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A gripping story of determination in the face of disaster which puts a human face on the political strife that fractures both China and Tibet.
Part of our The Lives of Others Season, bringing you tales from the four corners of the earth.
“This story breaks all the rules and upends popular perceptions of Tibetans and journalists alike. Deeply moving, ethically challenging and utterly compelling.” – Jonathan Watts, The Guardian
Zanta, a farmer’s widow in Tibet defies her father-in-law by refusing to marry his other son, suffering great prejudice and exclusion. Fleeing the village and her family, Zanta crosses the border into China, ending up in the slums of Beijing, working as a street vendor. Destitute and exhausted by the constant battle against anti-Tibetan sentiment, she tries to give her son to a customer—an American journalist.
On a holiday trip back to Zanta’s village, the unwitting foreigner must decide whether to step into the family dispute or watch as Zanta suffers the abuse traditionally faced by Tibetan widows.
In partnership with the Royal Anthropological Institute and the RAI Film Festival