The Search

Part of the Soul-Searching in Tibet: Films by Pema Tseden (Wanma Caidan) series

Pema Tseden (Wanma Caidan in Chinese). 2009. 112 min. HDCAM.

Part of the Soul-Searching in Tibet: Films by Pema Tseden (Wanma Caidan) series

A Tibetan film director travels from village to village looking for actors to star in a film based on the Tibetan opera Prince Drimé Kundun, a quintessentially Buddhist legend about compassion and self-sacrifice. Traveling by car, the director holds auditions in the unlikely but all-pervasive contexts of contemporary Tibetan life—in building sites, streets, bars, night clubs, and monasteries. Exercising formalistic restraint with a contemplative pace and unique camera placement, Pema Tseden has made a road movie that takes the viewer straight into the heart of a changing Tibet, raising penetrating questions about what identity means in the modern world.

The Search is the first-ever film in Tibet to be shot entirely with a Tibetan crew in the Tibetan language, with production support from renowned Chinese 5th Generation filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhuang.

Followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker.

"An offbeat cultural album of Tibetan people as well as a cinematic pilgrimage to understand their lifestyles and religious heritage." -Maggie Lee, The Hollywood Reporter

"The Search is literally a journey through new Tibet."—Louisa Lim, All Things Considered, NPR

"[The] most exciting and unexpected ... discovery of an important new film."-Chris Berry, Senses of Cinema Toronto International Film Festival

Bangkok International Film Festival—Special Jury Prize
Shanghai International Film Festival—Jury Grand Prix
Locarno Film Festival

Co-presented with Columbia University—Modern Tibetan Studies, Trace Foundation, Maysles Institute, and Kham Film Project. Support for this program is provided, in part, by The Henry Luce Foundation, The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, and Center on U.S.-China Relations.

NOTE: Registered tickets can be picked up starting at 1:00 pm on the day of event. Tickets not picked up by 3:20 pm will be forfeited.