On June 21, a retrospective of the Tibetan director Pema Tseden kicked off in Beijing. The event was initiated and organized by the China Film Directors’ Guild and co-organized by the China Film Archive (China Film Art Research Center).
Among the many prominent guests who addressed the opening ceremony were Ms.Li Shaohong, President of the China Film Directors’ Guild, Ms.Sun Xianghui, Director of the China Film Archive (China Film Art Research Center), Mr.Liu Zhihai, Filmmaker and Professor at the Film School of China Academy of Art, Mr.Dukar Tserang, Tibetan Filmmaker and Sound Director, Mr.Jia Zhangke, Filmmaker and Vice President of the China Film Directors’ Guild. The ceremony, presided over by filmmaker and actor Da Peng, witnessed the gathering of numerous directors, industry insiders, film experts, scholars and critics.
Over the years, Pema Tseden had been an active player in cultural exchange activities at the China Film Directors’ Guild. To this end, he served as a member of the guild’s Fifth Executive Committee, a producer of the movie A Song for You and a mentor of young directors at the guild’s programs for aspiring filmmakers. “The retrospective will revisit the unfinished stories of Pema Tseden, which is set to inspire his fellow directors at the guild for even better movies to come,” said Li Shaohong who also hoped for the emergence of more Tibetan language movie-makers and more outstanding works from the region so as to carry forward the legacy of Pema Tseden. “We also look forward to seeing soon the two final films of the director, Snow Leopard and Stranger,” added Ms. Li.
Pema Tseden cooperated with the China Film Archive on multiple occasions. He was invited over as a guest for three times, first for the premiere of his movie Jinpa and the opening of the Tibetan New Wave masterclass during the 2019 Beijing International Film Festival, then for the Festival of Classic Taiwanese Films held in October of 2019, and finally for the advanced screening of Balloon in November 2020.
“The sudden passing of director Pema Tseden saddened the entire Chinese film industry. In addition to all his heart-moving Tibetan language films, he will be remembered for his long-time and unreserved support for young filmmakers and for boosting their movie careers,” expressed Ms.Sun Xianghui in her speech.
Liu Zhihai, a colleague of Pema Tseden at the China Academy of Art, shot his film Beyond the Skies with Pema Tseden as the producer. In his opening remarks, Mr.Liu remembered his former colleague as a knowledgeable, insightful and compassionate film educator whose untimely death remains a source of sorrow for faculties and students of the academy.
Dukar Tseran, the long-time sound director of movies by Pema Tseden, worked together with the latter for seventeen years. His own feature debut, A Song for You, was only completed with the support of the late director. Dukar observed that the decease of his mentor was a huge loss for the Chinese film industry.
Jia Zhangke met with Pema Tseden in 2004 and the two went on to collaborate on several film festivals and projects. According to Jia, it was from Pema Tseden that he began to know the life in Tibetan-speaking regions and the psyche of people living there. “To some extent, Pema Tseden opened up a whole new horizon geographically and aesthetically for the Chinese cinema,” he remarked.
The opening ceremony was followed by the screening of The Silent Holy Stones, Pema Tseden’s debut feature at the age of thirty six. In the post-screening question-and-answer session, the film’s producer Du Qingchun, art director Sonthar Gyal, sound engineer Li Zhe and composer Dukar Tseran took questions from the audience.
The three-day retrospective saw a total of ten screenings, including eight masterpieces directed by Pema Tseden such as The Silent Holy Stones, Soul Searching, Old Dog, The Sacred Arrow, Tharlo, Jinpa and Balloon as well as three movies produced by the late filmmaker, namely, A Song for You, Beyond the Skies and One and Four. On top of the screenings, seven question-and-answer sessions were held with the cast and crew in reminiscence of Pema Tseden.
As part of the retrospective, a seminar on the works of Pema Tseden was jointly organized by the China Film Directors’ Guild and the China Film Archive. Many friends, directors, film workers, experts and scholars spoke fondly of the deceased Tibetan filmmaker deeply missed by all.
（Translated by Luo Desai）