Tashi and the Monk
Directors: Andrew Hinton & Johnny Burke
India | English, Hindi, Tibetan, Monpa
2014 | 39min | Colour
Subtitles: English
Indian Premiere
Friday, Nov 6 TIPA, 11:00 AM
In a remote community in the foothills of the Himalayas, a former monk struggles under the weight of his calling. Once a spiritual teacher in the U.S., Lobsang returned to India to create a community for orphaned and neglected children. Tashi – the newest arrival and youngest child with a troubled past and alcoholic father – acts out and challenges her elders every step of the way. But there is a spark in her that Lobsang sees clearly: a person inside the hurt, abandoned child with the potential to blossom and grow. His patience and compassion for Tashi comes from a deeper place than mere sympathy; he was a wild and troubled orphan himself. This portrait of Lobsang and his family of 84 children is a short and lovely reminder that while there is a lot of darkness in the world, there are also beautiful shining points of light.
Johnny Burke & Andrew Hinton
Johnny Burke is a London based producer, director, and film editor. After spending 10 years editing documentaries such as The Boys from Baghdad High (2007),winner of the Amnesty International Best Documentary Award, and The Yes Men Fix the World (2009), winner of the Berlin Audience Award for Best Documentary, he began to broaden his skill set by producing and directing his own films. The Suicide Bridge (2006) and The World Naked Bike Ride are among the films he has directed, along with producing the award-winning documentary Japan: A Story of Love and Hate (2008).
Andrew Hinton is a documentary filmmaker from London whose work showcases the strength of the human will in the face of adversity. His film Banking on Change (2010) won the BRITDOC/Co-operative Competition in 2011, and his next film Amar (2011) won the Vimeo Documentary Award in 2012. He has also worked with an NGO in India to make a film raising awareness about hygiene called In Your Hands (2011), which won a Youtube award and has had over 350,000 views. Andrew now lives in New York, spending 12 months as a Uniondocs Collaborative Fellow.
Credits
Directors: Andrew Hinton & Johnny Burke
Producer: Andrew Hinton
Cinematographer: Andrew Hinton
Editor: Johnny Burke
Sound: Dan Weinberg
Production Company: Pilgrim Films
Cast: Lobsang Phuntsok, Tashi Drolma
Festival Appearances & Awards
International Documentary Association 2014 – Best Short Award, Pare Lorentz Award
Telluride Mountainfilm 2014 – Indomitable Spirit Award, Moving Mountains Award
Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – Best Mountain Culture Film
Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival 2015- Best Mountain Culture Film
Documentary Edge Festival, New Zealand 2015 – Best International Short
Prescott Film Festival, USA 2015- Best Short Documentary
Festival Du Film Des Diablerets, Switzerland 2015 – Special Jury Award
