It is just over half a century since the fall of  Tibet into Chinese hands and the escape of the Dalai Lama to see refuge in India and Tibetans feel they are no closer to the end of their period of painful exile and stand at a crossroads in the search for justice.

Bringing home the intensity that still burns within the Tibetan people is the powerful documentary by the husband and wife Directors Tenzing Sonam and Ritu Sarin , ‘The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle For Freedom’, which gives viewers extraordinary access to all sides of the debate amongst the Tibetan community. The film which has won awards on the festival circuit all over the world, including the Best Documentary in this year’s Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles. It was  also voted the audience favorite at the Festival in Palm Springs in January, at which venue, the Chinese Government withdrew its two entries in protest of the screening of the Tibetan documentary. The movie played at the Laemmle Theaters in Santa Monica.

Ritu Sarin  was born in 1959 in New Delhi. After graduating from Delhi University, she did her MFA in film and video at the California College of the Arts in Oakland. Tenzing Sonam  was born in 1959 in Darjeeling and studied broadcast journalism at the University of California, Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. They  been working together since 1983, when they embarked on their first film, ‘The New Puritans: The Sikhs of Yuba City’. They lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and then in London for many years before moving back to India in 1996. They currently work out of Dharamsala and New Delhi through their company, White Crane Films.

Q. What is it that makes the Freedom of Tibet so precious to you?
Tenzing: I was born in India to Tibetan refugee parents. We were brought up in exile to believe that we would one day return to Tibet and that our responsibility was to fight for Tibet’s freedom. So this is something that is really a part of my life.

Q. You have already done so many movies on the subject - apart from the obvious sympathy that you have generated for the Tibetans have there been any practical reactions in which people are doing something about it?
Ritu: That is hard to say. We hope that our films have some practical impact on the viewers but it is difficult to gauge exactly how they respond. Generally, we have had very positive reaction from our audiences. Our hope is that this translates into some action on their part like finding out more about the Tibet situation, joining groups and making their voices heard in support of the cause.

Q. What was the inspiration behind making “ Sun Behind the Clouds?”
Ritu: We thought of making the film in 2007. The 50th anniversary of the fall of Tibet and the escape of the Dalai Lama into exile was coming up in March 2009 and we felt this was an important landmark to take a hard look at where the Tibet situation was and where it was heading.

Q. Recently at the meeting that the Indian President had with the Chinese premier she made a statement that the Indian Govt accepts Tibet to be a part of China - what is your reaction to this?
Tenzing: This is not surprising. The official Indian position for some years has been that Tibet is a part of China. We have to see India’s position within the context of its very sensitive relations with China. At the same time, too much surrender on the part of India will be taken as a sign of weakness by China so India has to be very careful about how much it gives up. The Tibet card is an important one for India to hang on to.

Q. Did the Dalai Lama have something to say about this statement?
Tenzing: The Dalai Lama publicly always supports India’s right to decide its foreign policy. At the same time, he knows that without the Indian government’s tacit support and approval, it would not be possible to have a Tibetan government-in-exile.

Q. Did you have any obstacles in shooting the documentary - or was there any attempt by the Indian or Chinese Govt to stop it being produced?
Ritu: No, we had no problems during the production in terms of Chinese attempts to stop us. However, it is true that China put intense pressure on the Palm Springs International Film Festival to withdraw our film in January this year and when the festival refused, withdrew two Chinese films in protest. So, there is an effort by China to stop films that present a view that is counter to its official version of events.

Q. How can our readers help in the cause?
Ritu: Indians should understand that before 1950, India and China had never shared a common border. For thousands of years, Tibet had been a buffer state between these two great civilisations. But since 1950 when China invaded and occupied Tibet, India has had a major problem along its northern border to this day. It is also important for Indians to realise that Buddhism spread to Tibet from India and Tibetans have kept alive the Nalanda tradition of Buddhism that disappeared in India. Tibet and India share many things in common. We hope that readers of India Journal will find out more about the trues situation in Tibet and lend their support to the cause.

Q: What are your opinions of the Dalai Lama’s approach?
Tenzing: Despite the Dalai Lama’s best intentions, his Middle Way Approach has failed because he is dealing with a totalitarian government in China that has no intention of negotiating with him. It is clear now that China prefers to wait for him to pass away. In this context it is important not to forget that the root cause of the current Tibet problem is the fact that an independent nation was forcibly occupied. In this sense, it may be important to return to the goal of independence to keep the movement alive in the long term when the Dalai Lama is no longer there to keep the Tibetans united.

Q. We see that the younger generation does not agree with him and wants absolute freedom instead of just autonomy - is this the feeling of the generation living outside Tibet or also within Tibet?
Ritu: This feeling may be more prevalent outside Tibet than within Tibet mainly because Tibetans in Tibet have lived under Chinese rule for 50 years and have had no access to the truth of their history. Since the uprising of 2008, however, this has been changing, and more and more Tibetans inside Tibet are now calling for independence.

Q. What is your next project?
Ritu: We hope to make a dramatic feature film.

Q. In your opinion is there a silver lining at all ?
Tenzing: Despite the situation looking so bleak, we Tibetans do believe that there is hope! We have to, we don’t have a choice. China may appear very powerful today, but it is an empire that will not last forever. Already, there are signs of internal unrest and conflict. When China makes the transformation to a more humane and democratic society - as it must - we Tibetans will have a chance to reclaim our land.