Adam Ferguson
Shenpenn Khymsar
High in the Himalayas, just south of the Tibetan border, is the city of Darjeeling, India—home to a large Tibetan refugee population, including filmmaker/musician/composer Shenpenn Khymsar. Khymsar recently made his first-ever visit to Santa Fe for the showing of his new film, Four Rivers Six Ranges, on Friday evening at Sky Cinemas, as a part of the Santa Fe International Film Festival. The film, with screenings Sunday evening (6 pm, Oct. 19th. Sky Cinemas, 1606 Alcaldesa St.) and Monday and Tuesday at in Albuquerque (5:30 pm, Oct. 20 and Oct. 21. Guild Cinema, 3405 Central Ave. NE), tells the true story of the Chinese invasion of Tibet, while following a group of warriors who rose up to defend their nation’s freedom. We were lucky enough to run into him at the screening to gain a little insight on the film and Khymsar’s journey to becoming a filmmaker. This interview has been edited for clarity and concision. (Adam Ferguson)
How does it feel to be showing this film about the hardships of your homeland in the Santa Fe International Film Festival?
As the filmmaker, I'm very humbled. It’s also a special screening as two of the actors from the film, Palden Digkhang and Lobsang Tenzin Meindrukbhuk, are residents of Santa Fe. It is utterly important for us to tell our stories, especially in today's day and age, when there's so much going on all over the world, politically, the wars and all kinds of stuff. Tibet happens to be one of those issues that have kind of been sidelined or ignored, mainly because there's been nothing to sensationalize. We don't have suicide bombers, and we're not fighting back. If there is any black and white cause in the world, it is Tibet in China. And so it is through arts and film that we can tell our story and take control of our own narrative and counter the Chinese propaganda oriented narrative. As a storyteller, as a filmmaker, as a Tibetan, as a human rights activist, I've put my blood, sweat and tears into making this film. So to be able to show this film anywhere in the world is a privilege and it's my spiritual and moral responsibility.
How long have you been making films and when did you realize you wanted to be a filmmaker?
Full time, since 2008. I started much later because in our culture, we didn't really have a cinema culture. We don't have people supporting cinema, or just the arts in general. And then as refugees in exile, it's always been a little tough, and I always wanted to make films since I was a little kid. I always wanted to be a part of cinema, but it was never something that one pursued in our community. There was no point of references, nobody encouraged it. And if I said, I want to be a filmmaker, people would think I'm crazy. Because as immigrants, as refugees and as people who've lost their country, getting a job and securing a stable income was much more imperative than arts. For the conventional mind, it's still perceived as just fun and a way to pass the time. They don't understand the gravity and the potential of art. So, it took a long time, but in 2008 I made a decision to quit everything and just go full-time at it. We only have one life to live.
What was the process like and what were some of the challenges in making Four Rivers Six Ranges?
It was a 10-year research project and three years in the making. We filmed at the border of Nepal and Tibet, which is China now, in a place called Mustang, Nepal. Getting permission to shoot the film in Nepal was very tough because you're not allowed to shoot anything that is related to Tibet, anything that is anti-China and anything that has to do with the Dalai Lama is an absolute no-no. I had to figure this out as a covert operation, so I wrote a fake script, which was called Himalayan Robin Hood and I presented that to the Nepal government and the film board, and the Home Ministry to get the permission and they still had police to come check on us daily. It was a big undertaking but the interesting thing is, now we have a documentary coming out later, and it's called the Himalayan Robin Hood: The Making of Four Rivers Six Ranges. This was almost an impossible film to be made. I shot the film about 15,000 feet high in the Himalayas at the border of China, with first-time actors, with a very tight budget and it's the first Tibetan action war movie. Lastly, people should care about what's happening in Tibet, and they should understand the politics of why Tibet is very important for the rest of the world.
