Films Explore Human Rights and a Refugee Community from a Mental Health Perspective
(Austin, TX): Tibetan Stories, a new documentary web series consisting of monthly video portraits of Tibetan refugees, launches today via the website www.tibetanstories.org. The multimedia project is produced by The International Center for Mental Health & Human Rights (ICMHHR) and Kestrel Filmworks and highlights the personal struggles and aspirations of a wide diversity of Tibetans in exile.
At the invitation of the Health Ministry of the Tibetan government in exile, ICMHHR developed a trauma recovery training program for Tibetan health workers, doctors and teachers working on the front lines of mental health related issues within their community. Gaea Logan, internationally recognized psychotherapist and Founding Director of ICMHHR says,”Tibetan Stories raises awareness about the many faces of the refugee experience and honors the suffering and resilience of ordinary people who have found it necessary to flee their homeland for the hope of a better life. Regugees are not statistics. They are people … people who dream, who suffer, who hope, and who love ”
The series opens with The Monastery Cook about the head cook of a monastery in Dharamsala, India where the Dalai Lama resides and conducts regular teachings. As he prepares a meal for 5000 people, the cook discusses the trials as well as the courage of his own family. The other initial short film is The Graduates about two seniors from a school in a refugee settlement, who write and self-publish an independent newspaper. A new and unique film will be released every month throughout 2014. The website offers viewers either a three minute, or a ten minute version of each film.
Tibetan Stories is beautifully crafted by Russell Avery, an internationally recognized photographer and filmmaker who has worked with Terrence Malick and Academy Award winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. “I was inspired by projects like The New York Times’s One in Eight Million and wanted to show a spectrum of narratives rarely seen by the international community, but which are vital to understanding the contemporary Tibetan experience in exile, while free of the romanticism or victimization often attributed to the Tibetan struggle,” said Avery. More work can be seen at www.kestrelfilms.com.
The International Center for Mental Health & Human Rights (ICMHHR) is a non-profit organization established to strengthen communities through trauma recovery while preserving a culture of human rights and dignity. To learn more about their training and outreach programs go to https://icmhhr.org/training-and-outreach/#programs
Media Contacts:
Thelma Young, Kestrel Filmworks (208) 599 2169
Gaea Logan, ICMHHR (512) 694 1393
Official Hashtags #tibetanstories #icmhhr