Dharamsala, October 22 – Photographs of Tenzin Dorjee, a former staff of Department of Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration based here, secured a place in the first National Geographic All Roads Film Festival, a multimedia event being held at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles from October 22 to 24, 2004 and at National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., from October 28 to 30, 2004.
The festival includes films, videos, live music and crafts from cultures around the globe, according to a Festival press release. “The Indigenous Photographers Exhibit will showcase the work of three photographers from South Africa, Israel and Tibet; their images will be for sale,” the release said.
Dorjee was born and brought up in India and studied at the Tibetan Children’s Village School in Dharamsala. He is currently associated with the Zurich-based photo agency, Lookat, and has carried out photography assignments for Time, The Independent (UK), Horzu (Germany), and Associated Press. He has also worked as a photographer for ‘Dreaming Lhasa’ the forthcoming feature film of noted filmmakers Tenzin Sonam and Ritu Sarin.
Since 1994, Dorjee has photographically charted the Tibetan Diaspora throughout the Indian Subcontinent and Switzerland. His photo essay “Exile Stories: Intimate Portraits of Tibetan Exile Community” can be found on http://www.fiftycrows.org/photoessay/dorjee/index.php. It “captures the diverse imagery of Tibetan life in exile, from nomad yak herders of Ladakh, to a wealthy carpet entrepreneur in Kathmandu, to a Tibetan Muslim community in Kashmir, and even a Tibetan hard-rock band in Zurich. With his collection of personal portraits, he intends to contribute to a visual archive for future generations of the Tibetan Diaspora, as well as raise global awareness about his country.”
Dorjee will be exhibiting his works along with. Fanie Jason from South Africa, Ahikam Seri from Israel. Dorjee was a finalist of the FiftyCrows International Fund for Documentary Photography in 2003. FiftyCrows has partnered with National Geographic for the documentary photographic essays portion of the Festival. “All three photographers will be attending both events and will receive a grant to further their important work documenting their own culture,” the release added.
With inputs from ICT, Washington DC
