Sacred Tibet - The Path to Mount Kailash (Widescreen Edition)
Sacred Tibet - The Path To Mount Kailash follows Paul Horn and Lama Tenzin's pilgrimage into Tibet, ending at the holy Mount Kailash.  Kris Kristofferson narrates and the late Gardner McKay co-scripted this story of a journey to "the Roof of the World" by world-renowned flutist Paul Horn and Maui's own Lama Tenzin. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is also featured in this award-winning documentary, filmed on two harrowing visits to Chinese-occupied Tibet.  The first occasion was inspired by Lama Tenzin's wish to return to the homeland he had fled as a 22-year-old Buddhist monk. Tibet has changed dramatically since the Chinese invasion of 1949, and not for the better: an estimated 1.2 million Tibetans have died and all but 13 of the country's 6,000 monasteries have been destroyed. Yet Lama Tenzin had reason to risk a return: to find his family he had not seen in more than 40 years.  "As we entered Tibet . . . we were very conscious of the danger," recounts Paul Horn. "Refugees advised Lama Tenzin to wear western clothes and not to speak Tibetan in public. We were not to mention our plans to film a documentary. Several weeks earlier, a Tibetan had been sentenced to 18 years in prison for videotaping local folk dancers."  Horn's own quest was to play his flute in the legendary Potala Palace, an architectural marvel built in the 1600's, and once the winter home of the Dalai Lamas.  Sacred Tibet chronicles the realization of these dreams, and after Lama Tenzin's death, follows the 71-year-old Horn on a second journey; a pilgrimage around Mt. Kailash, a holy place venerated by four religions and billions of people, yet visited by only a hardy few. Horn brings us along, amid peaks and passes 15,000 to 19,000 feet high, in honor of his friend. The program ends with His Holiness the Dali Lama commenting on Tibet and the current situation under Chinese rule. --Review by the Maui Film Festival Staff, December 1, 2006Vendetti has already met the Dalai Lama; in fact, he was recently on the receiving end of some of the Lama's good-natured ribbing in Dharamsala, India. filming him for the program (Sacred Tibet).I felt very blessed to meet the Dalai Lama, Vendetti said. But the anxiety level was high. I had two cameras, the main one and a smaller backup, and I was just thinking, I hope the technology works. I went to push record on the main camera, and it didn't go. I exclaimed, Technology! And the Dalai Lama said, I don't think it's technology; I think it's the person! and he went into gales of laughter. He was right; I hadn't pushed the correct button.The first half of the film, which traces the journey of Lama Tenzin and flutist Paul Horn across the border into Tibet. Lama Tenzin was going to visit his homeland and reunite with his family after 40 years, while Horn was fulfilling a deep desire to play his flute inside Potala Palace, winter home of the Dalai Lama. The film unwinds against the staggering scenery of the rooftop of the world, with Kris Kristofferson narrating the script written by Gardner McKay and Nancy Vendetti.The second half of the film takes place after Lama Tenzin's death, and follows the 2003 pilgrimage of Horn, then 71 years old, to release his friend's ashes on sacred Mount Kailash in West Tibet. The group, complete with yaks, trekked along the 32-mile Kora trail circling the base of the mystical mountain. Despite physical challenges, Horn completed the trek up to the 18,600-foot summit without oxygen. It was no easy task for any of the group, said Vendetti, who toted a camera up the rocky trail.Each half of the film was originally shown on PBS. This is taking both stories and combining them into a feature film, Vendetti said. The difference is that now I'm taking a political stance. Now that Lama Tenzin has passed away, I feel comfortable I'm not putting anyone in jeopardy by telling the real story. The film includes footage of the Dalai Lama commenting on Tibet's current state under Chinese rule.In making the original film, Vendetti and his crew did not have permission from the Chinese government. But they had just come out with this new video camera, that looked like a regular camera with a big lens. It was kind of fortunate, Vendetti said. I could just set it on the tripod and walk away, and they didn't know it was a video camera. There would've been no way to get permission. Just prior to their trip, a Tibetan was sentenced to 18 years in prison for recording a folk dancing performance. --Maui Weekly Review, December 2, 2006