Tibetan Family Tea Ceremony
Tibetan family tea ceremony and Tibetan buddies at a cafe in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India. 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 …