability in this strategic part of that country.”

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Khashyar | December 28, 2008

 

 

 

Here is a letter that then Democratic candidate Barak Obama wrote to the Dalai Lama on July 24, 2008, explaining why he was not able to meet him in person during the Dalai Lama’s visit to Aspen, Colorado.

Here is the text of the letter:

*****

July 24, 2008

 

Your Holiness,

I regret that our respective travel schedules will prevent us from meeting during your visit to the United States this month, but I wanted to take the opportunity to reassure you of my highest respect and support for you, your mission and your people at this critical time. I hope that this letter and your meeting with Senator McCain will make clear that American attention to and backing for the people of Tibet is widespread and transcends the divisions of our political contest in this important election year.

I was heartened to read of the continuing dialogue between your representatives and the government of the People’s Republic of China. Although progress is likely to be slow, and the travails of the people of Tibet will continue, I am hopeful that the process of dialogue and negotiation will bring positive results if both sides demonstrate good intentions and mutual respect. I remain optimistic that this process will continue beyond the Beijing Olympics, and pledge that I will continue to support it. The right to practice their religious beliefs without punishment or obstruction is one that should be accorded the people of Tibet, and I will continue to encourage the Chinese government to put aside its suspicions and act in accordance with its own constitution.

I will continue to support you and the rights of Tibetans. People of all faiths can admire what you are doing and what you stand for, and I look forward to meeting you at another time.

With great respect,

Barack Obama

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