About The Filmmakers | Filmography

RITU SARIN & TENZING SONAM
Directors, White Crane Films, London/New Delhi

Ritu Sarin

1959 Born, New Delhi, India
1978 BA (Hons) Economics, Miranda House, Delhi University
1983-87 MFA (Film & Video), California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland

Tenzing Sonam

1959 Born, Darjeeling, India
1978 BA (Hons) Economics, St Stephens College, Deli University
1986 MJ (Documentaries), Graduate School of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley

Joint Filmography (Producer/Director)

2002 Poison Charm, a Tibetan feature film (work-in-progress)

2000 rights...& wrongs, Digital Beta, 5 minutes
A White Crane Films Production for the Tibet Museum, Dharamsala

1999 Big Treasure Chest for Future Children - Tibet, Beta SP, 26 min. (a part of a 12-nation television series)
A White Crane Films Co- Production with Faust Film + Projekt Munchen-Berlin

Broadcasts: Bayerische Rundfunk (Germany), 1999
Film Festivals: 2000 Prix Jeunesse, Munich (Germany) First Prize, Children's Jury

1998 The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet, Beta SP, 50 min.
A White Crane Films Production for BBC, "Everyman"

Broadcasts: BBC - "Everyman", 15th November 1998; on DRS Switzerland, 8th March 1999; on WDR Germany, 15th June 1999; on 15th August on SAB South Africa; to be broadcast on Iberian Program Services Spain; Stream SPA Italy
Film Festivals: 1999 Mountainfilm, Telluride (USA), Best Historical Film Award; 1999 Mill Valley Film Festival, California; 2000 International Asian American Film Festival, San Francisco

1997 A Stranger In My Native Land, Hi8/Beta SP, 32 min.

Film Festivals: 1997 Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival, New York; 1999 Film South Asia, Kathmandu, Nepal

1997 Fish Tales, Beta SP, 33 min.
A White Crane Films Production for The Foundation for Universal Responsibility and Spic-Macay, India

Broadcasts: the Star TV Network, 1998 and on Doordarshan TV, India, 1999
Film Festivals: 1999 New Delhi Video Festival, First Prize; 1999 27th Festival der Nationen, Ebensee, Austria

1994 The Trials of Telo Rinpoche, 16mm, 50 min.
A White Crane Films Production for BBC, "Everyman",

Broadcasts: BBC- "Everyman" (UK), 20 March 1994; ABC (Australia) 1995; Vision (Canada); Faith & Values (USA); People & Arts (Latin America)
Film Festivals: 1995 Margaret Mead Film Festival, New York, 1995; 2000 Association for Asian Studies Conference, San Diego

1992 Tibet, Video, 15 min.
A White Crane Films Production for the Royal Academy of Arts as part of an exhibition, "Wisdom & Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet", London, 18 September to 13 December 1992

1991 The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche, 16mm, 62 min.

Broadcasts: NRK Norway; BBC UK; Canal + France; ABC Australia; TV2 Denmark; YLE Finland; SVT Sweden; Vision TV Canada; Fuji TV Japan; RAI Italy; BR Germany
Theatrical Release: 35mm cinema release in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and 16mm release in the USA
Film Festivals: 2000 Association for Asian Studies Conference, San Diego; 1992 Bombay International Film Festival for Documentary, Short & Animation Films; Cinema du Reel, Paris; Wellington/Auckland International Film Festivals; Galway Film Fleadh; Royal Anthropological Institute International Festival of Ethnographic Film, Manchester; Margaret Mead Film Festival, New York; 37th Cork Film Festival; Amsterdam International Documentary Festival

1986 The New Puritans: The Sikhs of Yuba City, Video, 27 min.

Broadcasts: PBS (USA), 1988; Learning Channel (USA) 1989
Film Festivals: 1994 Whitney Museum, New York "From India to America: New Directions in Indian American Film and Video"; 1986 Chicago International Film & Video Festival; 1986 Hawaii International Film & Video Festival; 1986 Asian- American Film Festival, New York; 1986 National Educational Film & Video Festival, Oakland (First Place, Student Category); 1985 Dore Schary Awards, New York (First Place)

1984 Mark Pauline: Mysteries of a Mechanical Mind, (Tenzing Sonam, Co-director), Video, 30 min.

Film Festivals: 1984 Toronto Video/New Media Competition (Special Jury Award); 1985 National Student Emmy Awards, Los Angeles (Third Place); 1985 American Film Institute/ Sony Northwestern Regional Student Video Competition, Los Angeles (First Place)