Old Dog + The Grassland

Raw and resolute, this unsettling fable centres around a Tibetan mastiff, a traditional sacred animal now turned into a pricey commodity often stolen for sale to wealthy Chinese on the black market. The old dog becomes the catalyst for an astonishing tug of war between an aging herder and his dissolute son, and a bleak allegory of the complex contradictions between waning Tibetan beliefs and encroaching urban values. Pema Tseden, with cinematographer Sonthar Gyal, discovers an abundance of arresting, unforgiving images, culminating to a grim vision of Tibet’s fears for the future. Screening with The Grassland .

Hong Kong International Film Festival: Golden DV Award

Tokyo FILMeX: Grand Prize

The Grassland
2004, Tibetan, 20mins, DCP

His graduation film, The Grassland , rides on a journey of an old nomadic couple in search of the thief of her liberated yak. This allegory of crime and redemption is further explored in Old Dog, where the humans and animals continue to struggle to eke out an existence. Screening with Old Dog.

19/8 (Sat): Guest filmmakers Jigme Trinley and Dukar Tserang will attend the screening