State Of Statelessness

Comprising 4 short films made by Tibetan filmmakers living in exile in India, Vietnam and the US, State of Statelessness explores themes around statelessness and migration – topics which carry ever-increasing pertinence in our current global climate.

In the first film, a Tibetan father in Vietnam shares with his young daughter how the Mekong River, starting in his homeland, flows into the sea in their new country. In another, two sisters come together in a bittersweet reunion to cremate their late mother, only to find that years of separation have woven complex predicaments that they must struggle to untangle. The third film follows Sonam, who is in the midst of recovering from a family tragedy, when a visit by a long-lost school friend from America forces him and his wife to confront the fragility of their lives. In the final tale, a son returns to his deceased father’s home in Dharamshala in northern India, where he experiences a glimpse into his past and stumbles upon a secret that challenges his understanding of his heritage and identity.