Leaving Fear Behind

"Outsiders may think that Tibetans are well treated and happy, but the truth is that we are not allowed to talk about our suffering", says an interviewee in the short documentary Leaving Fear Behind.

In this short Tibetans speak out about Chinese oppression, their love for the Dalai Lama in exile and the Olympic Games in Beijing. "It is very difficult for Tibetans to travel to Beijing and makes their voices heard there", says amateur filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen. "That’s why we decided to allow Tibetans to express their true feelings in this film." Directors Dhondup Wangchen and Golog Jigme had to pay a high price for making the film: they were arrested shortly after completing the documentary, and numerous screenings were disturbed by the Chinese authorities in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics.