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Original Film Title: 「天空チベット タンカ絵師の郷」
Director’s Name: Takashi Inoue, Matsuda Natsuki
Producer: Nuo Na
Country of Origin: Japan
Country of Filming: China
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes
Film Description:
A Buddha portrait painted in the depths of China’s secrecy showed to the audience.
The face of the Buddha, with its kind countenance, is a symbol of wisdom and compassion. The dedicated and smooth lines. The vibrant and deep coloring. An art exhibition in Shanghai attracted collectors from all over the world.
These high profile portraits of Buddha are known as Thang-ka, a traditional Tibetan-art. This Thang-ka is priced at 45million yen ( About 500000 dollars).
The people who created these works of art come from a valley on the Tibetan Plateau, which is 4,000 meters above sea level on average. The Tibetan people who live there make their living by grazing and farming on scarce land.
With an annual per capita income of only 30,000 yen, they live in extreme poverty all year round. In the mysterious valley there is an incredible valley. That is the home of Thang-ka painters. 200 painters are dedicated to painting all kinds of Thang-kas.
In this valley, the old generation has seized the opportunity to start teaching traditional culture to the young, to achieve regional revitalization.
One of the best of them is a monk, the heir of the 47th generation of the Jonang-pa of Tibetan Buddhism. He is a reincarnated Living Buddha. He wants to help the poor by reviving the culture of the Jonang.
The traditional craft that once suffered from the turmoil of old China and was on the verge of being lost, Thang-ka, in order to revive the culture and get rid of poverty, the Living Buddha decided to reveal the secrets of this art to the world. To do this, a group of illiterate nomadic girls, and the former leader of the Road Gangs gathered.
A secret that is made public after rigorous practice. The original Thang-ka painting from 400 years ago is a record of this mystery.
In this extreme land, to revive traditional art, the story of the Living Buddha and the young painters is being told.