In 2000, something remarkable happened at Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) in Dharamshala. Over 800 students from the school participated in an international project called Big Treasure Chest for Future Kids where children from 12 countries contributed messages in treasure chests that would be locked and opened only 50 years later.
Overseen by filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam – co-founders of DIFF – the children filled a specially commissioned Tibetan chest with messages, drawings and objects for children of the future. His Holiness the Dalai Lama sealed the chest, which will remain locked until 2050. Ritu and Tenzing also made a film to document this event. Since then, the chest – a time capsule – has been waiting patiently in a special room at TCV.
At a special event during DIFF 2025 to mark 25 years since the sealing of the chest, we are showcasing a restored version of the Big Treasure Chest film at TCV. Join us as we reach the halfway point of this journey and honour the dreams that were sealed away a quarter-century ago.
