Celebrated Tibetan filmmaker hospitalized with bruises

By Lobsang Tenchoe

DHARMSALA, June 29: Renowned Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden has been hospitalized after being detained by Chinese police on Saturday from the airport in Xining.

The director was detained by police following a dispute over left luggage at the airport.

Tibetan film director Pema Tseden poses during a photo call at the 62nd Locarno International Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland. AP photo.
Tibetan film director Pema Tseden poses during a photo call at the 62nd Locarno International Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland. AP photo.

The next morning, he was ordered held for five days of administrative detention for causing a disturbance and was taken to a hospital Monday night suffering a headache, chest pain and other complaints, AP quoted Tseden’s producer Sonam as saying in its report June 29.

The celebrated Tibetan director was seen with bruises when he was admitted to the hospital.

Tseden’s fans have taken to social media to express their support to him and vilified the Chinese authorities.

Tseden was a member of the jury at the recently concluded 19th Shanghai International Film Festival.

Born in a nomad family, Tseden earned legions of fans through his critically acclaimed films, making him the most successful and celebrated Tibetan film maker. He is one of the few Tibetans to have graduated from the Beijing Film Academy.

Tseden’s four films have won acclaim from critics and juries around the world. His second feature, “The Search,” was selected for screening at the Locarno Film Festival while his third, “Old Dog,” won prestigious prizes at festivals across Asia.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *