Old Dog (Screening)

Seattle International Film Festival
PEMA Tseden / WANMA Caidan. China, 2011. Narrative, 88 minutes.
Tibetan w/ English subtitles.

Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden fills his extraordinary third film with emotional allegory, conjured by the sights and sounds of rural China. Old Dog opens as middle-aged Gonpo slowly arrives in town on a scooter with his faithful Tibetan mastiff trotting alongside. During his visit, he sells the dog to a Chinese trader who specializes in procuring mastiffs for wealthy landowners as status symbols. Gonpo’s father, Akhu, is disturbed by his son’s lack of regard for their dog and purchases the animal back, initiating the simple story line, which revolves largely around the dog’s destiny and the familial dynamics between Gonpo and Akhu. Tseden’s film is rich with commentary on the evolving conflict within Tibetan culture, most clearly seen through Akhu’s struggle to respect his dog and perhaps his own rural existence; a way of life that is quickly giving way to a faster-paced mainland culture that his son more easily welcomes. Old Dog’s highly observant narrative reveals artistic insight into the current challenges facing Tibetans, gently moving toward a final tragic sequence that epitomizes Akhu’s conflicted view of his culture’s future.

Director Pema Tseden scheduled to attend May 18 and May 19 screenings

Director Biography
Pema Tseden (Wan Ma Cai Dan), born in 1969, graduated from the Northwest University for Nationalities, Beijing Film Academy, and Lu Xun College respectively. Chairman of the Directors Association of China, he is a member of the Filmmakers and Literary Societies of China. Since 1991, he has published more than forty novels and short fiction works in both Tibetan and Chinese languages.