Experiencing Interruptions?

Un-titled

Filmed in McLeod Ganj, the makeshift home of the Dalai Lama and the heart of the Tibetan exile community, this short poetic non-narrative documentary unfolds a narrative of resilience, resistance, and the enduring spirit of survival. It explores the struggle against oppression, the plight of political prisoners, and the many faces of defiance. Through the evocative poetry of exiled Tibetan poets, the film weaves a tapestry of stories—tracing the deep, often harrowing, experiences of those living in exile, as well as the silent endurance of those still within Tibet’s borders.

  • Syed Ahmad Rufai
    Director
  • Samiya Chopra
    Camera
  • Shriya Koul
    Camera
  • Anzar Raina
    Editing
  • Sidra Fatima
    Editing
  • Sidra Fatima
    Sound
  • Syed Ahmad Rufai
    Research & Narrative
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Poetic Documentary
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 17 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 15, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    950 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    English, Tibetan
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - AJK, MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia
Director Biography - Syed Ahmad Rufai

Syed Ahmad Rufai is a storyteller and independent multimedia journalist based in Delhi, hailing from the mystical valley of Kashmir—the land of saints. The valley and the conflict has had a deep impact on the way Rufai weaves his narratives and stories.

A journalist by choice and a storyteller by chance, currently Rufai is pursuing his Master's in Convergent Journalism from AJK, MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia and mostly likes to photograph time.

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Director Statement

To survive is to resist. To live in the moment is an act of defiance against the weight of tyranny too.
In conflict's shadow, where oppression thrives, poets rise with words carving the silences of pain and loss. They weave the fabric of memory, the threads of identity, resilience, and revolt— an archive of wounds, a counterpoint to the stories told by power.
In lands like Palestine and Kashmir, poetry becomes a weapon of the spirit, a voice where silence is enforced, a light in the darkness of occupation. Mahmoud Darwish, Fadwa Tuqan, Samih al-Qasim, Agha Shahid Ali are some who introspect and inspire.
For Tibetans the soul of people is inscribed in verse, where poetry becomes both a protest and a prayer, a call to resist, to remember, to be.
And so it is with Tibet too.