'TIBET - The Truth' is a brief, yet comprehensive, film examining the evolution of Tibet as an integral part of China beginning around 600 AD. Tibet's geo-political history is fairly clear up to the 19th and 20th centuries. It was during this period that Western Imperialism began to muddy the waters and campaigns were launched to create an insecure western border for China.
Additional influences include rampant civil unrest within China, the forming of the Republic of China after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Japanese aggression that tormented the people of China for many years, and finally, the involvement of the United States (namely the CIA) in using the 14th Dalai Lama as a poster-child and ally in its Anti-Communist agenda during the Cold War.
Before 1959, the year the People's Liberation Army of China quelled the Upper-Class Tibetan Revolt, the vast majority of Tibetans were subjected to slavery and serfdom, a major issue that is chronically ignored in any popular assessment of Chinese-Tibetan history. Once the Dalai Lama fled to India, the Central Government of China eliminated the practice of slavery and serfdom in Tibet. The film documents this change and the results it has had for the average Tibetan over recent decades.
Ultimately, the goal of 'TIBET - The Truth' is to turn popular culture on its head and encourage a more empathetic and educated dialog between the East and West. With knowledge and perspective, humans are better-equipped to engage in cross-cultural relations.
